Wide-Format & Signage August 2020 by WhatTheyThink

AUGUST 2020

44 Solving the Mystery of Industrial Printing 46 Beyond the Hype: The Reality of Direct-to-Shape Printing 52 Spoonﬂower CEO Michael Jones: On-Demand Textiles

TEMPDEFEND DYNAMIC DIGITAL SIGNAGE WITH THERMAL DETECTION ENABLES “PROTECTION AS A SERVICE” p.48

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EDITORIAL ─ Building Your Brand

ALWAYS. BE.

BRANDING.

Building your brand is just as important as making sales.

Eric Vessels President eric@whattheythink.com

Read More… Find article at PrintingNews. com/21140465

here is an iconic scene in the 1992 ﬁlm “Glengarry Glen Ross” where Alec Baldwin’s character gives a big speech about “ABC,” or “Always. Be. Closing.” I’d like to propose a slight modiﬁcation. ABB, or “Always. Be. Branding.” I tried a small experiment recently that I wanted to share with you that illustrates the power of branding and the fun you can have with it. One of our philosophies at WhatTheyThink is to keep changing in an iterative fashion. We like to try something on a small scale to see what works and only invest once we prove out the idea. It’s why you will rarely see us have a big announcement about a re-design or feature additions. We just quietly add them and watch your reactions to it. One big change for us in the course of the past few years has been our logo design. For years this was just the camel-cased words WhatTheyThink ending in a big red question mark. We decided to get rid of the question mark and add an exclamation mark in place of the “i” at the end. We just made the change without much fanfare. The feedback was mostly positive and many saw through what we were trying to communicate about the brand WhatTheyThink with the new design. Building your brand is something that takes years to do if done right. It’s about more than just your logo design,

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

your web design, your print design. Branding done right is more about how all of those things presented together make people feel. How they relate to you and your business. I decided to take the newly redesigned logo and get some stickers made. I ordered 200 as a trial and had them shipped to me. It wasn’t going to be feasible to hand these out at any event soon, so I made a post on LinkedIn asking who wanted one. Stickers ARE cool and it’s no surprise that people dig them, but I wasn’t really prepared for the reaction this little post got. Not only did several people want them, but that post started an exchange that included me sending out stickers and people posting photos of getting them in the mail! I ended up mailing stickers all over the world and got notes back from those who got them along with photos of their new stickers proudly emblazoned on their shiny MackBook Pros! As we continue through this unique period in business history, it’s important that we continue to build and deﬁne our brands so they can pay a return on the years of investment we’ve put into them. So, yes. ABB: Always Be Branding. And have fun! Be creative. Try something new. You may be surprised at the result! I do still have some stickers, so if you’d like one or three, send your address to eric@whattheythink.com and I’ll get them in the mail! ●

For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10013323

VP, GROUP PUBLISHER Kelley Holmes kelley@whattheythink.com 772-579-7360 PRODUCTION EDITOR & MANAGER Amy Hahn amy@whattheythink.com EDITOR Jessica Taylor jessica@whattheythink.com

CON AUGUST 2020

MANAGING EDITOR Richard Romano richard@whattheythink.com SENIOR EDITOR Cary Sherburne cary@whattheythink.com

Cover Story

AUGMENTED REALITY: REVOLUTIONIZING THE VALUE OF PRINT

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Paul Zimmerman paul@whattheythink.com 973-727-1376 PRESIDENT Eric Vessels eric@whattheythink.com 740-417-3333

By Cary Sherburne

PRINTING NEWS

COO Adam Dewitz adam@whattheythink.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Pete Basiliere Kristin Gallucci Dave Fellman Michael McDonald Joanne Gore Lisa Magnuson Elizabeth Gooding Jennifer Matt

12 Paul Miller Heidi Tolliver-Walker Mary Schilling Mark Vruno

CREATIVE SERVICES Bobbi Burow, CreativityTank LLC bobbi.burow@gmail.com SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE For change of address or subscription information email: help@whattheythink.com Published by WTT Media, Inc. 2038 Ford Parkway #218, Saint Paul, MN 55116

ARTICLE REPRINTS Please contact your account executive PrintingNews.com PrintingNews.com—the web portal representing content from Printing News, Wide-Format & Signage—is devoted to delivering you timely news and multimedia content on a daily basis. WhatTheyThink (ISSN 2642-3189) (USPS 500-850) Volume 43, Number 9 is published ten times per year in January/February, March, April, May, June/July, August, September, October, November, and December by WTT Media, Inc., at 2038 Ford Parkway #218, Saint Paul, MN 55116. Periodicals postage paid at Saint Paul, MN and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WhatTheyThink, 2038 Ford Parkway #218, Saint Paul, MN 55116. Subscriptions: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the U.S. to qualified subscribers. Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualified subscriptions. Annual subscription prices in the U.S.A $95; Canada $125 USD; all other countries $150 USD. Printed in the USA. Copyright © 2020 WTT Media, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recordings or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission. WTT Media Inc. does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of causation. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not those of the publishers, unless indicated. The publishers do not warrant, either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, or of any views or opinions offered by the authors of said articles.

16 18

A PRINTER’S GUIDE TO AUGMENTED REALITY, VIRTUAL REALITY & INTERACTIVE PRINT

XANTÉ’S INFOMARK FINDS RELIGION OR VICE VERSA

The product is the same. The strategy has shifted. By Richard Romano DO NOT TOUCH

SpeedPro Launches InfoLnkX By Richard Romano ELIMINATE THE ESTIMATE

INKJET INNOVATION WEEK HIGHLIGHTS

MAIL VOLUMES PLUNGE IN THE AGE OF COVID

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

How to make the most of new technology. By Joanne Gore

- PAGE -

How to make money and make your customers happy. By Jennifer Matt

New inkjet hardware, software and media. By Elizabeth Gooding & Mary Schilling

The pandemic is accentuating the USPS’s problems. By Paul Miller HOW CASTING VOTES BY MAIL COULD WORK (WELL)

A boon for specialized print and mail service providers. By Mark Vruno

NTENTS COLUMNS

WIDE-FORMAT & SIGNAGE

SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF INDUSTRIAL PRINTING

BEYOND THE HYPE

TEMPDEFEND

SPOONFLOWER CONTINUES TO GROW

MARKETING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW

RASPBERRY CREEK FABRICS

So what is it exactly? By Richard Romano

The reality of direct-to-shape printing By Pete Basiliere

Dynamic digital signage with thermal detection enables “Protection as a Service.” By Richard Romano

CEO Michael Jones shares insights on future of on-demand in textiles. By Cary Sherburne

MORE FROM LESS

IMPROVE RFP EFFECTIVENESS NOW

LOOKING PAST THE PANDEMIC

SPESA SUPPORT

Lessons shared from the past. By Dave Fellman

Don't fall prey to the RFP pitfalls. By Lisa Magnuson

Marco Boer of IT Strategies discusses how the pandemic will drive inkjet growth. By Heidi Tolliver-Walker

SPESA continues to support the sewn products industry in the time of COVID-19. By Michael McDonald

Signarama helps customers navigate their changing needs. By Kristin Gallucci

Factory automation for printing fabric on demand translates to big business. By Cary Sherburne

46 DEPARTMENTS

4 Editorial

Classiﬁeds/Supplier Directory

FOLLOW US twitter: @PrintingNews; @WideFormatSign; @whattheythink facebook: Printing News; wideformatsignage; @whattheythink linkedin: Printing News; linkedin.com/groups/1780044; whattheythink youtube: PrintingNews.com

TEXTILES ─ Augmented Reality Press “View in 3D” and “View in Your Space.” Voilà! You have a virtual tiger in your home or ofﬁce! You can tell this is a virtual tiger because the dog is ignoring it. Have fun making photos and videos to your heart’s content with a variety of animals. Of course, this has limited, if any, commercial value. It just serves as a quick introduction to AR. But keep in mind that there are some 3.4 billion smartphones in the world today, and most of them are enabled with AR.

Augmenting the JouéClub Christmas Catalog

AUGMENTED REALITY: REVOLUTIONIZING THE

VALUE OF PRINT Technology is paving the way for the future of AR. By Cary Sherburne

ugmented reality, or AR, has played a somewhat limited role to date in the world of print and packaging, with its largest footprint in the digital world. But that may be about to change. AR allows you to overlay alternate or enhanced reality on top of the real visual world using a smartphone or smart glasses to achieve the effect.

For a quick introduction to the world of AR, try this fun exercise: Type an animal’s name (try tiger) into the Google search bar on your iPhone or Android and scroll down to where it says “Meet a life-sized tiger up close.”

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

We are starting to see realworld, commercially valuable AR implementations enabled by smartphones. There is an Increased understanding among consumers about how to use things like QR codes, and creative software developers are helping brands turn the hype of AR into pretty remarkable ﬁnancial results. One example I recently learned about comes from Aurélie Cayla, responsible for digital marketing and e-commerce at France’s JouéClub. JouéClub is a network of physical stores throughout France. Each year, the company produces a Christmas catalog with a print run of more than 12

Cary Sherburne is a well-known author, journalist and marketing consultant whose practice is focused on marketing communications strategies for the printing and publishing industries.

million. While the company has a web catalog as well, the paper catalog is important because it is geared to the entire family, and it is easier for children (or adults) to cut out images of desired purchases than it is to save those images from a digital source. The paper catalog is also an important element of JouéClub’s brand positioning. JouéClub wanted to do something different and fun with its catalog, also to demonstrate that the company was up-to-date with technology in an increasingly digital world. To that end, the company worked

with AR specialists ARGO, based in Paris and Montreal, to enhance its Christmas catalog. The catalog is quite extensive, with about 400 pages, all of which are clickable; in fact, each and every product in the catalog is clickable so that customers can get more information about the product, its use, and even how it will look in home. It includes clear pictograms throughout the catalog that explain how to use the AR function, and the objective is to have fun while shopping, with a number of gamiﬁcation elements throughout the catalog

JouéClub Catalog Featuring AR on the Cover

JouéClub Treasure Hunt

while creating more engagement ultimately leading to more sales. A key feature of last year’s catalog was a Harry Potter treasure hunt. Readers could scan various page elements throughout the catalog searching for a hidden PIN that could enable them to win a trip to Scotland, as well as win other prizes. “I think augmented reality is becoming very natural, especially with digital natives,” said Aurelie Cayla, digital marketing and e-commerce for JouéClub. “Some of our target audience is very young, 4 and under. Aurelie Cayla But they can use a smartphone, and it is quite natural for them to interact with the smartphone and connect it to the catalog. The catalog therefore beneﬁts from an innovative image because it is augmented with ARGO’s solution and it helps rejuvenate the brand. We want children to spend a meaningful moment with us, and we want to add a little bit of magic and imagination to the experience. It makes the experience more interesting and helps to answer questions and close a sale.” With an augmented reality application like the JouéClub catalog, brands can also collect a great deal of information; they can see which images were scanned, and they can tie that data back to actual sales,

TEXTILES ─ Augmented Reality helping them to perfect future campaigns and look for ways to improve their product portfolio. The catalog is meant to work in conjunction with the in-store experience and the e-commerce site as a unified experience. The 2019 JouéClub catalog with AR was a great success. The company recorded more than one million scans, with 800,000 of them occurring in just two months, and more than 100,000 clicks, driving readers from the printed catalog to the web. “This amount of traffic was huge as compared to previous years,” Cayla said.

Democratizing the AR Experience One thing ARGO realized as they worked to develop their AR solution was that the need to download an app was often a barrier. “With that in mind,” said Pierre Addoum, CEO of ARGO, “we created a software

Augmented Furniture Catalog

development kit that uses Web AR, a proprietary technology that offers the same Pierre Addoum Christophe Bossut AR experience as a native app, but PDF as the Entry Point in a browser.” to AR Creation Founded in 2014, ARGO curAccording to Addoum, the rently has 32 employees and company has always been has generated €1.3 million in focused on print; in fact, its revenues in 2019. It operates in founders all had some link a software-as-a-service model to the print industry in their with access to ARGO Manager, backgrounds. a single platform that allows Christophe Bossut, the comusers to create, update and pany’s head of partnerships and manage augmented document strategy, has been in the preprojects, for as little as $340 press and print industry for per month. more than 30 years. He points Education about activation out that human experiences can also be a barrier, although have increasingly been augprobably less so now than mented, with things like GPS, only a couple years ago. In the assisted driving, automated JouéClub example, pictographs translation, ratification intelliare used to stimulate scangence assisted decision making ning, but a QR code, which most and more. people now intuitively know “Packaging won’t escape means something is scannathis digital tsunami and will ble, can also be used as an entry become increasingly intelligent point. Addoum cited an example and a communications channel of a French furthat can interact with humans,” niture manufacBossut said. “Today’s cameraturer that sends a equipped smartphones and catalog monthly. tomorrow’s connected glasses “At first, they will expand the possibilities used text informafforded by an open internet ing customers an where information systems can item was scanbe queried real time via APIs nable, but now as without the user needing any people are more special expertise. Our phones familiar, they don’t are becoming the entry point to need to do anyacquire information. Instead of thing, and the Googling, we’re starting to scan amount of scanour environment to gain access ning has not appreto additional information. And ciably decreased.”

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

with the adoption of scanning applications like Yuka, which provides access to the Open Food Fact database with a score given to each product and which has been widely adopted in Europe with more than 17 million users, and with native scanning increasingly built into smartphones, I believe we will begin to see a rapid adoption curve for augmented reality. And packaging will increasingly need to integrate all of these dimensions for brands to stay competitive.” With its focus on print, the ARGO process begins with a PDF, which Bossut notes is the starting point for print production. “Today PDFs encapsulate all of the information and data necessary for printing: color speciﬁcations, color separation and content layers. What we do is add a virtual layer to the PDF as an access point to augmented content via a simple scan of the printed piece, making the

printed piece an even better communications tool.”

Are You Sold Yet? Do the examples included here inspire you to investigate how best to include AR in your services and to add extreme value for your customers? It should. Like many new (relatively) technologies, we are still on the low end of the adoption curve. But that curve is likely to see rapid acceleration, especially in light of the post-pandemic “new normal” we will ﬁnd

ourselves in. Read More… Marketers Find article at need to ﬁnd PrintingNews. com/21139270 unique ways to communicate with customers and potential customers, especially when inperson, and even in-store, interactions are stiﬂed by the pandemic, but also, as JouéClub’s Cayla points out, to put an “innovative” stamp on the brand. There are a number of companies out there building AR applications, and both Google and Apple have aggressive projects underway as well. Unlike virtual reality, which seemed to hit a roadblock to consumer adoption, we join Tim Cook in believing that augmented reality won’t hit those same roadblocks. Are you prepared for an augmented future? Are your customers? Will you be the partner that takes them there? We’ll continue to cover this topic to keep you up to speed. We hope you’ll share your AR stories with us as you get more experience under your belt. ●

MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY ─ AR, VR & Interactive Print

A PRINTER’S GUIDE

TO AUGMENTED REALITY, VIRTUAL REALITY & INTERACTIVE PRINT How to make the most of new technology in the buying process. By Joanne Gore

ho we are “at work” and how we make business buying decisions is very often quite different from how we shop online from home. At least that used to be the case.

When working from home became the new normal, these worlds collided. Even if you were used to working from home, complete with a dedicated home-office,

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

you were impacted. Suddenly it was OK (almost expected) to be on Zoom calls in a t-shirt, hair a mess with kids and pets running around. Suddenly, companies were forced to re-think their approach to every aspect of their business. As the consumer hat continued to encroach upon its business counterpart, buyer expectation morphed as well. There is no disputing, denying or ignoring the fact that understanding who wants to buy from you and providing them with solutions that matter to them is critical to business growth. When that buyer expects a seamless, fluid, hyperpersonal and engaging customer experience – they spend their money with the companies that indulge them. A study out of the University of Ohio exposed how haptic (touch) memory is - the type of memory that has the strongest impact on the human brain. When you make print interactive – with QR codes, AI, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) – you bridge analog and digital worlds, capture the attention of prospects and customers for a longer period of time and foster smoother business operations. Not only do these technologies literally bring print to life – they elevate digitalonly tactics with long-lasting, memorable and sensory experiences that only print can provide.

The Data: The Lifeblood of Artificial Intelligence The first AI program – called Logic Theorist – was developed in 1956. However, the lack of computational power meant that the program could not engage in self-learning, which is how most people conceptualize the nature of AI. Research on AI was reinvigorated in the 1980s, and great development occurred in the 1990s. IBM put its Deep Blue (a chess-playing computer) against a chess champion and won. While Dragon Systems’ speech recognition software was implemented on Windows operating systems. The most basic form of AI is one in which machines react to particular situations, but do not use experience as a determinant of decision output. Limited memory systems are slightly more advanced than reactive ones, and can make decisions based on the data presented to them by their surrounding environment. Print providers are discovering that the most lucrative new revenue streams to come from having artificial intelligence stem from Reactive and Limited Memory AI technologies, according to Dragana Pavlovic, senior vice president of Global Development Group, Xerox. Fueled with your real-time data, here are five ways that AI drives print and manufacturing operations: 1. Deliver hyper-personalized customer experiences 2. Optimize equipment and production workflow 3. Boost efficiency 4. Reduce Waste 5. Streamline customer support operations Key players in the industry putting this technology to work include: Ricoh, which utilizes AI developed by Microsoft

to streamline its operations; HP, which also uses Microsoft AI, particularly for its customer support operations; and Xerox, another key player that has recognized the benefits to AI, and has developed their own AI programs in recent years. Atif Khan, vice president of AI & Data Science at Messagepoint, providers of AI-powered customer communications, boasts of AI’s power to enrich textual content with visual cues, like branding, color and images. He encourages hyperpersonalization, gearing content to the audience and adjusting it based on demographics, readability and engagement.

The Experience: Delivered through QR, AR, and VR Whereas AI is oriented around data, other interactive print technologies – such as QR, AR and VR – are designed to deliver an immersive customer experience. QR codes were first developed in 1994 by Denso to streamline operations in Japan’s automotive industry. However, they were not introduced in the U.S. until 2010, when the first QR scanner app was released for mobile devices. Until recently, QR codes were platform dependent – you couldn’t just point your phone at it to launch. As a result, adoption waned; as seen by Microsoft Tag, which launched in 2010 – and was discontinued in 2013. In 2015 QR codes were revived, when messaging app Snapchat, introduced them as a way to add friends. Eventually further features were added, such as being able to unlock filters and lenses – via QR codes. In the wake of Coronavirus, restaurants are embracing QR to provide touchless menus as they re-open for dine-in patrons. SmartLabel, for example, provides detailed information about food, beverages, over-the-counter products

When you make print interactive – with QR codes, AI, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) – you bridge analog and digital worlds, capture the attention of prospects and customers for a longer period of time and foster smoother business operations.

MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY ─ AR, VR & Interactive Print and more – using QR codes right on the packaging – that can be easily scanned by any smartphone, computer or tablet. The birth of AR and VR is rooted in a head-mounted display system developed in 1968, long before the advent of QR codes. The first fully functional AR system was developed by the Read More… USAF in 1992. However, it did Find article at not reach commercial areas PrintingNews. until 2000, when an AR game com/21139403 called ARQuake was released. When the smartphone boom occurred circa 2009, AR began to take off. Now, many companies in many industries are either testing or using AR systems, including Boeing, DHL, IKEA and LEGO, to immerse customers in an interactive experience that pops off the printed page and facilitates the buying decision. Jonathan Malone-McGrew, EDP and senior director of engagement at Solimar Systems, explains AR like this: “If you can put a QR code on it or a ‘marker’ to trigger the image recognition, then you can place an AR experience on it.” And you don’t even need an app. There are also postal discounts – up to 2% – for AR used on what the USPS specifies as “regular and non-profit marketing mail letters and flats, and First-Class Mail® pre-sort or automation letters, cards and flats.” For VR, the story is similar to that of its AR cousin. The first proper VR system was Sega’s VR headset released in 1994. The following year, Nintendo released its VR-32. Fast-forward to 2007, and VR begins showing greater potential outside the gaming industry, with Google

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

introducing street view. A few years later, Oculus began fundraising and was eventually acquired by Facebook in 2014. In 2015, VR was made available to the public with adoption by many print media outlets, including newspapers and magazines. The BBC is one example - they generated a VR experience of a Syrian migrant camp, while the Wall Street Journal developed a VR roller coaster, designed to follow the ups-and-downs of the NASDAQ’s history. Print providers have also begun rolling out VR products, such as Ricoh’s THETA, which allows one to capture a 360-degree image to generate a VR experience. Maracle is a 100-year-old printer/ publisher. In 2017, they partnered with Brainspace Publishing to develop “My Wondrous World of Kindergarten.” Each story page comes equipped with AR videos for both children and parents to help guide them through the partnerships of home, family and school in more detail. According to George Sittlinger, Maracle’s

president, the process was really straight-forward. “All the image tagging was done in the ﬁle-prep and provided by the author/illustrator,” he said. One piece of advice he offers printers is to test links periodically. Much like a website, links can break for any number of reasons, the most common being software updates.

Joanne Gore is founder of Joanne Gore Communications. She has spent the last three decades helping companies maximize their marketing and communications efforts. Contact Joanne at joanne@joannegorecommunications.com.

Interactive Print: The Opportunity Interactive print technologies blend physical and digital worlds to engage the senses, as customers discover your products and services in exciting new ways. QR codes make it easy to drive customers to pURLs, URLs, landing pages, surveys, videos, contact information, featured promos and more – without having to navigate through website menus and sub-menus. Adding AR and VR elements helps keep them there. The more you understand who you help and how, the more you can channel the power of Artiﬁcial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and print – and accelerate the prospect to customer journey. From uploading contact details directly into your CRM by scanning a QR code on a business card, to delivering virtual equipment tours through a direct mail piece, these technologies are making it possible to seamlessly interact between physical and digital worlds and attract buyers – no matter which hat they’re wearing. ●

For more information, visit Printingnews.com/10005202

MARKETING TECHNOLOGY ─ InfoMark

XANTÉ’S INFOMARK FINDS

RELIGION OR VICE VERSA The product is the same. The strategy has shifted.

ate last year, in the “Before Times,” Xanté introduced a unique take on the idea of adding an interactive element to print. Called InfoMark, it sought to replace the familiar yet oft-reviled QR code with a four- or five-digit numerical code. Basically, you download the InfoMark app or go to Infomark.com, create a Mark (the app will assign a random code that will serve as your “Mark” or you can create a custom one), upload a wide variety of file types (PDFs, Word docs, PowerPoint files, pictures, etc.), and then share your Mark. When I first wrote about InfoMark back in January (see “Xanté Goes Beyond Print with InfoMark,” January/February 2020), I created an InfoMark associated with the story: *WTT01. To access the associated files (and they’re still there), just go to infomark.com or open the app and enter the code. I found it pretty easy to use.

Since one of the editorial are open, can’t afford to adverfoci this month is on interactise. (Or they’re supermarkets, tive print, we thought we would which are universally mobbed check back in with Xanté and and thus don’t need to adversee how InfoMark has been tise.) So with publishers—espefaring in the wild, and the extent cially small publishers—strugto which it has been adopted gling to keep the lights on, now by the markets that Xanté was is not the most propitious time targeting. to pitch them on a new technolWhen I originally ogy like InfoMark. spoke with Robert Another indusRead More… Ross, president of try that showed early Find article at PrintingNews. Xanté, publishing was interest in InfoMark com/21140091 one of the biggest was health care and markets that the hospitals. Well... company was targeting, specif“They’re absolutely overically magazines and newspawhelmed,” Ross said. pers. Well, the best laid plans... And even hospitals that “To tell you the truth, the aren’t swamped with COVID-19 newspaper and magazine busipatients are struggling because ness is devastated right now,” no one is going to hospitals for Ross said. “We’re calling newspaminor or elective procedures. pers that had 45 employees and So that’s on hold. now have three. Magazines are However, one big market down to half or less of their staff.” for InfoMark has emerged: These are publications churches. whose primary advertisers had “What we’ve done is we’ve been local businesses—restaucreated a shell that goes over rants, law firms, etc.—that are InfoMark that makes it look like in shutdown and, even if they it’s the church’s app,” Ross said.

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

“So the categories where you can add videos, audio, PDFs and things like that are still the same, but the pastor will go to Infomark.com and build the Mark the way they want it. And then the parishioners download the church app, and all that content that was set up, an InfoMark shows up in the app.” Grace Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala., was the test case for the InfoMark app shell. “A lot of churches are having to adapt to doing remote services, and that’s why they’re really scrounging for technology,” Ross said. Xanté can create a shell that runs on top of InfoMark that can be downloaded as an app, but still can contain all the image, document, video, or audio files that InfoMark supports. Xanté is finding tremendous traction for InfoMark in churches—especially those that used to rely on Facebook but now are trying to steer clear of that particular platform. One addition to the original InfoMark is that Xanté added a “Notes” section, so that the owner of the Mark can create and share short messages. “It’s kind of like a Twitter feed,” Ross said. “It could be, ‘Just saw Bob and Paula,’ ‘I’m heading to the office from one to four,’ ‘Here’s a Bible verse of the day,’ whatever.”

Users can add notes to an InfoMark-based app.

Audio and PDF files of relevant church materials can easily be shared with churchgoers via the InfoMark-based app.

Xanté can create a shell that runs on top of InfoMark that can be downloaded as an app, but still can contain all the image, document, video, or audio files that InfoMark supports.

Like Twitter, it’s limited to 256 characters, but it’s basically a one-way conversation. “We don’t allow people to like post stuff, which is better for those kinds of organizations,” he said. Audio and PDF ﬁles of relevant church materials can easily be shared with churchgoers via the InfoMark-based app. Going beyond churches, Ross said that Xanté is starting to work with school boards to share information with parents. The InfoMark-based app will be managed by the school board. “Every mother and father will use that app to get all the information they need,” Ross said.

“It’s all real time, so you can download a school board app and don’t have to wait, listen to the radio or watch TV. You just click on the app and get the most updated information.” Like a lot of companies, Xanté ﬁnds that customers can pull them in directions they never expected to go. “When I started Xanté, I was building paper printers and everybody kept asking for envelopes,” Ross said. “So I thought, ‘Hey, there’s an envelope market here.’ You build one thing and the customer drags you in a different direction. That’s what we’re doing with InfoMark now.” ●

Richard Romano has been writing about the graphic communications industry for 20 years. He is an industry analyst and author or co-author of more than half a dozen books.

WIDE-FORMAT & SIGNAGE ─ InfoLnkX

DO NOT TOUCH SpeedPro Launches InfoLnkX for Contactless Restaurant Menus—and More

few weeks, ago, I offered some tips for how sign and display graphics providers can help restaurants with the various print materials that are needed for them to reopen safely. I had mentioned that single-use menus are one particular option, but could very well be a sustainability nightmare. However, sign and display graphics franchise SpeedPro has just rolled out a new product called InfoLnkX that makes that a moot point. Based on near-field communication (NFC), SpeedPro’s InfoLnkX comprises a programmable chip attached to a restaurant’s interior or exterior graphics that can allow patrons to

access the restaurant’s menu right from their phones—without having to handle germy multiuse menus or generate excess waste via single-use menus. Interestingly, InfoLnkX was in development well before the COVID-19 crisis. “In March 2019, we were trying to, not necessarily predict, but understand where we think the printing industry is going over the next five and 10 years,” said Larry Oberly, president and CEO of SpeedPro. Working with an “intentional

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

innovation company” called EdgeDweller, SpeedPro started looking into smart signage, although the idea was eventually tabled—for a time. “We decided to go forward with a couple other initiatives,” Oberly said, “and then COVID hit, so we decided to go back and look at our top five again. The smart signage opportunity was right there in front of us with the need to be safe and prove safety, so we thought it was a perfect application.” They started working on it

Richard Romano has been writing about the graphic communications industry for 20 years. He is an industry analyst and author or co-author of more than half a dozen books.

in earnest in mid-March 2020, and it took SpeedPro about two months to build marketing materials and a strategy before offering it to clients. That “perfect application” is what SpeedPro is calling InfoLnkX. It’s not a proprietary technology; NFC has been around for a while, and SpeedPro also looked at using QR codes. “We like the NFC option a lot better because it’s becoming more and more inherent in phones, and you don’t have to open an app,” Oberly said. “It actually has a few more capabilities, especially from a security point-of-view. It also has the same longevity as a QR code.” There are a seemingly infinite number of ways that that InfoLnkX can be implemented, but as SpeedPro rolls it out, contact-less menus for restaurants is the initial “killer app.” InfoLnkX works in conjunction with other kinds of signage and

applied graphics. The InfoLnkX chip can be applied to a poster outside the restaurant’s door, so patrons can download a menu to their phones as they are waiting to be seated, or even carried through inside the restaurant to a decal applied to a table or some other kind of interior signage or display graphics. “You can not only pop up a menu, but also pop up an order form, which will allow a credit card payment,” Oberly said. As with any kind of interactive print, instructions for use have to be provided, which lends itself for other kinds of ancillary and surrounding graphics, especially to keep all imagery on-brand. The recent “premature reopening” of restaurants and other locations in places like Texas and Florida—and the subsequent re-closing as infection rates rose again—is starting to focus even more attention on how people can go out in public and stay safe. Oberly believes InfoLnkX can play a large role in that. “I think it’s going to force companies to really rethink how they can prove that their clients are going to be in a safe environment,” he said. “And I think [InfoLnkX] is one of those things right now that allows them to

do that and rethink their business strategy and how to keep people separated.” Most of the SpeedPro studios in the U.S. now have InfoLnkX chips in stock, with those in Canada soon to be on board, and the technology is ready to go. “We did some initial tests in a couple of local Denver restaurants,” Oberly said, “and many of our studios have already put them in other restaurants.” Adam Koppelman is the owner of SpeedPro Services Group in Totowa, N.J. The studio has been around for seven years, but Koppelman bought the franchise in 2018. He has seized on InfoLnkX and has been actively pushing it in his local market. “This is so huge and such a good opportunity for SpeedPro,” Koppelman said. “I made up a whole bunch of standardized generic pieces that don’t have to be branded, but they can be for specific restaurants if they want something customized.” Koppelman then went on Amazon and bought acrylic tabletop folders for them. “With all these samples, I’m going to go door to door,” he said. “I’m going old-school. I’m going to literally start knocking on restaurant doors, talking to managers and owners and saying, ‘Hey, this is what I’ve got. I’ve got some generic pieces, and I can program them right here on the spot for you.’ I’m excited about the opportunity.” Koppelman was so excited

WIDE-FORMAT & SIGNAGE ─ InfoLnkX about the InfoLnkX concept that he didn’t even wait for the official branded chips to come from SpeedPro corporate. Koppelman quickly discovered that the applications for InfoLnkX go far beyond restaurants. “I’m talking to some churches and synagogues,” he said. “Effective July 2 [in New Jersey], you’re allowed to have some smaller gatherings of services inside, so my thought was,

if they have a digital version of their prayer book, why can’t we, when people come in, have them wave their phone and have it launch their prayers so they don’t have to touch the community prayer book.” Koppelman has also been talking with corporate clients about integrating InfoLnkX into their interior office space décor—for example, companies and organizations that have a graphic timeline of milestones can transfer that from a wall or window graphic to something sent to a phone via InfoLnkX. “The plan is to embed certain

dates in the chips and program reasonably priced.” them as an interactive wall It also leads to other kinds of where people can come up to signage or display graphics they it and get more information may need. about what was happening in “Do they need any branded the history of the company at tents that they can put outside?” that time, or see a video about Koppelman said. “Do they need the groundbreaking ceremony,” a big banner to announce that Koppelman said. they’re open? Maybe the footPerhaps the most unique in-the-door is this unique techapplication for InfoLnkX is on nology that I’ve made simple vehicle graphics. and easy for them.” “I am putting it on a vehicle “There are a lot of different wrap for a customer,” he said. applications for InfoLnkX for “Their clothing store is in a mall, just about any industry,” Oberly and they’re not sure how long said. “Like museums and galit’s going to be until they can leries, for instance, where they open up on a full-time basis. could drive an audio file and do They got a great deal from away with the rentable tempoMercedes and bought a Sprinter rary headsets.” van, and they are customizing Indeed—how appealing the interior into a mobile bouare those going to be when tique, and we’re going to do a museums can open up again? whole exterior wrap for them.” “We see lots of applications Part of the wrap will include in education, as well. There are InfoLnkX-based touchpoints certainly a lot of things that the that let customers like them on universities can do to continue Facebook or Instagram, as well to provide that separation and as access an online store with safety with something like a real-time inventory. series of graphics with “We’re pushing chips and QR codes Read More… the boundaries and embedded that can Find article at testing the limits of also help deliver all PrintingNews. com/21140336 the technology,” he kinds of messages.” said, “but clients are “You’ve got to be coming up with creative ideas to aggressive to stay alive these help it fit their businesses.” days,” Koppelman said, “and I’m The real value proposihappy to say, we had a record tion isn’t necessarily in just the month in June, and we had a InfoLnkX chips. record month before that in “It’s an inexpensive nonMay, and that’s because we’re proprietary technology,” pivoting. With the help that Koppelman said. “Anybody can SpeedPro is giving us with difdo it, but I’m marrying it up with ferent tools and ideas like this, the signage, making it turnkey we can stay relevant, and stay for clients, and trying to keep it ahead of the competition.” ●

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

MANAGEMENT ─ Early Lessons

MORE FROM LESS Lessons shared from the past.

long time ago, I worked for Moore Business Forms. This was back in the early 1980’s, and Moore was the dominant player in the business forms segment. It was a great organization in its heyday, and the perfect place to learn about printing and sales. One of my first teachers was the Eastern Region Sales Manager for my division, a guy named Clay Less, who was very fond of introducing himself as Less From Moore.

Simple Efficiency Clay never seemed to care that “less from more” was not as desirable as “more from less.” He practiced doing more with less in a number of ways. One of the early lessons he taught me was how to stretch my $50 per month “entertainment” budget. “You can take a buyer to lunch at a steakhouse for $25, or you can take three buyers out to Chinese buffet places for the same money. It’s simple efficiency!” Clay also liked to point out that the business forms industry was founded on the principle of efficiency. Using carbon paper, one writing could produce two or more copies. That was a very big deal in the days before copy/printing machines.

Time and Money Efficiency is still the solution to the two shortages that plague printshop owners – time and money. The money part is pretty straightforward. If you can’t afford everything that you want, you have to make do with less. But let’s think about that money going out. What is it paying for? I’d like you to consider the idea that there are only two categories of expense, time and other. Paper, ink and toner fall into the category of other. Payroll expense falls into the category of time. If you’re paying rent, or a mortgage,

that falls into the category of other. If you’re contemplating a new piece of equipment – or an improvement to your facility, either of which will make you more efficient – that falls into the category of time. The point I’m hoping to make is that, when money is limited, you should use as much of it as you can on things that will make you more efficient. The key to success in doing more with less is to increase the return on your investment of time.

Everybody’s Time

This is not just about your time, Find article at it’s about everybody’s time. So PrintingNews. com/21139638 here are the million dollar questions: How much time gets wasted in my operation? Who’s doing the wasting? How do I make these wasters more efficient? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to this sort of problem, but I can tell you the most likely solution only has two parts – training and motivation. If your employees do not know how to perform a task efficiently, someone has to teach them. And if your employees need motivation to perform, someone has to provide that. Think about the term “human resources.” Now think about this: the best way to do more with less is to have your human resources performing at peak efficiency. Evaluation, training and motivation are the keys. ●

Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, a sales and marketing consulting firm serving numerous segments of the graphic arts industry. Contact him at dmf@davefellman.com.

SOFTWARE & WORKFLOW ─ Estimating Process

ELIMINATE THE ESTIMATE How to make money and make your customers happy. By Jennifer Matt

o you know where your customers get their expectations for speed and responsiveness? They type anything into Google and it gives the user the perception of searching the entire internet (doesn’t really do that) and then returns the results in a fraction of a second. A fraction of a second. This timing meets the expectations of the most impatient

companies on the planet. I’m not saying you have to meet these expectations. I only use these as a reference point because many of us are still measuring our estimate/quote turnaround times in days, and we require the customer to exchange several emails, look at an attached PDF, provide approval or changes and spend a lot of their precious time. The estimating process is one of the most frustrating parts of purchasing

among us. If you enable Amazon’s patented 1-Click, you find what you’re looking for, and in one click you have placed the order using the defaults you set up in your Amazon account. These are two pretty steep expectations set by two of the most successful

print. Think about your shopping experience; how many of us get annoyed when you can’t easily get the price of something? When I run into “call or email for a quote” on any website, I typically move on to find an alternative. We are in a unique position because printing is a custom manufacturing process, so some quoting is absolutely necessary. I was taught a very important lesson by a category procurement officer at one

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

of the largest U.S. banks. Under his category management, the spend he managed was in the billions (with a B). “We have a policy for three quotes per procurement event,” he said, “But nothing says we have to wait for all three to come in before we make a decision.”

Let’s begin with doing a lot less estimating. This is the best way to speed estimates up: reduce the number of estimates you’re asking your

estimators to do so that they can turn them around quicker. You have to break down your attachment to every job needing an estimate. Every job

Estimating is a race; if you continue to measure it in days, you’re not going to win very many estimating races.

Estimating is a race; if you continue to measure it in days, you’re not going to win very many estimating races. A custom estimate on every job is a security blanket that the print industry has been holding onto well into their teen years. We should have given that blanket up as a toddler; it’s embarrassing that we’re walking around with it in high school. I know what you’re thinking: “This woman doesn’t know what she’s talking about. How else are we going to make sure we’re making money if we don’t precisely estimate each custom job?” I am not advocating for “no estimates.” I am advocating for a lot fewer estimates, and when an estimate is needed, for it to be a lot faster.

For more information, visit Printingnews.com/10004777

SOFTWARE & WORKFLOW ─ Estimating Process doesn’t deserve an estimate for the following reasons. Doing an estimate costs you money. Doing an estimate on some jobs will essentially make them not profitable. Please don’t tell me that your estimators are sunk costs. If they are doing an estimate on every job and therefore the jobs that actually warrant an estimate can’t get turned around in less than 48 hours, then the opportunity cost of your slowness is costing you real money. Doing an estimate costs your customer time. You will lose and/or frustrate customers if you require an estimate on every single job. You know

when a customer wants their price? Immediately. Not in a few hours, not tomorrow and not in two business days. They want to know right now, because they need to make business decisions based on that price. There is a portion of your business that you can price without doing a manual estimate You have to look at your business and realize that there are patterns that can be

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

identified and then build out processes that allow as many jobs as possible to skip the estimating department. I know you’re a custom manufacturing business, but you can “productize your business” by looking at patterns. These patterns are similar manufacturing specifications that can be pre-priced, and they don’t have to be fixed prices. You can have multiple prices based on the customer’s standing with you. This requires upfront work: identifying the patterns, calculating your costs and then setting your pricing based on the margins you want to achieve. Why would you invest time and money to do this work? When you do this work once, you are then allowing a segment of your business to bypass estimating. This gets the pricing out faster to sales and customers and frees up time for your

estimators so they can respond in hours rather than days. One of the ways this whole idea gets a lot of resistance is that the very first thing people bring up, is the most complex and complicated job you can think of. It usually goes something like this: “You don’t understand our business. Let me tell you about this 17-part, six-figure job we just spent three full days estimating!” I am not talking about that job—I am talking about all the repeatable jobs that get in the way of your estimators who really need to focus on the complex jobs where job engineering is key. Another fear is that if we don’t estimate every single time we’ll lose out because we aren’t constantly updating our costs (e.g. stock prices change). Again, I think we discount that estimating costs you money and your customers time. I was working with three different labels and packaging printers—here’s the range of how they approach pricing in a segment of the print industry that is 85% re-orders. ● Printer #1 estimated just three quantities: a minimum, a normal and an exceptionally high quantity (for example, 5,000, 50,000, 200,000). Their web-to-print solution used this pricing for online ordering. In the calculation of the prices over a six-month period, 98.5% of the pricing was around the 50,000 quantity rate (their normal rate). On

only a very few occasions did they order a lot less or a lot more and got the other pricing. So the printer didn’t do one estimate for reorders, and the customer got pricing as they were checking out. No emails, no quote approvals, just placing the order and getting an email confirmation. ● Printer #2 had a policy that if the customer didn’t order exactly the quantity that was quoted they re-quoted at the quantity requested. This means they did a quote most of the time because they quoted again when the customer ordered 55,000. This slowed down the ordering process, and added more labor to customer service and estimating. Their thinking was that they needed to give the customer a precise quote for the precise quantity. Yet, the Print MIS where the pricing was being stored allowed you to set up to 18 price breaks for each product. ● Printer #3 was convinced that all reorders should be quoted because they were afraid that stock costs could rise and then

prices would not be properly adjusted. They wanted to set up their web-to-print solution and allow customers to place orders, but all of them would require quoting. My take on this is that if you want to really frustrate your customer ask them to use your online ordering system (make it look like you care about their time), then frustrate the hell out of them by not providing pricing. I tell you the story of these three printers because they are in a very similar market. When I look at their customers, I see all the same segments there. Their different approaches reflect leadership. Are you setting up your business to be as easy as possible on your customers? Web-to-print in the reordering process should bypass both Read More… estimating Find article at PrintingNews. and customer com/21140338 service. If you can allow your customers to place re-orders and have them go directly into production because they have both pricing and artwork already agreed upon, you are basically creating an express lane to your presses (skipping the carpeted area of your print business). ●

Jennifer Matt writes, speaks, and consults with printers worldwide who realize their ability to leverage software is critical to their success in the Information Age.

DIGITAL & INKJET ─ Inkjet Innovation

INKJET INNOVATION WEEK

HIGHLIGHTS New inkjet hardware, software and media are driving the market forward.

overing the inkjet industry, we participate in a lot of industry events, often as speakers or reporting on new announcements, sometimes simply as attendees because we like to learn new things. All of the events that we had planned to support in 2020 have now been rescheduled (drupa) or transitioned to a virtual event (thINK, Inkjet Summit, Printing United). While we miss the opportunity to reconnect with customers and colleagues in person at these events, this may actually be a boon for many inkjet buyers. Most print organizations are facing travel restrictions and budget constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are looking to invest in inkjet presses or software, you still need to gather information. Recognizing this challenge, there are a host of suppliers stepping up to curate information for you. Virtual events are so prevalent now that it puts the entire future of live trade shows in question for the foreseeable future. Since curating inkjet information for buyers is very DNA of Inkjet Insight, we stepped up with our own Inkjet Innovation week, June 15-19, where we organized the latest inkjet announcements in the context of current market trends and new application segments. Since we can’t do justice to ﬁve hours of in-depth webinars here, this article will cover: ● An overview of trends in production inkjet in the document and packaging space ● Snapshots of new inkjet product releases ● Highlights of recent software updates driving inkjet productivity ● Overview of new inkjet papers and specialty media opportunities

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

Recordings of all of the webinars as well as supporting articles and white papers are available at https://inkjetinsight.com/inkjet-innovation-week/

Production Inkjet Trends In the market segments where inkjet is entrenched, like transaction printing and direct mail, new product releases have made inkjet accessible to smaller enterprises with lower volumes and CAPEX budgets. This involves controlling the purchase cost, running cost and footprint of the device while delivering a level of quality suitable to the market. We refer to these as entry-level inkjet and the latest of these entries are in the B3 sheet-fed market. However, most of the R&D in inkjet right now is focused on expanding into graphic intensive Elizabeth Gooding helps companies to streamline their business process, improve customer retention, and maximize new opportunities for document design, print and Internet technology.Contact her at Elizabeth@inkjetinsight.com.

Mary Schilling consults with paper mills, ﬂuid and inkjetmachinery suppliers and with print operations using inkjet. She is a leading authority on print quality analysis. Contact her at Mary@inkjetinsight.com.

markets in documents as well as several aspects of packaging. These markets require higher ink coverage, higher resolution and overall quality on a wider range of substrates. OEMs have responded by adapting print heads, ink chemistry, paper handling and drying technology to enable water to be eliminated from the process more quickly enabling higher coverage and wider media compatibility. Drying is particularly important to enabling simultaneously higher coverage, quality and speed. One of the technologies we covered in depth was near infrared drying technology from Adphos Group. Adphos combines near-infrared light energy, management of the NIR energy, integrated hot air knives and moisture extraction to deliver exceptional drying results for production inkjet. Their combined approach slows ink migration into the substrate allowing pigment ink to bind to the paper surface more quickly than with just heat or air circulation alone while delivering a flatter finished product. You can find measured results of drying tests in our recent white paper “The Impact of Drying on Inkjet Performance” on InkjetInsight.com. Another trend designed to support more discerning markets is the inclusion of integrated spectrophotometers and other automated quality control functions into these high-end presses. Let’s look at the latest announcements in production inkjet and packaging.

Web-fed

The two most recent releases in high-speed

web-fed inkjet, excluding those dedicated to the packaging market, are from HP and Kodak. HP has beefed up their inkjet production line up to compete with commercial offset work on coated Read More… and uncoated stocks. The HP Find article at PrintingNews. PageWide Web Press T250 HD com/21139640 with BrilliantTM Ink runs at 500fpm with a 22” web width. Three print modes range from high, color-critical detail to less critical for ink savings and production output. HP is offering an upgrade path to the T250 HD with Brilliant Ink for all T200 family of presses. Offering: ● HDNA dual drop weight print heads using a highlight drop size of 3 pL to enhance detail and tonal clarity ● 8x nozzle redundancy greatly increasing jet repeatability ● HP Brilliant, high chroma ink chemistry delivering higher color fidelity and wide color gamut incorporating difficult to reach reds and blues ● Upgraded HP Color Vision system - every image is measuring four color planes, delivering nearly 3x the inspection as the T240 HD with mono cameras To make things easier for the customers running all types of stocks, HP has replaced the anilox flood coat primer station on the T250 to a jetted system.

DIGITAL & INKJET ─ Inkjet Innovation HP Optimizer now runs in-line with the rest of the printheads and has been enhanced with a new, fast-drying chemistry which jets drop per drop to ink placement, immediately binding the ink to the jetted optimizer. HP is boasting a 30-50% higher gamut on coated than GRACol, providing a glossier ink look and feel. Testing has shown that the new ink chemistry helps difﬁcult demand colors such as reds and blues. Which anyone in inkjet printing knows is not easy to replicate in cmyk. The Kodak PROSPER ULTRA 520 is engineered to maximize productivity by printing across a broad range of substrates using the industry’s most versatile, highest quality and cost-effective waterbased inks. As a complete system, the PROSPER ULTRA 520 is a gamechanger that will help printers proﬁtably grow their businesses across a range of applications, including direct mail, marketing collateral, catalogs, books and more.

PROSPER ULTRA 520

The PROSPER ULTRA 520 Press is scheduled to be available at the end of 2020. Targeting commercial and publishing markets, Kodak has released the Prosper Ultra 520 based on their Ultrastream writing system which employs high-precision placement of smaller, perfectly round, satellite-free drops to enhance image quality. With resolution of 600 x 1800dpi and media compatibility ranging from 45 to 270 gsm, including high offset gloss, the press is positioned

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

for a wide range of applications, including direct mail, marketing collateral, catalogs and books. It also offers high productivity with a 520 mm web width producing 2000 A4 pages per minute and an integrated intelligent print system for monitoring quality for multiple quality modes. The new press will reach the market at the end of 2020.

Sheet Fed Not too many years ago, the Fujiﬁlm J Press was the only production class sheet-fed device on the market. While the J Press remains the fastest B2 press on the market, sheet fed options have since grown dramatically spanning sheet sizes from B3 up to B1 and targeting a diverse range of markets as well. There have been two major releases in MCS Merlin 146c

2020, both in the B3 sheet space, with MCS targeting the entry-level transaction print market and Canon expanding their reach into graphic arts applications. The MCS Merlin K146c is based on the Kyocera TaskAlfa 15000 C. It has Kyocera piezo heads, four color stations, a 4,800 sheet paper tray, a cart stacker and uses heated ceramic tile forced air for drying. With native resolution of 600dpi and support for up to 400gsm media, it is a ﬁt for several markets, but MCS is focused on transaction printing, letter mail, work books and other “business color” documents. The device actually has the option to run at a higher resolution, but MCS would rather under-promise and over-deliver. With the goal of reaching new inkjet buyers and providing a compelling cost model, the purchase price for the Merlin K146c comes in at $200,000 USD or less, including training operators, and there is no click charge. MCS is marketing the machine with a

Canon VarioPPRINT iX

shared support model that keeps costs down while way to offer new market opportunities to big providing buyers with the support they need to stay brands needing fast-paced changes in messaging up and running. and product graphics. Inkjet enables integrating By contrast, with the introduction of two new custom runs of one along with mass customization VarioPRINT iX models, the iX3200 and iX2100, into what has been a mass-produced market. Canon is focusing on the needs of general comMiyakoshi launched the MJP30AXF, an aqueous mercial printers for high image quality on a wide inkjet, flexible packaging press, able to take shortmedia range and flexibility to run mixed media jobs at full speed. The iX3200 produces 320 A4 ipm (images per minute) as compared to 210 ipm for the xi2100, which is about 8% faster than their respective iSeries models. The resolution has been increased to 1200 dpi as compared Miyakoshi MJP30AXF to iSeries+ at 600dpi, along with enhanced and mid-range runs. However, the press is sized to drying and registration control. The other big fit the productivity needs of flexible packaging cusadvancement is in the compatible media range, tomers. The web width of 31 inches/790 mm supwhich covers 60 – 350gs(/40# text – 130# cover) ports a maximum print width of 30 inches/750 mm. uncoated and 90 – 350gsm(60# text – 130# cover) By its nature as a continuous web-fed device, print offset coated. This includes instant media switchlength is limited only by the length of the roll itself. ing with a printer input module supporting four An inline corona pre-treatment and primer coating trays of up to 4,500 sheets and the ability to station enables compatibility with a wide array of connect multiple PIMs for max of 13,500 sheets transparent films and laminates such as PP, PET and in 12 trays. Although the iX Series may look much Nylon, with thicknesses from 12 to 100 microns. the same on the outside, with new heads, new inks, High coverage and speeds of up to 164 feet/50 new dryers, a new sheet control and more, this is a meters per minute are also supported through an new device for Canon that closes previous gaps for updated hot air circulation drying system. their target market. The device has a native resolution of 1200dpi Packaging and Labels using piezo print heads with dual drop sizes of 2 and From flexible and direct print to pre-printed 3.5 picoliters. CMYK plus double white ink provide liner, packaging is moving to inkjet. New devices vibrant color reproduction and excellent coverage/ are paving the way for small runs and creative perconcealment. Because black, cyan, magenta and sonalization in markets which require high runs of yellow inks are printed with tight registration and 10,000-20,000 units or more. dried before a double layer of white ink is jetted, Inkjet technology has provided a cost-effective there are no white lines in pieces where windows are

DIGITAL & INKJET ─ Inkjet Innovation

Screen PacJet FL830 Kodak Sapphire EVO

perforated. Other important quality features include automatic fine registration control and nozzle compensation to adjust for print head “jet-outs,” banding, gaps or other artifacts. Miyakoshi is currently taking orders for the new press. The Kodak Sapphire EVO Press was developed in partnership with Uteco. Designed as a high production digital inkjet press, the Sapphire EVO expands packaging print capabilities, with a costeffective and highly flexible digital solution for highspeed, high-quality applications. Utilizing KODAK Stream Inkjet Technology, this environmentally friendly, water-based pigment ink press offers excellent CMYK print quality on a variety of papers and plastic film materials such as PP, BOPP, PE and PET. The web press is equipped with KODAK Stream inkjet lineheads and driven by a Kodak high-speed digital front end. With a maximum web width of 650 mm and a print width of 622 mm, it achieves production speeds of over 150 meters per minute. This press also offers what Kodak calls their “Personal Care Pigment Inks,” which are certified for skin contact on personal care products and comply with regulatory requirements for indirect food contact in the EU and the U.S. SCREEN has developed a new high-speed, water-based inkjet system specifically designed for the flexible packaging market. The PacJet FL830 is currently scheduled for release in Q1 2021. This 1200dpi press can handle media up to 830 millimeters wide at speeds of up to 75 meters per minute. The CMYK and white water-based inks conform to relevant food safety regulations. PacJet FL830 is able to meet a wide variety of print needs, ranging from promotional to

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

production applications. It targets small lot jobs of less than 4,000 meters, an area that can be problematic for conventional analog production. At present, the system handles both PET and OPP media and SCREEN GA is working to further expand compatibility based on industry requirements. The VaiJET 106 is a joint venture between Koenig & Bauer and Durst. When released, the press will print seven colors, CMYK plus gamut extending and brand colors printing at up to 6,000sph in 1,440 dpi. The press uses aqueous inks from Xerox to meet requirements of food-safe packaging applications. It can combine pre-coating and litho print units to produce the branded or variable elements of a job. It manages substrate movement using a suction belt to ensure an exactly deﬁned clearance to the printing heads, printing board and rigid materials in offset quality. The print heads can be replaced by the operator and automatic cleaning of the printing heads with a technological solution compensates for loss of individual jets. VaiJET 106

Xeikon and Flint group combined their technology and ﬂuid innovations to develop a new postprint, single-pass printing press utilizing food-safe water based inks. Targeting corrugated packaging converters, this press offers printing on coated and uncoated corrugated sheets up to 1.6 meters wide by 2.8 meters long running up to 150 m/minute (492ft/min). Xeikon is not making press pictures available. The packaging market is not just for stand-alone

Canon LabelStream 4000 Series

3600 Series AP Retrofit

presses. Colordyne Technologies has developed an entry-level, digital print enhancement called the 3600 Series AP Retrofit. This solution offers lower equipment costs, wider width and higher print quality for use with analog presses, web handling or finishing equipment and production lines running under 150 feet (45 meters) per minute. The 3600 Series AP Retrofit is a compact, single-pass inkjet engine that allows existing analog equipment to incorporate the benefits of full color digital printing while maintaining its original functionality. Benefits include faster turnaround times, on-demand production and affordable short-run printing. The 3600 Series AP – Retrofit, powered by Memjet’s DuraFlex technology, uses aqueous pigment inkjet for added print durability and is uniquely designed for quick, low-cost integration. Canon announced significant enhancements to the LabelStream. Expanded UV color capability plus optional orange and white ink channels make it easier to match a wider range of brand colors, and achieve high white opacity without compromising on quality or reliability. The new white ink channel achieves up to 80% opacity at 36 m/min in a single pass. Canon also introduced entry-level and hybrid configurations for the LabelStream 4000 Series to support more complex applications. A custom mix of UV flexo, embellishment and finishing units are compatible with the process, forming a fully-integrated, single-pass label conversion line. This mix of conventional and digital technologies enables

a complete inline production of high-quality selfadhesive labels.

Software Software also plays a key role in driving innovation in inkjet. While we can’t do justice to all of the updates and releases so far in 2020, there were several notable announcements covered during innovation week. The first two announcements, from Global Graphics and ColorGate, relate to the RIP that comes with your printer. Global Graphics announced their Direct software that reads and writes directly to your press, without needing a harddrive. Direct is a fully integrated product portfolio featuring Harlequin RIP technology, Mako for file optimization, plus ScreenPro and PrintFlat for inkjet digital printing, providing tight integration with printhead drive electronics. Integration also encompasses software from Meteor Inkjet and workflow for labels and packaging from HYBRID Software. Direct reduces image processing times, while handling large print volumes and speeding up the time to print. ColorGate is also addressing the RIP data challenge, but in a different way – through the render. They are now able to address color at the object level rather than examining each pixel. These enhancements have delivered a speed increase of over 400%. Version 2.0 has been updated to Adobe’s PDF Print Engine 5, supports spectral spot color definitions and brings compatibility with PantoneLIVE. Improved spot color support for PANTONE, Freie Farbe spot color libraries and additional settings for the Ink Saver feature provide the ability to automatically set color correction to

DIGITAL & INKJET ─ Inkjet Innovation a particular deltaE tolerance while protecting spot colors from adjustment. Racami has updated the Alchem-e Dashboard and Alchem-e Flow with an updated UI and overall improvements in productization of the environment, enabling faster integrations and implementations. During Inkjet Innovation Week, Racami provided a sneak peek at coming enhancements including the use of Artificial Intelligence tools to streamline data mapping and customer onboarding, as well as complex job scheduling. Racami added their own billing, payment and resource transformation modules to the third party tools already supported. Ultimate TechnoGraphics focuses on imposition and finishing automation. Advances coming soon to their Ultimate Impostrip solution can reduce labor, calculate jobs and save a lot of time for customers. The new release will support even more complex nesting algorithms while adding increased scalability to an already solid platform. More details on the importance of imposition and nesting across a range of application segments can be found in the “Future Proof Your Business” series of white papers on Inkjet Insight. The latest version of Hybrid’s PDF prepress production tool designed for labels and packaging has undergone a metamorphosis with a new user interface and a range of new automation features supporting VDP and PDF workflows. With Stepz 6.0, HYBRID Software now also offers an entrylevel version of PACKZ with a reduced feature set designed for quick implementation and ease of use in digital print environments.

Inkjet Paper Trends

Inkjet paper for aqueous inkjet needs to be particularly resilient. The cross-fusion function of paper is gradually destroyed by water if not extracted quickly. When heat is applied to extract from the ink, the paper can become dry and brittle showing visual curl and cockle and potentially interfere with finishing devices. Since books require a high level of high speed finishing of multi-page signatures, books require conforming paper options with specific PPI (pages per inch) and typically low gsm. Thin papers, which

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

are coated or highly calendared, are well suited for books because the fibers are more sealed or compressed, which slows the migration of ink into the paper. Keeping the ink from diving in too quickly and providing accurate dot fixation provides clean images and text clarity. Several papers have been released to target this demanding market. In addition, Inkjet innovation Week covered paper products that helped inkjet users save money and expand into new markets. CVG released its new, eco-friendly 50gsm thin sheet. This high range PPI paper is not coated, but rather an inkjet treated offset grade which has gone through a heavy calendering process, compressing fibers and smoothing the paper surface. This paper does not require any primers, even at top production run speeds, and utilizes a high opacity (’XF pigment’) to deliver opacity of 92.5%. It has been shown to have good dimensional stability which supports optimal ink consumption, lower drying temperatures and clean finishing production. CVG also released the third generation of its LetsGo papers. Tests performed on the HP T240 at 220 TAC in quality mode show color gamuts nearly matching Fogra39 and an average of 300,000 gamut colors between weight ranges offered. CVG is enhancing their manufacturing process to provide an even silkier inkjet paper with a coated look and feel and aspiring to expand the gamut even further. Evergreen, the only coated mill in North America utilizing HP ColorPRO technology, has added an inkjet option to their TruSpec family. This new book grade offered in 45, 50 and 60# is qualified for aqueous pigment inkjet presses and fits directly into the specification range for books, magazines, textbook and catalog print markets with a high range of PPI requirements. It is SIMRA (previously NASTA) certified for textbooks. In head-to-head product comparisons with industry coated book grades, TruSpec has proven to provide up to 25% faster print speeds and superior lay-flat, even at higher ink loads The Navigator Company of Portugal has released Navigator Premium Inkjet grade, a splicefree product. All rolls are guaranteed “no splice”

which maximizes printed paper yield. Their paper grades are sold around the globe through distributors. Navigator utilizes Eucalyptus Globulus, commonly known as southern blue gum, a species of tall, evergreen tree which has a higher number of fibers per weight unit giving the paper lower porosity, better opacity and superior paper formation. Another way that paper products can help printers save money and enter new markets is through paper conversion. InfoSeal is a paper converter that helps printers expand into new market segments without investing in additional finishing equipment. InfoSeal can process rolls or sheets of inkjet compatible papers into pre-finished specialty products ready for inkjet printing. This makes preparing self mailers easier to achieve and reduces overall manufacturing costs. Available products include pre-finished snap pak self mailers, remoist glue, business reply envelopes, poly windows, integrated cards and unique dynamic perforations that are cost efficient and production tested. These products, using InfoSeal’s conversion process, have been approved by all major inkjet OEMs for both rolls and sheets. During Inkjet Innovation Week, we provided a deep dive into a wide array of hardware as well as supporting software, paper and converting services. Since we are writing this based on deadlines for a printed

publication, we know that there are several new releases that will come out during the magazine production process. In addition, there were an array

of web-fed and sheet-fed releases in 2019 that are available now. Look for updates on even more inkjet innovations at InkjetInsight.com. ●

For more information, visit Printingnews.com/10003758

MANAGEMENT ─ RFP Pitfalls

NOW

IMPROVE RFP EFFECTIVENESS Don't fall prey to the RFP pitfalls. By Lisa Magnuson

ven during this global pandemic, many of my clients are involved with RFP’s and my fellow sales consultant colleagues report the same. Request for proposals (RFP), request for information (RFI), request for quotes (RFQ) – the activity levels have not stopped.

What’s Changed? Much has changed in recent years and current challenges have affected RFP’s. ● In-person ﬁnalist presentations are now live virtual ﬁnalist presentations.

Read More… Find article at PrintingNews. com/21140036

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

● The current business environment is more risk adverse than ever. ● Many times your biggest competitor is the “status quo.” ● Prospects are overwhelmed and are seeking simple solutions.

Don’t Fall Prey to Pitfalls The pitfalls associated with bids are numerous. And when bid levels are high, the tendency to fall prey to landmines increases. The worst hazards are:

● Lack of pro-active sales engagement well before your prospect issues an RFP ● Skipping the strategy planning phase of the bid process ● Responding to proposal requirements without a clear strategy and “Win Themes”

The Impact of RFP’s on Sales Organizations Many sales leaders and their account teams are challenged with winning large deal RFP’s. RFP struggles include: ● Spending hundreds of hours on RFP’s with few wins to show for their efforts ● The massive cost of responding to RFP’s compared to returns ● Lack of a winning roadmap that consistently produces results

RFP Essentials to Change the Game Over the years, I’ve developed and reﬁned many approaches with my clients to increase RFP win ratios. Here’s a snapshot that the most effective sales organizations have in place. ● They know why they win. ● They are engaged in a long sales runway well before an RFP is issued. ● Qualifying questions are asked and answered. ● They understand their buyer’s journey and how it’s changed over recent years. ● They engage the full account team early including: sales, sales leadership, internal executive sponsor, internal RFP support team, subject matter experts, marketing and key resources.

● The account team gathers regularly for in-depth account strategy work including competitive analysis. ● The team makes a deﬁnitive go/no go decision once the RFP arrives based on clear criteria. ● “Win Themes” are carefully developed, reﬁned and put into practice. ● The actual RFP response has levels of messaging and overall quality controls. ● Every prospect meeting includes pre-call planning to ensure the highest quality interaction. ● Finalist presentations follow a comprehensive check list that covers creation, delivery and follow-up. ● All wins are celebrated with the full account team and any resources who helped. ● Prospect retrospectives, win and loss, are conducted within 30-45 days after award to promote organizational learning.

In Summary RFP’s are challenging. RFP’s are timeconsuming. RFP’s yield few results compared to the efforts. Winning the right RFP’s is a game changer and produces results for years and years. It takes a lot of experience and expertise to develop a winning strategy, pull in the best resources, use the appropriate tools and keep the team focused and energized around the task at hand. Don’t be afraid to tap into outside help to improve your chances of success. Sometimes the smallest details mean the difference between winning and losing. ●

Lisa Magnuson founded Top Line Sales in 2005. It has a proven track record of helping companies overcome the barriers to winning TOP Line Accounts. Learn more at www.toplinesales.com.

FINISHING & MAILING ─ Mail Volumes

MAIL VOLUMES PLUNGE IN THE

AGE OF COVID

But the pandemic is only accentuating the USPS’s pre-existing problems. By Paul Miller

ince the COVID-19 lockdown across the problem long before COVID-19. In recent years, country in early March, mail volumes several bills have been drafted only to fail to get out have plunged. No category of mail has of committee. There seems to be a pattern: Congress been hit harder than Marketing Mail, holds hearings about the future of America’s postal which saw system; sincere passions steady weekly drops in pour out of most comvolume vs. same period mittee members vowing last year (SPLY) in 30 and to fix the nation’s postal 40 percents, peaking at system. The discussions a 45.4% plunge in late often include obvious April, according to U.S. solutions, such as repealPostal Service figures. The ing the mandate that USPS estimates that some USPS pre-fund health 20–25% of this volume benefits for future may be lost for good, even retirees. once the pandemic is over. However, postal COVID-19 impact on circulation for recent mailings All along, package reform solutions typi(from March 9-April 6, 2020). volumes have gone in the cally break along party Source: ndp | analytics on behalf of ACMA opposite direction, as lines with Democrats Outlook consumers have turned generally supportAbout 40% of catalog mailers and supplito e-commerce shoping the heavily unioners believe their businesses will contract and be smaller than pre-COVID-19 levels after the ping in droves. Weekly ized postal workforce pandemic passes. This outlook is more prevvolume increases have at and Republicans often alent among larger companies (at least $20 times nearly doubled vs. seeking to privatize or million annual revenues) where 46% believe SPLY, with increases often reduce government their business will contract. running in the 60–80% involvement. Postal range. stakeholders frequently As the virus cases diminished (before the more Balkanize, adding to the confusion about what recent uptick), Marketing Mail volume declines were should be done. Some parties often overreach to easing up. For the week of June 22, for example, stake out politically impractical solutions. Marketing Mail volumes fell by 24.5%. Hope springs If there had been any momentum building for eternal…or does it? postal reform legislation, the intense focus on COVID-19 economic relief has at least temporarFixing an Old Problem ily put such discussions on the backburner. It’s also For much of the past decade, and with annual been further blurred by President Trump’s threat losses mounting, the USPS was facing a catastrophic to veto any stimulus bill if it contains USPS funding,

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

COVID-19 impact on catalog mailers’ inventory. Source: ndp | analytics on behalf of ACMA

Circulation Impact Just over half of catalog mailers decreased circulation during the first month of widespread COVID-19 lockdowns (March 9 to April 8) while 45.9% made no changes and just 2.7% of mailers increased circulation. However, as the pandemic continued, more mailers changed circulation plans for Q2 2020: 58% decreased circulation, 11% increased circulation and 32% made no changes.

unless package rates are increased by four times—a threat he’s transparently made as a means of sticking it to Amazon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos. When the ACMA surveyed the catalog mailing industry about mail circulation plans during the second quarter of April 1–June 30, nearly 58% said they were decreasing their circulation. (See sidebar “COVID-19’S Economic Impact on The Catalog Mailing Industry.”) Meanwhile, looking beyond the COVID crisis, nearly 28% anticipated expanding

beyond their pre-COVID levels; 40% said they intend to contract and be smaller than their preCOVD levels; another 15% said they don’t anticipate much difference, while 17% have no idea. ACMA, which represents the Read More… interests of catalog mailers/online Find article at merchants and their suppliers, PrintingNews. finds widely varying impacts from com/21139412 the pandemic’s impact; it’s largely based on the merchandise categories. Those who sell home goods, gardening supplies, home school supplies, and the like have experienced growth. Those selling soft goods are clinging for life right now. Specialty merchants to restaurants or dry cleaners have been hit hard. Regardless of product offerings, any marketers who also have sizable brick and mortar retail stores are suffering.

Post-COVID Adjustments All types of merchants will face consumers with transformed buying habits once the pandemic abates. Some consumers may be completely scared off from shopping in stores and will only shop remotely, forcing merchants to adapt accordingly. Some consumers who have gotten into the habit of searching online for the lowest-priced masks, hand sanitizers and other COVID essentials may become less loyal to specific brands. Given decades of well-above-inflation postal cost increases, many catalog executives are concerned the mail may not be viable over the long

SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS COVID-19’S Economic Impact on The Catalog Mailing Industry In the second half of April 2020, ndp | analytics, on behalf of the American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA), conducted an online survey of catalog mailers and suppliers to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on employment, financial viability and business outlook. Here are some highlights from that survey.

Reduced Operations About half (52%) of catalog mailers and suppliers remained fully open while the other half (48%) have reduced their operating capacity. Among those who have reduced their operations, the majority reduced their operations due to government mandates while the remainder voluntarily scaled back. Six out of 10 (61%) larger companies (at least $20 million annual revenues) reduced their operations, compared to 33% of smaller companies (under $20 million annual revenues).

FINISHING & MAILING ─ Mail Volumes term. For more than a decade, mail-based merchants have sought alternatives, but time and again have been unable to replace the effectiveness of catalogs and other direct mail pieces. Traditional catalog and direct mail customers remain far more loyal than online-only customers. But as the USPS’s health continues to deteriorate, merchants’ confidence in mail as a reliable advertising medium will continue to diminish while their efforts (and budgets) to make non-mail marketing alternatives will keep increasing.

Paul Miller is vice president and deputy director of ACMA. Paul oversees all marketing and communications, membership development, association administration and organizes and oversees ACMA’s conferences and webinars.

Resolving the financial crisis for the Postal Service is critical to restoring executive confidence in the mail. With new leadership just taking over and a nearly full board of governors with deep business and political experience, such a thing may

Number of months companies believe they could survive financially under current COVID-19 conditions. Source: ndp | analytics on behalf of ACMA

Inventory Impact COVID-19 has had an impact on catalog mailers’ inventory—and in some cases, significantly. While 51.4% of mailers have made no changes to their inventory, 20% have repurposed inventory, and 28.6% have not been able to keep up with demand. Thirty-seven percent of larger mailers (at least $20 million annual revenues) have not been able to keep up with demand compared to 19% of smaller mailers (under $20 million annual revenues).

Company outlook after COVID-19 passes. Source: ndp | analytics on behalf of ACMA

Survey Respondent Comments The ACMA survey also asked an open-ended question, “Where do you see your business once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed and life returns to normal? What do you need right now?” Here is a sampling of some notable responses: • Our strong online growth over this period to cover shuttered brick and mortar presence has created the need to re-evaluate marketing approaches and strategies. This could lead to a very different methodology to our mailed portion of the marketing spend. Mobile and social efforts driven by influencers continues to drive increased revenue during this time. • The longer we are at home the longer the impact on my clients. Some will go away completely. The uncertainty around USPS viability is working against a return to the mail and a move toward electronic marketing. Most of our clients do best with a mix of postal (more expensive, but higher value) and electronic (less expensive and lower value) marketing. • Some of our clients may not be in business. Some clients have cancelled their services with us. We would have to re-establish those relationships and the need may not be there. • We pivoted and added new products related to COVID-19 to replace revenue drop from products not selling as well as result of the virus.

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

the USPS, clearly the President’s influence is there. Depending on how the current situation resolves, it could further impact the extent to which business mailers use the Postal Service going forward. ●

Change in company workforce due to COVID-19. Source: ndp | analytics on behalf of ACMA

Revenue Impact The majority of respondents saw a decline in revenue as a result of COVID-19: 60.4% of catalog mailers and suppliers realized a decrease in Q1 2020 revenue compared to Q1 2019, while 33.3% realized an increase in revenue, while 6.3% reported no change. As COVID-19 crisis escalated, more companies realized revenue losses. The survey also found that, from March 9 to April 8—the first full month under lockdown—76% of companies saw a decrease in revenue compared to SLPY while 22% realized revenue increases.

finally be possible. Perversely, the pandemic has acquainted many more consumers with ordering from home and this might be of long-term benefit for Postal Service revenues. While it’s too soon to determine which direction new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will take

Revenue change in Q1 2020 vs. Q1 2019. Source: ndp | analytics on behalf of ACMA

Survival and Recovery Plans Over half (51.1%) of catalog mailers and suppliers believe that they can survive financially for at least one year under the current COVID-19 conditions, while 37.8% believe they could survive 6 months or less (22.2% believe they could survive 4-6 months and 15.6% believe they could survive less than 3 months). A larger share of smaller companies (under $20 million annual revenues) believe they can survive 6 months or less compared to larger companies (at least $20 million annual revenues).

Catalog mailers that did or did not reduce their operations due to COVID-19. Source: ndp | analytics on behalf of ACMA

Employment Impact Many companies reduced their workforce as a result of COVID-19: 61% of catalog mailers and suppliers laid off or furloughed employees while 17% increased the size of their workforce. An average of workforce reduction was 25%, 39% in smaller companies (under $20 million annual revenues) and 19% in larger companies (at least $20 million annual revenues).

ABOUT THE ACMA The ACMA (American Catalog Mailers Association) is a Washington-based nonprofit organization that advocates for the unique collective interests of catalog, direct and e-commerce merchants in regulatory, public and administrative matters where the shared impact transcends individual company interests. ACMA participates in rulemaking and other proceedings of significance where a single collective voice increases influence and effectiveness. More information can be found at www.catalogmailers.org.

FINISHING & MAILING ─ Ballot Mail

HOW CASTING VOTES BY MAIL

COULD WORK (WELL) Safe, socially distanced general elections in 2020 are proving to be a boon for print and mail service providers that can handle specialized operations, including ‘ballot mail.’ By Mark Vruno

his PN report may not wax apolitical but, at the very least, it earnestly attempts to be non-partisan. After all, a presidential election will take place in fewer than 100 days, and statistics show that the number of registered voters is rising in America. (Approximately 139 million of-age, U.S. citizens voted in the ’16 election.) No matter which party we lean toward politically, everyone will need the opportunity to cast votes if they choose to do their civic duties and attempt to affect change. For the purposes of this article, how we will vote is almost as important as for whom. Without a vaccine available for COVID-19, can U.S. citizens safely vote at traditional, walk-up polling stations in the Pandemic Age of physical and social distancing? Many people feel that American citizens over the age of 18 should not have to choose between their health and casting a ballot. Officials in a handful of Western states have declared that in-person voting is unsafe, so those five states are implementing all-mail elections in 2020. There’s little debate that the trend toward universal VBM has been growing for decades, but most state governments are ill-equipped for a massive surge. During Wisconsin’s presidential primary and judicial general election this past April, a pandemicconcerned public -- nearly half of the state’s poll workers are over 60 -- requested eight times more absentee ballots than in the previous election. “We have coordinated an industry response to meet an anticipated shortfall in capacity by the existing ballot-mail vendors,” said Thayer Long, president of the Association for PRINT Technologies. “The issue is not the printing. The issue is the mailing. You need high-integrity/

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

verification insertion technology to do this. We are working with U.S. Postal Service, DHS Cybersecurity, MIT/Stanford, the leading industry vendors in the space, suppliers, OEMS, etc.” Voting by mail seems a viable alternative; a solution to the challenge facing election commissioners in the Coronavirus era – but, as Long says, only if print and mail-service providers can execute securely and results can be tallied accurately. With so much at stake, voter-identification and fraud concerns loom large. Many people, especially Republicans (and including President Donald Trump), believe that the vote-by-mail system is controversial at best. At its worst, VBM is prone to corrupt practices, they say, unless all states require photo ID (Alabama is one that does not) and adopt other safeguards, such as signature-verification software. (See sidebar.) Leading up to November, cynics suggest that the number of lawsuits surrounding VBM will rise along with the number of mail-in ballots.

False Narrative? However, the other side cries “false narrative” and argues that mail-in options encourage people to vote, particularly during a pandemic. Many VBM proponents do not hesitate to mention systemic racism when it comes to Black and Latino voters. “Voter suppression of all types is connected to institutional racism,” said Gail Johnson, the former village president of Oswego, Ill., a municipality (population: 31,000) situated 47 miles west and south of Chicago. “That’s not a partisan comment. It’s fact.” Many political observers view the technologyversus-human error debate as six of one, a halfdozen of another: Errors are errors, whether they

are committed during low-tech, manual processing at polls or during high-tech, automated processing in the mail. At Georgia’s primary election in early June, despite the state’s infrastructure investment of more than $100 million, voters suffered through long lines only to be frustrated by malfunctioning voting machines. Officials then ran out of back-up provisional ballots. Older readers will recall that the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) is a U.S federal law written (at least in part) in reaction to the controversy surrounding the 2000 U.S. presidential election, when almost 2 million ballots were disqualified because they registered multiple votes or none when run through vote-counting machines. Accountability is crucial on the automation side, said Amber McReynolds, CEO for the National Vote At Home Institute and Coalition (https://www. voteathome.org/). “To help state and county officials do it well and get it right … we need to know where ballots are in the process,” McReynolds said. “Government IT [information technology] departments want to understand security and reporting,” said Rick Bacerra, VP of sortation solutions and strategy at production-mail firm BlueCrest. “Ensuring voter confidence is paramount, and it all comes down to integrity, security, control and tracking.” Approximately 30% of Americans who vote now do so via absentee ballots, added McReynolds, who is a former director of elections for the city of Denver, Colorado. “We’ve seen migration mostly in western states

… Arizona, Colorado and California,” she explained during a May best-practices webinar hosted by the APTech association. “Six states now mail a ballot to every elector. There are two others where the majority of electors get their ballots by mail. So there now are eight states with a lot of experience dealing with high volumes.” VBM is encroaching eastward and soon could become the dominant method of voting among all Americans, McReynolds added. As much as half the country could vote by mail this year. Depending on voter turnout, that number could approach 70 million ballots in November and might exceed 100 million, she predicts, “which would be a complete reversal from 2016” when some 40 million ballots (30%) were mailed. “Voters are asking for it,” McReynolds said. “They’re opting themselves in at record numbers … and pushing [the issue].” This comes as no shock to vote-by-mail pioneer Bev Clarno, the Secretary of State in Oregon, which has been successfully implementing the process for the past 22 years. She is surprised, however, that VBN has taken this long to come to other states. Of Oregon’s 2.8 million voters in 2016, only 20 cases of people voting in two states were reported, she said. In a June 28 broadcast of “60 Minutes” on CBS-TV, Clarno said she’ll take that extremely low percentage of error every time. The secret to Oregon’s track record, she added, is employing the use of barcodes that are “unique to each voter.” That, plus Oregonians have access to secure drop-boxes.

ABSENTEE VS. MAIL-IN BALLOTS Vote By Mail (VBM) differs from absentee balloting, which is designed for military and overseas voters, including business people traveling and students studying abroad. “Absentee” roots date back to the Civil War as a way for soldiers to cast a ballot in their home states. The idea of allowing military voters to cast a ballot “in absentia” is still one of the driving factors for states allowing absentee ballots, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. All states, by federal law, are required to send absentee ballots to military and overseas voters, which could include business people traveling and college students studying abroad, for federal elections. For domestic voters wishing to vote absentee or by mail, 16 states require voters to provide an excuse as to why they will not be able to vote on Election Day. Some of these states provide early in-person voting, which is nothing new. Twenty-nine states and Washington, D.C., offer “no-excuse” absentee voting.

FINISHING & MAILING ─ Ballot Mail Demand and Supply To meet the surging print/mail demand, some new companies are entering the fray, which is challenging because “there’s a steep learning curve” when it comes to the complexities of election awareness, McReynolds said. “There are more than 3,000 counties in the United States that all handle their elections slightly differently,” Long said. “Michigan has 1,500 townships.” “In Georgia, where there are 159 counties, the state is sharing its voter-registration data with one vendor,” McReynolds said, noting that Maryland, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are considering similar, single-vendor relationships for streamlining and consistency purposes. It’s a fiduciary decision. “States get better postage rates when they bulk mail,” she said, so they save tax-payer dollars. Existing third-party vendors are more likely partners for state governments because these firms already are familiar with many election standards (such as appropriate logo usage, for example) for outbound and inbound mailings. Using proper paper stock and meeting machine-scannable ink specifications often are the easy parts of the print job. These partners bring value when they make recommendations and offer the most cost-effective solutions to election officials, who rely on such professional advice. Understanding postal regulations and coordinating with the Post Office is a key component, “as is having an awareness of the potentially high volume rates,” McReynolds said.

Some vendors have converted and scaled up operations to employ high-integrity methods such as barcode reading/matching, variable envelope printing and mail-run data files. The bottom line is that ample opportunities exists for print service providers (PSPs) and mailers with experience in producing high-end marketing mail and handling sensitive data (think HIPPA), said Brook Spaulding, marketing development manager for inserting expert W+D North America, which in June sold 11 of its model BB700 S2 high-speed inserters for vote-by-mail solutions to Runbeck Election Services of Phoenix. For accurate insertion to take place, “good data in equates to good data out,” Spaulding said. Incorporating inline sensors and cameras on its mail-finishing devices helps W+D to facilitate precise insertion accuracy and high-level integrity per piece. McReynolds added that “intelligent” mail barcodes on envelopes, which Clarno referenced in Oregon, are critical for tracking through the Postal Service. “Ballot-tracking solutions … allow for the monitoring of pieces from creation and printing, through the sorting portion, and all the way until counties get returned ballots in their hands,” she said. BlueCrest offers proprietary software as part of its election management systems. Relia-Vote is an integrated, secure, end-to-end vote-by-mail solution for sorting and processing outbound and inbound mail ballots. “On some projects, we’ve used the USPS’s

VOTER FRAUD CHARGES IN NEW JERSEY On June 24, 2020, the New Jersey Attorney General’s office announced voter fraud charges against four individuals, including a city councilman and a councilman-elect. Paterson City Councilman Michael Jackson, Councilman-elect Alex Mendez and two other men are alleged to have exploited the mail-in voting process in the May 12 special election in Paterson, NJ. The investigation was opened when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service found hundreds of mail-in ballots stuffed in a single mailbox in Paterson and a number of additional ballots in a mailbox in Haledon. Jackson, who represents the City’s First Ward and is the Vice President of the City Council, is alleged to have solicited voters to hand over their ballots and is alleged to have turned in ballots without being the authorization bearer to do so. Charges against him include election fraud, fraud in casting mail-in vote, unauthorized possession of ballots, false registration or transfer, tampering with public records and falsifying or tampering with records.

WhatTheyThink - Printing News | August 2020

Informed Delivery service and incorporated PURLs [personalized URLs] into the mailings,” said Lori Swetlin, the firm’s industry specialist for high-volume customer communications. Arizona and Colorado are two of the western states ramping up ballot mail, as is heavily populated California. Toppan Merrill, formerly Merrill Corp., has been composing pre-election booklets for municipalities in California (total population: 40 million) for four decades. Some states may publish one book for all voters, while others buy advertisements in newspapers. Prior to mailing absentee ballots, election-code regulations there “require the state to provide residents with a book of candidates and proposed rule changes,” said Roy Gross, the company’s senior VP of election services. Toppan Merrill coordinates variable data for 13,000 versions, including multiple languages, then manages printing and distribution to 11 million people, “which represents about 70% of the market. The versions differ based on county, [political] party, address, school district, etc.,” Gross said. While his firm is not prepared to jump into the ballot-printing game at this late stage, he and his colleagues are watching closely, Gross said. “We are taking a hard look at it from a market potential standpoint. A key piece to this is getting certified by the voting-machine companies,” he said. Gross explained that if universal vote-by-mail print volumes prove feasible -- and Toppan Merrill decides this is a direction in which its management team wishes to proceed – the firm will continue its due diligence into Q1 2021 and be ready for the ’22 primary election cycle.

Present-Day Reality The Coronavirus outbreak indeed has acted as a catalyst for VBM, said Dan Bentley, an election specialist with the USPS. There is an enhanced sense of urgency. During the APTech webinar, he noted that “Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Hawaii have moved to all-mail elections for 2020 … and many [other] jurisdictions are enhancing and broadening their use of absentee balloting. Over the past several

months, we’ve seen more execRead More… utive orders and administraFind article at tive actions offering support [for PrintingNews. com/21139269 voting by mail].” Americans are not only electing a U.S. president and vice president this cycle. “There are tens of thousands of elections in the second half of 2020,” he said, including those for: ● 35 Senate seats (and two specials) ● All 435 House of Representatives’ seats (every two years) ● 11 Governors’ races ● Plus, all the local elections are coming up The general public’s comfort level with the idea of VBM does seem to be increasing. “Tens of millions of American voters have their ballots handed to them by their USPS Postal Carrier, not a poll worker,” said Tammy Patrick, senior elections advisor at the Democracy Fund. But it’s not only the absentee and mail-in ballots themselves running through the mailstream. “In the 2018 election cycle, the USPS delivered 2.6 billion pieces of ‘political mail’ [promoting specific candidates],” Bentleysaid, and another “283 million pieces of outbound ‘election mail.’” The latter can include voter communication pieces, registration mailings, absentee ballot requests “and sample ballots that go out in advance,” he said.

Election Mail & Envelope Design Resources Election mail-piece design has to be “made clear for the voters,” Vote At Home’s McReynolds said. Here are two resources that can help: ● Center for Civic Design: https://civicdesign.org/ ● U.S. Postal Service: https://about.usps.com/kits/kit600.pdf ●

Mark Vruno, a Chicago-based business publishing professional, has reported on the global commercial print industry for more than 20 years.

WIDE-FORMAT & SIGNAGE ─ Industrial Printing

SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF

INDUSTRIAL PRINTING So what is it exactly? By Richard Romano

e can identify five segments in today’s printing industry: commercial, sign and display (aka “wide format”), textiles, packaging and industrial and, as we all know, the lines between these segments are blurring. We all have a pretty clear idea what four out of five of these areas comprise, but the last one— industrial—tends to be the murkiest. We can define industrial printing as “printing that is done as part of a manufacturing process.” Unlike commercial printing, where the print itself is the end product, in industrial applications, the printing adds decoration, information and/or branding to a functional object that is itself the end product. Think of brand names on auto parts, the text and symbols on a dashboard, the gradations on a medical syringe—you name it. Certain types of industrial printing are also called “functional printing,” or printing that has a “function” other than being print-based communication. Market research firm Smithers, in its report “The Future of Functional and Industrial Printing to 2024,” identifies nine distinct segments in industrial/functional printing: décor and Read More… laminate, glass, promotional/misFind article at cellaneous items (specialty printPrintingNews. ing), ceramics, aerospace and autocom/21140386 motive, inkjet textiles, electronics, life sciences/biomedical and 3D printing. “In 2019 all functional and industrial print is valued at $97.7 billion, the equivalent of 69.3 billion m2 printed,” according to Smithers. “The market is growing strongly, up by an average of 11.9% CAGR from 2014 with print volume (excluding 3D) rising at an average 6.2%, and while these rates moderate from 2019 and 2024 to 7.0% CAGR in value and

Figure 1 breaks out the forecast by eight of their nine segments. (sans 3D)

4.9% by volume on average, the market will grow to a total of $136.8 billion in real terms.” Segments such as aerospace, automotive and biomedical are more likely to be printed in the traditional sense—as part of a manufacturing process—while other segments, such as promotional/miscellaneous items, printed décor and textiles lend themselves to an approach akin to commercial printing—and therein lie the opportunities for commercial shops.

Selected Industrial Printing Applications In the WhatTheyThink Fall 2019 business outlook survey and “Printing Outlook 2020” report, we took a look at certain aspects of industrial printing—in particular, those that represent the best opportunities for commercial shops. Sure, aerospace and automotive print applications aren’t out of the question, but your average shop is not going to start printing custom dashboards for BMW, as cool as that might be. So I’ve narrowed down our look at industrial printing to some of the most relevant segments for commercial shops.

Textiles Textiles are hot, but our survey data has found that excitement for textile applications is

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

lukewarm at best (see Figure 2), and, true, it’s not for everyone. Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, which is different than garment printing/decorating, has a lower barrier to entry, as it prints onto pre-made apparel, such as T-shirts, rather than on raw fabric which then needs to be sewn into a ﬁnal product.

opportunities, especially in retail, to complement 2D wide-format display and décor graphics. 3D printers have also been adopted by the gaming and hobbyist industries to create game tokens and other unique items. Lately, some print businesses got a crash course in 3D printing while manufacturing face shields and other PPE.

Specialty Printing

Printed Electronics

Specialty printing involves printing on objects like mugs, golf balls, smartphone cases, etc. UV inkjet devices have helped this kind of printing take off, and these are indemand items used for marketing and promotion. For commercial printers, it remains more of an outsourced product area (see Figure 3), although inplants, especially in higher education, have been getting into this kind of work.

It’s not the best opportunity, but printed electronics—circuit boards, membrane switches, etc.— comprise high-value products. Not too many commercial printers have seen printed electronics as a hot application area (see Figure 5).

3D Printing We didn’t see a lot of interest in 3D printing (see Figure 4), but there are substantial

Figure 3: Have you added, or do you plan to add, specialty/ promotional printing capabilities? —Commercial printers, Fall 2019 (Source: “WhatTheyThink Printing Outlook 2020”)

Looking Forward Industrial printing has come to include many different kinds of products and printing technologies. At the end of the day, though, the key is to focus on the speciﬁc kinds of products you want to print and are in demand from customers. ●

Figure 4: Have you added, or do you plan to add, 3D printing capabilities? —Commercial printers, Fall 2019 (Source: “WhatTheyThink Printing Outlook 2020”)

Figure 5: Have you added, or do you plan to add, printed electronics capabilities? — Commercial printers, Fall 2019 (Source: “WhatTheyThink Printing Outlook 2020”) Figure 2: Have you added, or do you plan to add, textile printing capabilities? —Commercial printers, Fall 2019. (Source: “WhatTheyThink Printing Outlook 2020”)

WIDE-FORMAT & SIGNAGE ─ Direct-to-shape Printing

BEYOND THE HYPE The reality of direct-to-shape printing By Pete Basiliere

rinting company owners are seeking new markets as the pandemic affects their businesses. They are assessing the constantly ﬂuctuating environment, one that requires frequent pivots, driven by seen and unseen economic factors. Many owners are evaluating an opportunity that leverages their inkjet printing expertise - digital direct-to-shape (D2S) printing. The printing industry has been in decline for years with few bright spots. The pandemic exacerbated the trend with U.S. printing capacity utilization declining from 93.9% a year ago to 72.4% in May 2020. One result is that printing companies with unﬁlled capacity are chasing each other’s customers just when those prospects are retrenching because their sales have declined. Rather than competing for print jobs based on price in a saturated market, D2S printing is

Figure 1. The Digital Direct-to-Shape Printing Spectrum Source: Monadnock Insights

a bright spot worth investigating. D2S printing is the analog or digital imaging onto a three-dimensional item’s surface. Pad and screen printing are the most common forms of analog D2S printing and are particularly well-suited to long runs of the same image. Digital D2S printing typically uses jetting or dye-sublimation technology to image the item. It enables both the customization of every image and economical production of very short runs of identical copies. D2S printing is not 3D printing, which is an additive process that creates physical objects from metal, plastic or composite materials. Think of it this way: 3D printing makes physical items while D2S printing places images onto three-dimensional goods no matter how the pieces are made. The appeal of D2S for printing companies is that the market ranges from promotional products to household furnishings to industrial panels. At Deluxe (Shoreview, Minn.), sales of short-run printed drinkware alone totals more than $53 million.1 No matter what markets you typically serve, many of your customers will beneﬁt from D2S printing of the consumer, business or industrial items they use or sell. Monadnock Insight’s “Digital Direct-to-Shape Printing Spectrum” illustrates the breadth of the market opportunity for printing companies. The Spectrum has both product value and product complexity (see Figure 1). Product value refers to the worth that a ﬁnished good has for the buyer. An example of a low-value product would be 250,000 injection molded items that were pad printed with identical images. A high-value product would be a limited run of 25 3D-printed pieces that are inkjet printed with personalized images. 1WhatTheyThink Industry Snapshot, May 2020. http://whattheythink.com/industry-data/industry-snapshot/ “2020 Analyst & Investor Day, February 25, 2020” presentation, page 75; https://www.deluxe.com/investor-relations/presentations/

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

Figure 2. Xaar 1003 Printhead.

“Product complexity” refers to the degree to which items are customized. Uniform applies to items produced in the tens of thousands of identical pieces, each with the same image. Moving along the axis toward the middle, we find those pieces printed in smaller lots with different images. “Unique” refers to items produced in minimal quantities, possibly made with 3D printing, with different images printed on each one. The two axes divide the Spectrum into four quadrants. Products in the “mass market” and “economy” quadrants use analog printing, such as pad printing, to image large numbers of uniform items. As the products become more complex, items falling into the “creative” and “premium” quadrants are imaged with digital technology in minimal quantities, including orders of one unique piece. The D2S Printing Spectrum enables company owners, marketing managers and technical staff to understand not only the digital D2S printing opportunity but also the complexity of the market. For example, printers in the fragmented “mass market” focus on uniform, low-value items in which they hope to make up for slim profit margins with high volumes. However, the competition from suppliers located in countries with low wages is fierce. On the other hand, the “premium” market focuses on high complexity, high-value items with potentially high-profit margins. However, to earn attractive margins, the company management, production personnel and sales staff must all thrive on frequent, short runs of items that are challenging to produce. Regardless of how a company enters the D2S printing market, they may already have

the in-house talent needed to branch out from inkjet printing to digital D2S printing. But beware that while digital D2S is similar to inkjet printing of the papers and other two-dimensional substrates, there are substantial differences when printing a 3D item. Whether consumer goods or industrial products, 2D inkjet and digital D2S printing similarities include: ● Determining the compatibility of the ink and coatings with the substrate ● Orienting, aligning and controlling the substrate as it passes the printheads ● Controlling how the droplets will land on the substrate ● Incorporating operational constraints into the image design Not surprisingly, manufacturers of 2D inkjet printheads also see the D2S printing market as a bright spot. Technology providers and systems integrators include Engineered Printing Solutions, Fujifilm, KHS Group, Konica Minolta, Machines Dubuit, Memjet, Seiko Instruments, Velox, Xaar and Xerox. However, digital D2S printing is technically more challenging than 2D inkjet printing. Printing onto shapes may require printing on vertical, often rotating, surfaces, from above or at an angle. Press operators are dealing with gravity and airflow, as well as the varying distances from the printhead to the object that are not issues when 2D printing. Additionally, to achieve image quality and durability, the D2S printing inks must be formulated for the specific substrate and subsequent uses of the item. “Variations in the printhead performance are amplified when printing on a shaped surface—and are exaggerated even further under fast speeds,” said Chuck Pemble, business development manager at Xaar, a manufacturer of printheads and software used in D2S printing. “To achieve high print quality, it is important to reduce the variation as much as possible.” To this end, Xaar developed its TF Technology for Continue on page 60

Pete Basiliere provides research-based insights on 3D printing and digital-printing hardware, software and materials, best practices, go-tomarket strategies and technology trends.

WIDE-FORMAT & SIGNAGE ─ TempDefend

TEMPDEFEND Dynamic digital signage with thermal detection enables “Protection as a Service.” By Richard Romano

s the country continues to reopen their businesses while the pandemic is still raging, certain safeguards will need to be put in place to not only reassure a skittish public that it’s safe to venture into retail and other kinds of business locations, but also, more importantly, to help prevent a massive resurgence of the coronavirus. I’ve written recently about things like distancing signage and other

display graphics, but a new application called “Protection as a Service” (PaaS) works in conjunction with dynamic digital signage (DDS). 22Miles is a developer of digital signage and wayﬁnding

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

systems offering customizable, easy-to-use content management systems for dynamic digital signage (DDS) used in such end use markets as hospitality, retail, education and transportation. In response to the current pandemic, the company has launched TempDefend, a system in which infrared cameras are integrated with digital signage. Essentially, TempDefend combines advanced camera hardware, facial and body temperature detection software, integrated sensors and machine learning in a DDS solution that can be installed at business entrances or other checkpoints to measure the temperatures of people looking to enter a location. People having a normal temperature are approved, and if the system encounters anyone above-normal (higher than 99.5°), it will trigger a

“response sequence,” which can be determined by the user. That response could be barred access to the building, a video call to security or other authority, a request to don a face mask or some other action. Building authorities can also view the TempDefend data on-site or remotely in a live, thermal or LED format if a human decision needs to be made. There are also conﬁgurations of TempDefend that can perform multi-person scanning for high-trafﬁc locations. Obviously, this—or any temperature-taking measure— doesn’t catch infected people

who are asymptomatic, but it’s a good safeguard to catch those who do manifest symptoms, helping prevent further COVID19 infections.

TempDefend can be integrated into a establishment’s existing digital signage or purchased as a complete standalone kiosk. 22Miles is known primarily for its content management system, and the Publisher Pro Content Management System allows users to customize TempDefend as well as use thirdparty API extensions. There are other systems on the market for temperature detection, but 22Miles is offering a lot more features than simple facial view and temperature detection. “One of the things that we’ve

WIDE-FORMAT & SIGNAGE ─ TempDefend

Protection Basic simply shows the facial view and temperature readings, and sends an email alert to HR, security, or other monitor if it encounters someone with an elevated temperature.

done is create extra features around this application,” said Tomer Mann, SVP of sales and operation for 22Miles. “We added our voice command capabilities, which is part of the ‘protection-as-a-service’ model, so users don’t have to touch anything and they can call for assistance. We’ve added virtual receptionist solutions, and now you can engage with someone without having to be face-toface, especially if you have an elevated temperature. These are just some of the extras that we were able to integrate into a full platform.” The 22Miles CMS is dragand-drop, so it’s easy to customize. “You can create your own branding design around it and

maybe add some CDC or other information,” Mann said, “and, again, you’ve got the data and analysis capabilities and we will continue to update the system using our cloud system cloud hosting solutions.” TempDefend is also designed to be a low-cost option, starting at $2,000. There’s also a very short

lead time to get the system deployed. “We’ve already stocked up on a lot of these solutions, so we can

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

get one unit, two units, ﬁve units probably within two weeks for an individual,” Mann said. “If we’re working with any of our system integrators, and they want to leverage their own hardware and they just want to our sensor and software, we can probably get them a solution in one week.” There are four different TempDefend packages that offer an increasing number of features and capabilities. Protection Basic simply shows the facial view and temperature readings, and sends an email alert to HR, security or other monitor if it encounters someone with an elevated temperature. Premium “Protection as a Service” plans add ID badge recognition or even facial recognition. Voice command

recognition is also part of premium packages. The Receptionist plan includes a virtual receptionist, and a fourth plan includes multi-user tracking, where it can scan a group of people within a 15-foot radius. The Basic plan is a flat fee, but in keeping with other “aaS” solutions, the premium TempDefend packages are more or less subscription-based, or at least have reoccurring costs. 22Miles sells direct to customer, but prefers to work with partners on the sales side. “We’ve always been a partner-centric organization because we like to look at ourselves as an R&D shop,” Mann said. “So we prefer to work primarily through systems integrators. “FASTSIGNS is a big partner of 22Miles—we are the wayfinding platform that they’ve been reselling for a few years now. And a lot of digital signage and video wall solutions that they get from their clients they come to us for.” 22Miles is also prepared for the day—someday—when temperature tracking and social distancing are behind us, although it may be a long time away. “I think the temperature sensors are going to be definitely relevant for a long time,” Mann said. “But the good part with our software is that if someone decides they don’t want the sensors anymore, leveraging our CMS, they can turn it into an interactive menu, infotainment experience, or digital signage so they can evolve the display.

We also have the voice control, which can be leveraged for any digital non-touch or interactive display of ours.” Temperature detection

Read More… signage may Find article at very well be PrintingNews. a permanent com/21140732 ﬁxture in our post-pandemic “new normal.” ●

For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10006436

TEXTILES ─ Spoonﬂower

SPOONFLOWER

CONTINUES TO GROW CEO Michael Jones shares insights on future of on-demand in textiles. By Cary Sherburne

ore than a dozen years after Gart Davis, serial entrepreneur and visionary, founded Spoonflower, he moved from the CEO role to COO and brought in a new CEO to help take the company to the next level. Michael Jones, an e-commerce veteran, has enthusiastically embraced his new role and delighted in sharing his story – and his vision of the future. Kerry King, Spoonflower’s senior vice president of research and development, also joined Kerry King the conversation. Printing News: Michael, first, can you share with us what attracted you to the Spoonflower opportunity? It doesn’t look like you had textiles and apparel in your background. MIchael Jones: I met Gart and Allison about a year ago, and I started to learn about the business. Having spent the last 15 years in e-commerce, I quickly understood the concept of the marketplace of designers and consumers being able to buy designs, resulting in commissions being paid to artists. I got very interested in the whole print-on-demand concept that I hadn’t really seen in the e-commerce world. There are a lot of very interesting companies that exist because of the internet and new technology that helps bring the world closer, and

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

MIchael Jones

Spoonflower was one of them, a great diamond-in-the-rough company that had a lot of good offerings. Also, I have been traveling a lot over my last four roles. I’ve lived in Raleigh for the last 25 years, and I wanted to be part of a great company here and help move it – and the city – forward. PN: Spoonflower, of course, does more than printing. What surprised you the most in your early days there? MJ: My mom has been a sewist forever, even making my Halloween costumes when I was a kid, and she made it look easy. During my first week at Spoonflower, I spent a lot of time on operations, including some time sewing.

It was fun, but I realized I am not very good at it. And sewing machines have come a long way from when my mom was sewing! PN: How involved has Gart remained with the business? MJ: One thing about Gart, where he has the most passion about the business is everything around operations – printing, warehousing, etc. So he is still heavily involved as COO in everything to do with operations. He also works closely with Kerry [King] and her R&D team and our print partners. He’s also looking at new technology, processes and machines that can make us more efficient. He’s an entrepreneur at heart and has started and sold several businesses. But Spoonflower speaks to him, and he wants to stay engaged. Kerry King: He spends a lot of time in the factory, and he has such vision. He has the ability to push us beyond what we think we can do, especially in the current circumstances. PN: Since we haven’t spoken with you folks in a while, can you update us on what new equipment or capabilities you have added in the last year, and also what is happening in your Berlin operation? MJ: We have been doing pretty heavy and fast investments in the company, especially during April and May. First, we increased our operational facilities by 25,000 square feet in a somewhat unconventional manner. We did have about 5,000 square feet of new construction, but with our office folks now working from home and with the increased demand we are seeing, we converted 20,000 square feet of office space to manufacturing. Second, we invested in quite a bit of machinery – both in printing and cutting. And third, we brought on more employees as well, more than 35 people so far, and we will be adding more,

primarily in customer service and operations. We are also adding employees to our Berlin operation, which is also seeing the same explosive growth. KK: In terms of the machinery, we have some important projects we have undertaken. In the fabric-by-the-yard and home décor spaces, we are printing with pigment technology. We have two important partners in our printing platform, Durst and Kornit. In both cases, we have had a lot of support in terms technology implementation as we scale our operations. We have split some of

TEXTILES ─ Spoonﬂower

Gaiter Style FaceMask

the surge in demand across those platforms, and we brought in three additional Kornit Presto roll-to-roll printers, which involved a rapid renovation of our factory to accommodate additional high-speed printing technology. It almost doubled our natural ﬁber printing capacity. We’re also doing some things in the wallpaper space, adding additional cutting technology, and looking hard at other parts of the manufacturing operation where key pieces of equipment will be helpful for us, including sewing and technology for our wallpaper and dye

Mask choices something for everyone

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

sublimation polyester printing areas. PN: I also understand Spoonflower has played a significant role in enabling its maker community to support pandemic efforts through the making of masks and other PPE. MJ: Absolutely. As the world became aware of the urgent nature of the pandemic, I was going through the factory, and one of our sewists said she felt there was something we could do to help. That moved us to quickly launch a multi-phase approach. First, we put the word out that we would donate $10,000 worth of fabric and masks, and we were inundated with requests fairly quickly, mainly from healthcare workers. And our community jumped in to help. For example, we received an urgent request from the Beverly Hospital ICU for 400 masks, and we couldn’t produce them that fast. We turned to the Facebook group Sew We Care, whose members in the Boston area made the masks and sent them out. In addition, we had a basic cotton fabric we were no longer making available on the site which we sold to our current customers that were making masks at cost – we sold enough of that to make more than 150,000 non-medical-grade masks through the end of May, leveraging Spoonflower’s more than 1.8 million design options and our easy-to-use

mask kits. And I’m pretty sure that Spoonflower had a hand in a pretty significant share of the hundreds of millions of masks that our maker community has sold on sites such as Etsy. Based on the amount of fabric we sold that was potentially made into masks, we estimate that more than a million masks have been created through the power of the Spoonflower platform/supply chain. The pandemic has really highlighted how special our employees and our community of artists and makers are. In addition to masks, we have people making gowns and headwear. The fact that they have been able to adapt so quickly to all of this is incredible. PN: What do you think is the most important development we will see in the coming months or years in digital fabric printing that will help shift the industry to more digital fabric printing? (We’re at about 6.9% of all printed fabrics globally being digitally printed now, according to WTIN, up from about 6% in the past year). KK: We think this scenario we are in currently is an interesting one in terms of driving business to digital print service providers. Companies like Spoonflower that work directly with consumers and makers and digital printing make a whole lot of sense in any circumstance in the space where customization is highly valued by consumers. But if you look at how supply chains are being challenged, there are now lots of discussions about the advantages of domestic manufacturing and working with local providers to fulfill the product manufacturing needs you might have. Digital printing is a good fit in that space because it can be distributed geographically with the print service provider closer to the end consumer and designer. There are also merchandizing benefits, specifically in this

case of where the demand for masks will continue to grow over the coming year. It’s an example of a space in which once we get over the initial fear factor associated with it, consumers are starting to want masks to be Read More… reﬂective of their personFind article at ality; and short-run digital PrintingNews. com/21139687 printing is all about that. As a culture, as we adopt that level of customization, it opens the door to other product opportunities. Wallpaper is a good example. With more people working from home, they want to decorate their new work environment. Working from home will continue for some time; we are expecting that might not change soon. And of course, as we connect with new customers, we are looking to help them understand the value and design opportunities we can set before them and hope we can turn them into long-term customers. Spoonﬂower is one example of how companies in the digital print space can change the supply chain from here on out, especially those that also have sewing capability. MJ: We are excited to be leading a company that can prove that textiles can be done locally. New technology allows it to happen, with less waste and pollution, and we will continue to take a leadership role here. And we are also opening up opportunities for independent artists to make money. In April, we paid out the largest commissions that we have ever done in the history of the company. That matters in a world where there is high unemployment and you have these great designers; it’s a very great outcome, not only for our employees, but what we enable in the community. The check for one designer was large enough that we had to make a change in the way we make payments. That makes me feel good. ●

MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY â&#x201D;&#x20AC; Unique Opportunities & Challenges

MARKETING FOR TODAY AND

TOMORROW

Signarama helps customers navigate their changing needs.

he past few months have presented unique opportunities as well as challenges for our over 700 Signarama locations around the world. Our franchise owners have contin-

ued to re-imagine their production, re-envision their offering and re-invent their marketing to create new and unique products to answer the needs of communities as they continue to evolve through the pandemic. This also had a significant impact on how we market to our current customers and how we captured new customers along the way. Signarama has served the business-to-business community for the past 34 years

providing expert design services and creative signage. Each day, our owners work with their customers to grow their small to large businesses with custom signage solutions, and the last few months have provided many opportunities for collaborations and innovation. At the onset of COVID19, the messaging and signage was focused on the needs of essential businesses as well as

gratitude signs for healthcare workers and those serving the community. The next phase was focused on change - this messaging needed to serve communities in a new way and communicate important information like changing business hours, curbside pick-up, delivery, contactless transactions and products to-go. The subsequent phase was geared toward Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), which included innovative new products and re-purposing equipment to create face shields, guards and custom CDC signage and even intubation boxes to protect surgeons when faced with new challenges. While we have always been focused on business-to-business, COVID-19 brought about a shift in our customer too. Many of our stores helped consumers - families and entire communities - celebrate milestones with graduation signs, birthday banners and hopeful murals and wall graphics. In recent weeks we have

Kristin Gallucci has over 20 years of experience leading strategic digital marketing, social media, influencer engagement, and analytics initiatives.

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

shifted the narrative again to help businesses get back to business with messages of “reopening” as states begin to move forward in the postCOVID world. As many states begin to reopen and recover from COVID-19, Signarama and the United Franchise Group family of brands, took an active role in helping small businesses by launching the “Reopening America Together” initiative. We wanted to lead the pack and support businesses across the country as they get back to business and help re-energize our communities. The initiative was widely embraced by our owners and many were prompted to give forward by offering free signs or services to local businesses, a show of community support and encouragement at a time when it was needed most. As part of the initiative, United Franchise Group and its brands asked business owners to visit the site, download a free “Reopening

America Together” sign and hang it in their window as a show of support. Additionally, “Reopening America Together” products are available for purchase on the website including a branded T-shirt, bracelet and signage. Proceeds from the sale of these products will be given to the Small Business Relief Fund, part of the Small Business Relief Initiative, a program supported by GoFundMe and

partners. The Small Business Relief Initiative will provide micro-grants to qualifying small businesses negatively impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Way Forward Yes, the sun will come out. The bans will be lifted. Business will resume. But things have shifted and will never be the way they were before. Each of us is changed. Our businesses are changed. Given that, there is no chance that your old offerings are going to meet the needs, hopes and desires of your customers without changes. Those approaching problems with a marketing perspective, start with potential customers’ needs, hopes and desires and then figure out ways to create, deliver and communicate offerings that satisfy those potential customers. Here are a few tips that we have shared with our owners Continue on page 63

TEXTILES ─ Raspberry Creek Fabrics

RASPBERRY CREEK FABRICS Factory automation for printing fabric on demand translates to big business. By Cary Sherburne

hat began as a project to produce fabric designs more in line with her tastes has turned into a growing and profitable business for Diana Rammel and her attorney husband Justin. Ten years in, Utah-based Raspberry Creek Fabrics is producing about 40,000 yards of custom fabrics printed on demand, with an average order size of three to six yards. “Eighty percent of our business is selling yardage to our retail customers,” Justin said. “If you are a standard fabric store, you probably are ordering 5,000 yards of each fabric design you carry, and that’s a lot of inventory risk. With our model, customers can choose from any of our designs—or their own— and order exactly what they need, with delivery in as little as three to five days. Not only does this eliminate inventory risk, it’s much more sustainable, since unused inventory must be discarded, adding to the landfill burden. Most retail lives by the rule of thirds—onethird of inventory is sold through retail, one-third goes to the discount table, and one-third goes to the trash. Our goal was to break that cycle.” When the Rammells decided to bring fabric printing in house, Justin knew that automation would be key. “Not only did we want to be able to produce smaller quantities of printed fabric profitably, but we also wanted to be agile enough to respond quickly to trends and customer feedback.” He cited an example of a line of mermaid swimwear for little girls where the mermaids were all white.

“About two years ago, we started getting feedback from customers that they wanted a more diverse design library, a requirement that has become even more essential in today’s climate,” he said. “We were able to develop new, more diverse images and quickly get them to market, without the need to discard some large inventory of existing fabric.” The Raspberry Creek Fabrics production platform, operated by nine full-time employees and in collaboration with a network of graphic designers, consists of an EFI Reggiani NEXT 180 dye-sublimation printer, a Kornit Allegro for printing on cotton, a large Klieverik heat press and a Zünd SL 1600 cutter. But the equipment configuration was only part of the solution. Justin knew they needed to ensure as much end-to-end automation as possible in order for the model to work. “We created API integration with our EFI Reggiani printer that helps us completely automate the order-to-production process,” he said. “Using the EFI Reggiani API, we have been able to develop software that connects into any retailer’s portal so we can quickly and automatically grab order details and design files, place orders in our system, automatically color correct, print and transfer the fabric to our Zünd XL-1600 for cutting. We also print a QR code on the fabric that contains all of the order and shipping information, helping us quickly and profitably manage even the smallest orders, getting them out the door with as little human intervention as possible. This AI

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

approach also integrates us with shippers such as FedEx and UPS. When product arrives in shipping, operators scan the code and the appropriate information is brought up on a touch screen, automatically producing the shipping label. This is one of the key things that has allowed us to both grow our business and be flexible and nimble enough to respond to changing market trends and conditions.” Justin said that much of the fabric printing is done overnight. “Our Zünd cutter is very fast, so when we come in in the morning, we can get right to the cutting, packing and shipping, quickly getting the night’s production out the door.” In addition to the fast update of the mermaid fabric, Justin cited the company’s ability to rapidly respond to the need for face masks in the current pandemic crisis. “Because we have a high capacity printer,” he said, “we were recently able to manufacture 17,000 masks for a retail customer within days, at a great profit margin, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We can produce 10,000 or more in one shift, making us able to quickly respond to these types of demands. That’s the beauty of digital fabric printing with high-capacity printers like those from EFI and Kornit.” For longer runs and for items that need to be sewn, Raspberry Creek has a network of suppliers that can handle those needs, including cut-and-sew shops in Utah. “For sewn products,” Justin said, “we can handle the entire process all local to Salt Lake, keeping lead times and costs down.” In determining how to configure the factory, Justin explained the decision to go with high-capacity printers. “For someone starting out like we did, you need to decide if you are going to operate a fleet of small printers or a couple of large printers that can handle workflow. A fleet of small printers is laborintensive, and the only way we will beat overseas costs is by investing in technology. Higher-capacity machines lower production costs and make the whole process more efficient.” Justin also believes this approach gives them less

Digital textile printing: from plain white fabric to finished customized apparel with minimal waste and a small environmental footprint.

overall downtime. “We’ve been running our EFI Reggiani since May of 2018,” he said, “and we haven’t had anything happen that has taken us down more than a day.” He also sends kudos to both EFI Reggiani and Kornit for their excellent support. “They [EFI Reggiani] care more about the whole client experience than just making the sale and moving on. They have introduced us to other people, given us lots of ideas about what the printers can do, and parts and consumables are always readily available.” Read More… The Kornit Allegro was Find article at installed in April 2017 and the PrintingNews. com/21139922 support from Kornit has been excellent as well. “The Allegro allows us to print directly to natural ﬁber fabrics such as cotton, bamboo, hemp, rayon, etc.,” Justin said. “With heat transfer dye sublimation, the process we are using with the Reggiani printer, you need polyester or polyester blend fabric. Combined, they increase the range of products we can offer.” ●

WIDE-FORMAT & SIGNAGE Continued from page 47

ink re-circulation and Hybrid Side Shooter printhead architecture to counteract the effect gravity has on inks by preventing particles from settling and clogging the nozzles while enabling difficult varnishes to print with predictable quality. Printing companies should consider equipment manufacturers who have demonstrated expertise in building presses for the desired product range. Even then, either custom or modified commercially available D2S printing machines will often be necessary. The global pandemic has brought hidden supply chain weaknesses to the forefront. Empty grocery store shelves are an example of how digital D2S printing can help solve supply chain issues. Think about drinks, such as water or soda. Costeffective, long-run container and package printing means there are warehouses full of containers waiting to be used in the drink manufacturing process. The ingredient and nutrition information printed on them is highly regulated. What happens when the consumer goods company must substitute an ingredient when pre-printed ingredients are unavailable? The company must reformulate its drinks and change its packaging. Just as inkjet printing enables the packaging to be updated quickly, digital D2S printing allows the conRead More… tainers to be updated with the regFind article at ulated information, preventing PrintingNews. product recalls and fines, and sent com/21139684 to the stores. Michelle Duerst, research vice president at Gartner, says her work indicates the market for D2S printing benefits from a convergence of events: the pandemic (supply outages), digital initiatives (customized products) and environmental efforts (reduced packaging). The result, according to Duerst, are opportunities ranging from prestige products, such as personalized cosmetics for the luxury market, to fast-moving, frequently changing consumer goods sold in big box stores. Printing companies are generally good at looking beyond the hype about new technologies and applications. Use the Direct-to-Shape Printing Spectrum to understand the reality of digital D2S printing and the potential markets for your organization. ●

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage

VELOX BRINGS MASSPRODUCTION TO DIGITAL DIRECT-TO-SHAPE PRINTING Israel’s Velox, founded in 2012, specializes in industrial-scale direct-to-shape digital printing—or, as the company calls it, “decorating”— predominantly on tubes, aerosols and other cylindrical items. Velox has developed both the ink and the system architecture, and the two “pillars” of its DTS-Inkjet technology are: ● Adaptive Deposition Architecture (ADA), its unique printing process, and ● Variable Viscosity Ink (VVI), a specially formulated digital UV ink series that tackles the age-old problem of printing on sometimes print-unfriendly surfaces. The target materials for the Velox printing system are plastic, laminate and aluminum tubes and aerosol cans, and it can print the full 360° without a gap or any kind of overlapping. The 14 colors and embellishments included in the system provide ultra-wide color gamut and accurate color matching. It can also print on the cap simultaneously. The company’s IDS Series is indeed geared for high production: the ﬂagship IDS 250 can produce up to 250 containers per minute (naturally, your mileage will vary). However, it being a digital printing process, the Velox technology also supports short runs and on-demand production. The Velox system can handle objects with diameters from 25 mm to 60 mm. Converters often work with three or four different size containers, and the mandrels that convey the containers through the press can be easily swapped out to handle different diameters. The company is also developing the ability to print on other kinds of cylindrical objects, such as plastic, glass and aluminum bottles, beverage cans, glass and plastic jars. In addition to printing, the Velox system can also add embellishments, such as digital gloss/ matte varnishes and embossing, all in the same pass. The types of brand owners that Velox is targeting at present include those that produce cosmetics, food and beverage, home and personal care, pharmaceuticals and oral care.

Velox is positioning its system in part as a substitute for analog decoration technologies, as well as label printing. “The trends today are toward much higher quality, more unique decoration on containers or packaging, and many more SKUs,” said Merav Sheffer, marketing manager for Velox. “There is a bigger demand for shorter time to market and on-demand and to not have to wait a few months to get orders fulﬁlled.” Like a lot of digital production manufacturers, Velox ﬁnds itself at the intersection of where analog meets digital.

“[The Velox system] has all the beneﬁts and the advantages of digital, but it’s also for mass production,” Sheffer said. “So it has the value, the volume and high-speed mass production. Basically, we say you can take out all your analog technologies and replace them with the Velox system because it has all those beneﬁts.” Image quality and ink economy are optimized using the aforementioned Variable Viscosity Ink. “A special characteristic of

Velox technology can also print on aluminum tubes, and can enable unique substrate/ color interactions.

The IDS 250 can add tactile features such as textures and embossing during the printing process. Plastic tube decoration is the hallmark of the Velox IDS system. Note that it can even print on the cap at the same time.

The Velox IDS 250.

our inks is that we can control the drop shape,” Sheffer said. “The drops are all the same size and when they touch the surface, they behave differently. This is why we can save on ink consumption.” For example, in large areas of color, like solids, “we can let the drop spread out. And when we want very accurate detail, we will keep it from spreading,” Sheffer said. The company is also touting it as a more eco-friendly solution, throughout the entire production workﬂow. For example, when it comes to replacing labels, the company estimates that it saves up to 27 tons of plastic, a calculation based on labels comprising 15% of tube decoration market and an extruded tube manufacturer with an annual capacity of 25–30 million, taking into account Velox’s higher ink consumption vs. analog. Velox’s ﬁrst installation was at Israel’s LAGEENTUBES, a tube manufacturer with a broad international base of customers. Velox is installing a second unit at a leading tube manufacturer in Europe, that prefers to remain anonymous. The company is also working on entering new markets, such as beverage cans and bottles, as well as other kinds of containers, such as semi-circular detergent bottles. —Richard Romano.

MANAGEMENT ─ Driving Inkjet Growth

LOOKING PAST THE

PANDEMIC Marco Boer of IT Strategies discusses how the pandemic will drive inkjet growth.

T Strategies earns its keep by helping manufacturers look ahead as they develop new products in line with the changing marketplace. As the printing industry adjusts to a “new normal” resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s what Marco Boer, vice president of IT Strategies, had to say about how the big picture is shaping up. Heidi Tolliver-Walker: With transactional documents in decline, growth in inkjet is being driven by other market forces. Can you talk a little about that? Marco Boer: Yes, transactional printing continues to decline. Our numbers indicate that, in billions of pages, there were 119 billion letter-sized simplex inkjet impressions printed in 2019 alone, a rate of 4% CAGR. This is projected to drop to 95 billion by 2024. Compare this to direct mail, where there were 120 billion inkjet-printed pages in 2019, projected to grow to 201 billion — a CAGR of 11%. So while direct mail overall is declining, the portion that is inkjet is on the rapid incline. HTW: To what do you attribute this growth? MB: One of the reasons is the cost of paper. As a result of the impact of the pandemic, more and more paper mills are closing, either temporarily or permanently. As they do, the economies of scale for paper production are being lost. This will make the delta between offset-printed pages and inkjet-printed pages that much smaller. In this environment, it no longer makes sense to mail 100,000 pieces at 1% and 2% response rate. Whatever gets mailed must be more relevant. HTW: What is the long-term impact on print? MB: As we come out of the pandemic, we may need to be patient for a little while, but print will continue to be strong. However, we predict that offset will disappear two years faster than we originally thought. The pandemic has accelerated that decline.

HTW: What will be the impact on printers? MB: As we come out of this, we will see fairly significant attrition of the number of print shops. Those whose business is marginal will disappear. We will see attrition in smaller shops, in particular— those that were barely holding on—as well as at the higher end. However, expect to see the middle of the market, the $20 to $75 million shops, do quite well. They have enough capital to reinvest in more automation, and they need to Read More… dramatically reduce their labor. Find article at You can’t find labor, you can’t PrintingNews. afford it, and right now, you com/21115089 don’t want a lot of it anyway. That will further accelerate the decline in offset. Already, the mid-range shops are using this time to get rid of their offset presses. HTW: Ultimately what we end up with is a smaller world of print volumes, but much more relevant? MB: Yes. We can’t have marketing collateral with 30% waste because it sits in the closet and goes outdated. The model of the lowest cost per thousand is broken permanently. HTW: What other impacts do you see? MB: The days that color has to match exactly to specific Pantone colors will disappear, as well. Color consistency will still be increasingly important, but in most cases, the buyer won’t care if it’s Pantone 104, 105 or 106. If the printer doesn’t hit the color on the first round, they’ll get it on the second round. Clients are increasingly accepting of this because they aren’t losing tons of money on wasted inventory. When it comes to printed output, the goal posts are changing dramatically. The quality of print still has to be salable, but at the end of the day, what matters more is that the content is relevant, compelling and reflective of want the piece was intended to do. ●

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

Heidi Tolliver-Walker has been a commercial and digital printing industry analyst, feature writer, and author for more than 20 years. Her industry commentary can be found in national printing publications, blogs, and marketing publications.

Continued from page 57

(and they have shared with us) on the best way to navigate the months ahead when it comes to marketing and promoting your business. Redefine the sales and marketing process. Take the time to assess your current strategies and redirect efforts accordingly. Walk through the sales process

and the customer journey from the customer’s perspective. Embrace the new reality that projects are going to take longer. First conversations will not necessarily lead to a sale. Show up consistently and build your personal brand. Set a new plan for the last six months of 2020, because what may have worked before might not work now. You have to start moving

forward and take action. Waiting to see what the future will hold means that you are likely missing out on opportunities that might be right in front of you. Be proactive when it comes to providing for your customers. They are focused on how to manage their business, so it’s our job to think ahead for them. If it is a school, how can we help them prepare to open? If it is a restaurant, how do we help them serve their customers in a new way? What type of “done-for-you” signs and packages can we provide before they think of it? Task your team with creating and thinking outside of the typical sign products. Don’t try to sell. Try to understand. This is not a time to put on your sales hat and do business the way it has always been done. Pick up the phone and check in on your customers just to see how they are doing. Lead with empathy and kindness and show your customers that you are a resource for them. Ask them for advice on how you can best serve them. Seek out the next trend and get ahead. All industries have been impacted in some way but the events, meeting and travel industries might have been hit the hardest. The industry is desperate to find ways to reignite.

How can we be there and ready to help when they are ready to get back to business? How do we help them prepare for what future events will look like? With minimal research (look to industry websites and articles), surveys show that Read More… people are Find article at PrintingNews. looking more com/21140326 toward the outdoors and areas of relaxation. How can signs serve them best outside? What products and inventory will be important as you move into the next phase of opening? Utilize the time to help customers build their brand. Very often companies don’t take the time to update and refresh their brand. Take an audit of their signs and their brand identity and offer up a consultation to enhance their look. Conduct a brand awareness study on their brand and their competitors to jumpstart a conversation with your customer. Our expertise goes beyond just signs. It will take time to find the new norm for marketing after COVID-19, but each of the points above will prepare your marketing strategy efforts for shifts that are expected. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, now is the time to hold steady to ensure a strong comeback within your marketing after COVID-19. As businesses withdraw themselves, great opportunities will surface if your business can maintain a long-term marketing strategy. ●

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TEXTILES ─ SPESA

SPESA SUPPORT

SPESA continues to support the sewn products industry in the time of COVID-19.

ver the past 30 years, SPESA has devoted itself to identifying the best ways to support its members – through networking, professional development and a variety of events including the co-production of the Texprocess Americas trade show with Messe Frankfurt. Through these various channels, SPESA provides its members with the best opportunities to meet new customers and share the latest innovations in equipment and technology. Bottom line, it is SPESA’s goal as an association to get its people together. But COVID-19 had different plans this year. Like everyone else, SPESA spent the first half of 2020 dealing with the impact of the global pandemic. Events were postponed, travel was canceled, budgets upended and plans flew out the window. The silver lining in all of this was watching how quickly the sewn products industry, and SPESA members in particular, pivoted to the production of personal protective equipment (PPE). New opportunities for domestic manufacturing have emerged and alliances between different organizations have formed to support the industry and equip frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19. It has been a reminder that SPESA members are not just part of an industry, but a community as well. SPESA has seen its partnerships with other organizations like SEAMS, NCTO, CAF, IFAI and many others grow stronger with the united goal to equip members with the tools and resources needed to transition production. This process has included task-force calls with different groups, webinars for members and nonmembers, and the development of technical resources for the construction and manufacturing of complex PPE equipment. The process has played a significant role in connecting people from across the industry to develop more vertical supply

chains in the Americas. With live events no longer an option this year, SPESA has been forced – like so many – to turn its gaze to digital education and networking. Every year, SPESA Read More… hosts an in-person Executive Find article at PrintingNews. Conference in a different city com/21139514 across the U.S., which brings together industry leaders for two days of learning, networking and a whole lot of fun. This year’s event was slated for October 2020 in Boston but has been moved to 2021. In addition to the web events SPESA is already participating in, it is also exploring opportunities to bring this year’s Executive Conference online. Equipping members with the latest industry news and resources has been a core objective for SPESA since its founding. It has been especially important now as it navigates new waters in 2020. Just last month, SPESA relaunched its newsletter,” Behind the Seams.” For more than 20 years, “Behind the Seams” has been a trusted industry resource. Maintaining that legacy, “Behind the Seams” will continue to be issued twice a month and include a roundup of the latest industry news. The last six months have proved trying but have also unveiled a new direction with new potential and a nimbleness to adapt to a changing world and changing industry dynamics. As the association enters the second half of 2020, it will continue to identify the best ways to support its members, whether that be through education, advocacy, networking or something entirely new. It continues to be SPESA’s goal as an association to get its people together – it just looks a little different these days. ●

Michael McDonald is the President of SPESA. He is also currently completing his doctoral degree in Textile Technology Management at North Carolina State University (NC State) with a focus on workforce development in the manufacturing sector of the sewn products industry.

WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | August 2020

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