The logo is one of the most important design elements of your product labels. It immediately and clearly associates your products with your company’s brand. Perhaps you are thinking about designing or redesigning a new logo for your company or one of its product lines. If so, I highly recommend that you create your logo in black and white before adding color to it. And if you are hiring a graphic designer to create a logo for you, make sure that they provide you with a black and white version. Now you may be asking yourself why I would recommend such a thing, being as I work for Lighting…
-
Lightning Labels Blog
-
Design Your Logo in Black & White Now, Save Yourself a Headache Later
2 Jul 2009 | 1:35 pm -
Carbon Footprint Labels Come to Australia
1 Jul 2009 | 7:59 amLast year I wrote about the new carbon footprint labels that have begun appearing on products in the UK. Well now the same organization, Carbon Trust, is partnering with the Australian environmental organization, Planet Ark, to introduce carbon footprint labels into Australia. So why is this significant? It shows a growing interest that consumers have in knowing the total environmental impact of their product choices. In the UK, there are more than 2,500 individual product lines carrying these carbon footprint labels as companies see the advantages of sharing this information with their… -
Social Media Marketing for Small Business: Where to Start
26 Jun 2009 | 8:14 amMaintaining a social media presence on the Internet is vital for all businesses today, including small businesses and startups. But because there are so many different social media networks on the Internet to choose from today, it can be challenging to know where to begin. The Beginner’s Guide to Social Marketing video from Your Business Channel (featured above) gives an overview of what social media marketing is and gives some great advice for getting started with social media marketing that is tailored to small businesses like the ones that make up our customer base.We here at Lighting… -
Top 5 Label and Packaging Blogs
23 Jun 2009 | 3:16 pmI read a lot of blogs. I try and subscribe to every blog I find that is relevant to the label and packaging industry. While I don't read every word published by these blogs I do try and scan the headlines so I can keep the pulse of what is happening in this industry. So here I have gathered what I consider to be the five most important blogs for those people who buy labels and packaging. You can learn a great deal from these blogs, I encourage you to check them out below and subscribe to the ones that most appeal to you. The Dieline - if you are involved in packaging design in any way… -
Reaching the ‘Hooray Zone’ in Business
19 Jun 2009 | 8:15 amI ran across this Venn diagram “How to Be Happy in Business” the other day on Bud Cadell’s blog, What Consumes Me, and immediately thought of the successful small businesses we have featured in our quarterly newsletter, The Lighting Flash. Whether or not they have ever seen Bud’s plan for reaching what he calls the Hooray Zone in business, they are following it. They have figured out what products and services they are most passionate about (What We Want to Do) that match their skills, talents, and resources (What We Do Well), and built their businesses on those that are most…
-
Print CEO
-
Link List for June 30th
30 Jun 2009 | 4:18 pmToo Big to Mail The U.S. Postal Service, losing business and money, must take radical steps to survive in the 21st century. The USPS system was designed for 300 billion pieces of mail per year. Mail volume in 2008 totaled 202.7 billion piece and volume is decreasing. Quebecor World: Has the Stalked Become the Stalker? A hint came in this statement by a spokesman for Angelson and the other new QW directors: “The highly fragmented printing industry must undergo further consolidation, and this company will be an important part of that process. We look forward to providing overall strategic… -
GPO Updating Business Systems: Glitches May Affect Customers, Vendors
29 Jun 2009 | 8:24 amWhatTheyThink had heard that some printers who produce work for the GPO were not being paid in a timely fashion, and were suffering some financial stress as a result. It should be noted that this information did not come from printers experiencing this problem, but rather, from a third-party source. Our investigation reflected that the same source had also contacted the GPO, and both GPO and WhatTheyThink asked the source for contact information for affected printers, with no result. I personally spoke with GPO’s Gary Somerset, GPO’s Media and Public Relations Manager, to find out… -
B2B Marketing Budgets Expected to be Up in 2010
29 Jun 2009 | 5:18 amAbout half (53.0%) of B2B marketers expect their budgets to increase in 2010, according to a recent study by BtoB magazine. The study was based on an online survey of 495 business-to-business marketers conducted between May 14 and June 2. About 37 percent of survey respondents expect their 2010 budgets to be flat (compared to 2009), while only 10 percent expect to see marketing spend decline in 2010. The BtoB survey also asked marketers how they expected their spending on various marketing channels to change in 2010 compared to 2009. The chart below shows that, for the most part, B2B… -
U.S. Government Objects to Quebecor World Restructuring
27 Jun 2009 | 11:37 amThe U.S. Government has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy handling the Quebecor World’s restructuring to deny the plans of reorganization because of $10 million dollars of unpaid U.S. taxes and $150 million in Clean Air Act penalties. The Canadian Press reports the U.S. government said in a motion filed Wednesday: “Because these proposed third-party releases are not essential to the reorganization of the debtors, and because the proposed releases would discharge a wide array of potential liabilities, as to none of which this court has jurisdiction, and as to some of which there exist… -
Sorry, Paul Simon, no more KODACHROME
22 Jun 2009 | 10:10 amKodak is retiring KODACHROME Color Film, the “first commercially successful color film” according to the company announcement. Launched in 1935, it had a good run for 74 years. In its press release, Kodak notes: Among the well-known professional photographers who used KODACHROME Film is Steve McCurry, whose picture of a young Afghan girl captured the hearts of millions of people around the world as she peered hauntingly from the cover of National Geographic Magazine in 1985. As part of a tribute to KODACHROME Film, Kodak will donate the last rolls of the film to George Eastman…
-
WhatTheyThink.com
-
PrintPlanet: Do Printers Believe in Continuous Improvement?
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pm... -
Workflow Management Divests United Envelope and Freedom Graphic Services
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmDayton, Ohio July 1, 2009 -- Workflow Management Inc. today announced the completion of its sale of ... -
Mutoh Announces FREE 2nd Year Manufacturer Warranty
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmMutoh America Inc. announces a deadline extension for NEW customers to enjoy a FREE 2nd Year Manufac ... -
Printing Industries of America and manroland elevate partnership
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmPrinting Industries of America and manroland are moving to a next level in the organizations’ ... -
IGI Seminars look at Online and Social Media Marketing
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmPewaukee, Wisconsin -- The Institute for Graphics and Imaging (IGI)—an education and training ...
-
Topix: Commercial Printing
-
Quebecor World plans approved in Quebec, N.Y.
3 Jul 2009 | 2:30 amInsolvent commercial printer Quebecor World Inc. said yesterday that its U.S. and Canadian plans of reorganization have been approved by a U.S. bankruptcy court and the Quebec Superior Court. -
PMP boss woos old clients
2 Jul 2009 | 9:35 pmPRINTING and distribution group PMP says changes to senior executive personnel and moves to repair relationships with key clients have left it "well positioned" to tender for work lost in the past year, including the sought-after catalogue distribution account of Wesfarmers' Coles Group. -
RR Donnelley to Announce Second-Quarter 2009 Results and Host a Conference Call on August 5
2 Jul 2009 | 1:27 pmR.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced today that it will release its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009 on Wednesday, August 5, before the market opens. -
Man's shooting a mystery
2 Jul 2009 | 12:19 amThe home and the basketball court where an East Limestone County man was shot and seriously injured Tuesday night while shooting hoops with his family is cordoned off by crime-scene tape Wednesday. -
Workflow Management Divests United Envelope and Freedom Graphic Services
1 Jul 2009 | 2:59 pmWorkflow Management Inc. today announced the completion of its sale of United Envelope LLC and Freedom Graphic Services, Inc.
-
print industry news - Google News
-
Print is dead, long live print - Easy Reader
3 Jul 2009 | 11:27 amEasy ReaderPrint is dead, long live printEasy ReaderJob losses in the hard-hit South Bay defense industry were quickly replaced by entertainment companies such Raleigh Studios, which built a $77 million and more » -
Anilox-roll cleaning system donation assists flexo education - Converting Magazine
3 Jul 2009 | 8:47 amAnilox-roll cleaning system donation assists flexo educationConverting MagazineMike Potter, CEO of the company, which specializes in cleaning technology for the flexographic printing industry, recently donated an anilox roll cleaning and more » -
Proskills' Watts calls on print industry to get involved with ... - PrintWeek
3 Jul 2009 | 5:16 amProskills' Watts calls on print industry to get involved with PrintWeekProskills' chief executive Terry Watts has called on the printing industry to seize the initiative and make the newly launched National Skills Academy (NSA) and more » -
Big packaging wins at print industry's Excellence Awards - packagingnews.co.uk
3 Jul 2009 | 3:42 amBig packaging wins at print industry's Excellence Awardspackagingnews.co.ukPackaging firms shone this week at the print industry's Excellence Awards, organised by the BPIF and Packaging News's sister title PrintWeek. Full winners announced: Excellence Awards honour print's leading PrintWeekall 3 news articles » -
Editorial: Legal notices belong in print - Philadelphia Inquirer
3 Jul 2009 | 12:11 amEditorial: Legal notices belong in printPhiladelphia InquirerThe newspaper industry, which is already hurting as a result of the economic downturn, will lose out on potential revenue if the bill is passed. and more »
-
Label & Narrow Web Breaking News
-
Vimercati takes the helm as FINAT president
2 Jul 2009 | 9:11 amAndrea Vimercati, the sales director of Pilot Italia, a Milan converter, has assumed the presidency of FINAT, Europe’s label association. He succeeds Jan Frederik Vink of Kolibri Labels in the Netherlands. Vimercati is a member of the younger generation of label printers, and is a founder of FINAT’s Young Managers Club. He has been active in the organization for many years. At his inauguration, during FINAT’s recent annual congress in Turkey, Vimercati said, “Growth could be considered a challenge, but its pursuit expresses the long-term vision we need for the future… -
Tailored Label named Waukesha Small Business of the Year
2 Jul 2009 | 9:02 amTailored Label Products Inc. (TLP), of Menomonee Falls, WI, USA, has been named the Waukesha County Small Business of the Year. It was saluted for excellence in its treatment of stakeholders, including customers, employees and the community. “Our employees are always working hard to develop and implement new production methods,” says Mike Erwin, co-owner and president of TLP. “Their dedication, along with significant investments in innovating printing technologies and customization of existing equipment, has driven our product innovations and production excellence.”… -
Fairley to receive the industry’s Lifetime Achievement Award
29 Jun 2009 | 10:28 amMike Fairley, long respected for his knowledge of and dedication to the label industry, has been selected to receive the R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award, the top prize presented at the annual Label Industry Global Awards. He was selected as the overall winner by an international label industry judging panel meeting at the FINAT Congress in Turkey following a review of the online votes against the criteria. The award is sponsored by Avery Dennison. Fairley has been writing and talking about labels for more than 30 years. As both the founder of Labels & Labeling and the Cowise… -
TLMI members to ‘Get Smart’ at September Tech Conference
29 Jun 2009 | 10:25 amThe biennial Technical Conference of the Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute takes place September 9-10 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The event, traditionally attended by hundreds of TLMI members, will feature a wide range of presentations, as well as a tabletop exhibition by industry suppliers. “This year proves to continue the tradition of offering real life information, solutions and innovation to increase efficiencies and support growth for printers and converters,” says Terie Syme of Prestige Label. Syme, Tom Spina of Luminer Converting and Paul Brauss of Mark Andy are… -
Stork Prints partners with Nuova Gidue
29 Jun 2009 | 10:23 amStork Prints, the Netherlands based manufacturer of rotary screen technology, has announced a collaboration with Federico d’Annunzio, former president of Italian press manufacturer Gidue. After the December liquidation of Gidue, d’Annunzio started a company called Nuova Gidue, which intends to produce new press lines and serve the installed base of Gidue machines. Stork Prints will deliver Rotary Screen Integration (RSI) units to Nuova Gidue. Rieks Reyers, sales and marketing manager of graphics at Stork, says: “As far as we are concerned, it’s business as usual. We…
-
Labels and Labeling
-
Plastotype becomes manufacturing partner of Van Son Liquid Inks UK
1 Jul 2009 | 5:00 pmPre-press and print consumables and accessories specialist Plastotype, the flexographic division of Pomeroy Pressroom Products, is now the UK manufacturing partner of Van Son Liquid Inks. The partnership reportedly aims to enable greater penetration into the expanding UK water-based flexo ink market with the Van Son Aqua Base Plus range of flexo inks and Plastotype’s own Aqua Gem Extra range of water-based flexo inks. These cover such applications as paper, cardboard, napkins, paper towels, gravure, labels, envelopes, films, foils and PE coated cups. The partnership came to fruition as a… -
Danish converter buys two Rotocontrol finishing machines
1 Jul 2009 | 5:00 pmDanish converter Limo Labels has bought two Rotocontrol RSD 430 dual die-cutting slitter rewinders with fully automatic turrets. The RSD series is designed for fast, accurate die-cutting, slitting and rewinding of all types of labels. The fully automatic turret is offered as an accessory to the RSD and RSI lines. Features include glueless core attach with shaft loading and unloading options ensuring the highest production speeds and efficiency. ‘Limo Labels is one of the largest and most innovative label printers in Denmark. Rotocontrol is pleased to fulfill their technology… -
Pulse to launch food packaging inks at Labelexpo
29 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pmInk manufacturer Pulse Roll Label Products will launch a new range of inks for food packaging applications at Labelexpo Europe 2009 on stand 7N110. The company will also feature recent developments in UV and water-based inks, varnishes and adhesives for the production of labels with special decorative effects and finishes including tactile, textured, high brilliance silver, peel and read and linerless. Managing director Gary Seward commented: ‘The overall requirements for food packaging are that the materials used to formulate inks must be in compliance with good manufacturing practice. -
ChemInstruments introduces new data management software
29 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pmChemInstruments’ new EZ-Lab 3.0 data management software interfaces with the entire line of load cell based testing platforms. The upgraded software is said to be ‘a simple and intuitive way’ to get more out of testing equipment. EZ-Lab 3.0 data management software provides test data results in report-ready format. The new software provides powerful statistical analysis and reporting capabilities on any Microsoft Windows based personal computer. One main screen contains all commands for easy setup and operation, while data is automatically graphed upon test completion with… -
Preco launches Rotary Converting Platform
28 Jun 2009 | 5:00 pmUS company Preco has launched its Rotary Converting Platform series, aimed at web converters and manufacturers that produce multi-layer construction packaging, parts and components for the medical, pharmaceutical, electronic, label, automotive, electronic display and RFID markets. Preco’s Rotary Converting Platform (RCP) is a continuous process, servo-driven system where each rotary station is electronically geared to allow adjustments for optimizing tension as well as making registration correction at every processing point. ‘Converters and manufacturers will appreciate how quick and…
-
Printing Impressions
-
Rollem’s Finishing Automation Opens New Product Offerings
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmANAHEIM, CA—07/01/09—At this year’s PRINT show, Rollem will demonstrate a range of system designed to find untapped profit potential by saving up to 70% on finishing costs. Our customized finishing solutions increase automation... -
KBA North America Names New Web Offset VP of Sales and Service
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmDALLAS—07/01/09—KBA North America, a global press manufacturer, announces that Ulrich Wicke, the former web offset sales manager for the Spanish and South American markets, will be taking over the position of vice president of sales... -
Quad/Graphics Becomes First Major Commercial Printer to Achieve LEED Certification
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmSUSSEX, WI—07/01/09—Quad/Graphics, the hemisphere’s largest privately held commercial printer, announced today that its Sussex, WI, manufacturing facility has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)... -
PIA and manroland Extend Partnership to Include Collaborative Research and Training
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmPITTSBURGH/WESTMONT, IL—07/01/09—Printing Industries of America (PIA) and manroland Inc. are moving to a next level in their partnership that will include collaborative research and training activities, the two organizations announced... -
Workflow Management Divests United Envelope and Freedom Graphic Services
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmDAYTON, OH—July 1, 2009—Workflow Management Inc. today announced the completion of its sale of United Envelope LLC and Freedom Graphic Services, Inc. to an entity controlled by Palm Beach Capital, a private equity firm based in...
-
American Printer
-
KBA NA names new web offset sales, service vp
1 Jul 2009 | 1:03 pmKBA North America (Dallas) announces Ulrich Wicke, the former web offset sales manager for the Spanish and South American markets, has taken the position of vice president of sales and service for the company’s web offset division in North America. -
Quad/Graphics plant achieves environmental LEED certification
1 Jul 2009 | 12:59 pmQuad/Graphics’ (www.qg.com) Sussex, WI, manufacturing facility has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, Silver rating, from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) -
Standard Finishing opens new demo center
1 Jul 2009 | 12:55 pmStandard Finishing Systems (Andover, MA) has opened a new, 9,500-sq.-ft. National Customer Demonstration and Training Center as part of a year-long renovation of its corporate headquarters. -
Quebecor World reorg OK’d, to emerge as Novink
1 Jul 2009 | 6:59 amJudge James Peck of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York and Judge Robert Mongeon of the Quebec Superior Court in Montreal, in a joint hearing, have approved Quebecor World Inc.’s (Montreal) reorganization plan. -
N.A.’s first Kugler-Womako ProBind W up and running
30 Jun 2009 | 12:19 pmPrinting Methods Inc. (www.printingmethods.com) (Sheboygan, WI), one of the country’s largest African-American owned and operated commercial printers, has installed America’s first ProBind W binding machine in its Rochester, NY, facility.
-
PrintPlanet.com
-
Help choosing a RIP for a 242 or 700 XEROX
4 Jul 2009 | 10:56 amHello, we are in the process of acquiring a XEROX 242 printer. Our company is located in a small Caribean island and the only serious printer dealer is Xerox... So far we have been doing VDP with a XEROX 7760 and well, the job was done. The only restriction was with paper weight and colorful whole page printing that could be...erratic sometimes. An average job is between 500 and 4000 A4 pages, duplex or simplex. We are using Print Shop Mail as a VDP software and have been pleased so far with it. Eventually, our dealer said he could get us a nice price for DARWIN but I don't really see the… -
an error occures im mirror of the motor unit
4 Jul 2009 | 12:08 amThis message sometimes appears in my imagesetter and it says that is something with my compressed air system i fixed the air compression but still sometimes showns thast erro I use heidleberg imagesetter herkules linotype any idea -
$2 billion in aid for Heidelberg?
3 Jul 2009 | 9:30 pmThe amount of financing Heidelberg is seeking seems to rise with each new report. Bloomberg.com is now reporting a figure of 1.4 billion Euros (about $2 billion). Furthermore, Bloomberg says it has heard Heidelberg will get the money in the next few days. More detail, and a link to the Bloomberg piece, are here: Heidelberg may get $2 billion very soon -
Imagesetter help
3 Jul 2009 | 7:26 pmHello Everyone, I've been using film outputs from imagesetters for my work for many years but the service is getting harder and harder to find and reliability is a whole other problem. I want to remove those problems by bringing the tech in house. I would greatly appreciate any ideas on the best way to do this. First I need opinions on how practical it is to use an imagesetter without a processor. I do not have the room for it, or the need. I run very few pages per month and a processor would be more trouble than it would be worth. I am all set up for darkroom processes. Can I develop… -
Avantra 20/25 OLP Processor
3 Jul 2009 | 7:18 pmAvantra 20/25 OLP Processor can't be turned on. This message is displayed on the panel: G1 ATB V03 LUTH, but film processor doesn´t starts. If any function key is used, the same message stays. I were loking for a defective fuse, all fuses are OK. May be motherboard or EEPROM need be changed? EEprom features printed on label: G1 30A51 V01R03 9201 9703 0006 6302Y160000 A6B7
-
QuickPrinting.com
-
Proforma Opens 14 New Offices in June
3 Jul 2009 | 1:42 pm -
XpressPrint Named Official Printer and Sponsor of the Huntington Beach 4th of July Celebration
3 Jul 2009 | 3:42 amThe team at XpressPrint agrees that community involvement is just one approach to forming part of the city's dedication and leadership. -
Mutoh America Proudly Announces Randy Rickert as New VP/GM
3 Jul 2009 | 3:41 amRickert formerly served as Mutoh's Director of Sales, Service and Marketing. -
Top Graphic Finishers and Custom Loose-Leaf Companies Announced for 2009
3 Jul 2009 | 3:40 amFrom around the world, companies submitted their best work to be judged against that of their peers -
Graphic Imagery Adds Bookmaking Equipment as Complement to HP Indigo 5500 Digital Press
2 Jul 2009 | 4:44 pmEarlier this year, Graphic Imagery purchased a new HP Indigo 5500 digital printing press to add to its stable of Heidelberg lithographic presses and letterpress.
-
PrintListings.com
-
KBA-Metronic's Genius 52UV conquers Australia
21 Jun 2009 | 5:38 pmThe joint appearance at the Pac Print event in Melbourne, Australia, of the German specialist printing press manufacturer KBA-Metronic AG and its Australian based partner Jet Technologies was a huge success. The Southern Hemisphere's largest communications trade exhibition of print and graphics industry ran from 26 to 30 May 2009 at the Convention and Exhibition Center in Melbourne and was very well attended. Several live demonstrations of the unique waterless and keyless Genius 52UV B3 printing machine made its Australian debut under the catchy slogan "Think like a digital printer, print… -
Hansen: KBA on course despite soft demand
21 Jun 2009 | 1:57 amSince April German press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer (KBA) has seen a major upturn in new orders for sheetfed presses, with business drummed up at trade fairs in the Middle and Far East largely balancing a shortfall in the first quarter. This was the message delivered by Helge Hansen, KBA president and CEO since 27 March, at the company’s 84th AGM at the Vogel Convention Center in Würzburg. However, as Hansen warned the serried ranks of shareholders present, demand for big newspaper and commercial web presses remains unsatisfactory. “While we have increased our share of the global… -
Waterless newspaper production by the Rhine in Cologne
16 Jun 2009 | 6:39 amOn 2 June prominent German publishing house M. DuMont Schauberg (MDS) in Cologne rang in a new era in newspaper production with the official inauguration of a six-wide KBA Cortina. In his opening speech Professor Alfred Neven DuMont, editor and publisher of the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, described the move as an “investment in the future.” M. DuMont Schauberg’s imposing premises in Cologne. The printing plant is located at the rear (1) He subsequently joined Christian DuMont Schütte, executive vice-president of the M. DuMont Schauberg media group, to fire up the eco-friendly… -
Speedmaster XL 105 Enables Double-sided Printing and Coating in a Single Pass
15 Jun 2009 | 7:06 amU.S. printshop K & D Graphics in Orange, California, has been using one of the world's longest sheetfed offset presses since the end of last year. The Speedmaster XL 105-6+LYY-P-6+L (UV) with CutStar from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is the first Speedmaster XL 105 that can print and coat on both sides in a single pass. Together with two drying units and the CutStar sheeter, the press is almost 38 meters (125 feet) long. K & D Graphics is renowned for its high-quality print products in the commercial and packaging sectors. "With this new press, I have finally fulfilled my… -
Open House Felben: New ZTM 3696 and SPN Side Glue Nozzle in the Spotlight
15 Jun 2009 | 3:56 amThe two-day Muller Martini Open House event held in Felben under the banner "Flexibility in Adhesive Binding" was a resounding success. Over 200 customers, primarily from Europe, were won over by the innovations in the various binding lines at the bookbinding academy. For most visitors, the spotlight was on the the new SPN side glue nozzle and the 3696 gathering machine, which was unveiled for the first time at the event.Be it complex products such as magazines, or simple book printing, the new ZTM 3696, which was showcased at the Open House in combination with the Bolero binding line,…
-
PrintWeek: News
-
GNM to cut a quarter of London print jobs
3 Jul 2009 | 4:41 amGuardian News & Media (GNM), which publishes The Guardian and The Observer titles, has announced it plans to cut a quarter of jobs at its east London Guardian Print Centre (GPC). -
Centrereed and sister company Duffields Business Forms fall into administration
3 Jul 2009 | 4:37 amCentrereed and sister company Duffields Business Forms have gone into administration making a total of 100 staff redundant across both companies. -
Quebecor World set to emerge from creditor protection following court approval
3 Jul 2009 | 2:59 amQuebecor World is set to emerge from creditor protection following the approval by Canadian and US courts of its business plan. -
The University of Edinburgh cuts costs with Presstek buy
3 Jul 2009 | 1:00 amThe University of Edinburgh is aiming to bring more work in-house and cut the cost of its four-colour work after investing in a Presstek 34DI digital offset press. -
Reader Reaction: What can the COI do to simplify government tenders?
3 Jul 2009 | 1:00 amWe ask if the Central Office of Information's new framework will make tendering easier
-
PNEAC Hot News
-
Keep on Driving: The Greening of Texas' Tollways
2 Jul 2009 | 7:58 amSo does eliminating toll booths really cut down on emissions? The answer appears to be a qualified "yes." -
WI: New resources on electronics recycling available
2 Jul 2009 | 6:35 amWisconsin businesses, institutions, local governments and organizations involved in recycling and refurbishing unwanted electronics have new tools to help them comply with state and federal regulations and plan successful electronics collection events. -
Experts call for standardized 'green' label
18 Jun 2009 | 6:59 amMajor corporations, even those with the best environmental intentions, are hamstrung by a wide range of labels that connote "greenness." Without national or global standards for what should be labeled an environmentally friendly product, consumers won't know whom and what to trust, according to a panel of experts at today's National Summit session on Sustainable Business Solutions. -
DOE Restarts FutureGen
16 Jun 2009 | 7:01 amU.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu Friday announced an agreement with the FutureGen Alliance to restart the development of a commercial-scale carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project outside Mattoon, Illinois. -
Initiative focusing on Great Lakes moving forward
12 Jun 2009 | 6:32 amThe U.S. House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee today approved full funding for the new $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which addresses threats to the Great Lakes, including invasive species, toxic pollution and habitat restoration.
-
Lean Printing
-
Governor Rell Announces Training to Boost Green-Collar Workforce
12 Jun 2009 | 4:21 amGovernor M. Jodi Rell today announced that three companies will participate in a new program that will serve as a blueprint for training the state’s growing “green-collar” work force, an initiative intended to help develop new jobs in an expanding segment of the state’s economy. Governor Rell has identified green-collar jobs – positions in emerging industries such as energy efficiency, alternative energy development and production and other environmentally friendly fields – as a likely source of new employment for Connecticut. CONNSTEP, the state’s leading resource for Lean and… -
Treats for Troops closing down
6 Jun 2009 | 9:01 pmAfter six years of supporting our men & women in uniform, the not-for-profit organization Treats For Troops is shutting down, a victim of the recession. Everything is now 20% off until their final day, June 21st.I have used Treats For Troops many times and have always received a thank you letter from a soldier, sailor, Marine or airman. It is a simple way to make say thank you and it is greatly appreciated. Please support our troops by sending a care package to a member of our armed forces through their Foster-A-Soldier" program - it's the very least we can do. -
Thank You to "The Greatest Generation"
5 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmon this, the 65th anniversary of Operation Overlord - "D-Day" - and to all who have served and are serving in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Reserves and National Guard. Thank you. The National D-Day Museum -
Lean is dead - killed by GM
1 Jun 2009 | 9:23 amIt's official. General Motors has officially driven a stake through the heart of the term "Lean". On GM's website, in a letter to investors on their "restructuring", GM states that"Recent ground-breaking agreements form basis for a leaner, quicker, more customer-focused, more cost-competitive company." GM's CEO, Fritz Henderson, states that"Today marks a defining moment in the reinvention of GM as a leaner, more customer-focused, and more cost-competitive company that, above all, can quickly generate winning bottom line results," said Fritz Henderson, GM president and CEO." GM's press release… -
CONNSTEP Manufacturing & Business Conference Photos
31 May 2009 | 3:32 pmPhotos from the recent CONNSTEP Manufacturing & Business Conference are now online. Look for the scary man with the red eyes in pic #6.
-
Google Blog Search: Printing Industry
-
QuickPrinting.com Article: Mutoh America Proudly Announces Randy ...
3 Jul 2009 | 3:41 amRickert formerly served as Mutoh's Director of Sales, Service and Marketing. -
Summer Discounts on Postcard and Poster Printing from UPrinting.com
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 amLos Angeles, CA (June 25, 2009) – UPrinting.com, the online printing company specializing in small business printing, is offering deep discounts on postcards and poster prints for the month of July 2009. UPrinting is offering 30% off ... -
Reading List
30 Jun 2009 | 4:18 pmA hint came in this statement by a spokesman for Angelson and the other new QW directors: “The highly fragmented printing industry must undergo further consolidation, and this company will be an important part of that process. ... -
Print CEO - Printing Industry News and Opinion - GPO Updating ...
29 Jun 2009 | 8:24 amThat is the bane of our print industry. It is win work to stay in business or die doing nothing. Regarding use of our representational services, it is absolutely not a necessity, anymore than it is a necessity to hire the most ... -
Print CEO - Printing Industry News and Opinion - B2B Marketing ...
29 Jun 2009 | 5:18 amI agree with Michael J overall here in that the way to grow MSP (or PSP) revenues is to look for ways to intermix print with the Internet. QR codes are a good way to do this. PURLs are another good way (although more cumbersome to type ...
-
Xerox Blogs
-
It's not easy making green products
After discovering the great news that Xerox was now considered the top "green" outsourcer (all domains included), I wanted to figure out how we were doing on our legacy market: electronics. The latest Greenpeace "Guide to Greener Electronics", published yesterday, nails down companies like HP, Dell and Lenovo, but Xerox does not appear. HP dropped significantly in this quarterly report, from being "middle of the pack" one year ago, to being 14th out of 17th (although for all of its electronics divisions). Unfortunately, this ranking seems to be mostly about PCs, not so much about… -
State of Play impressions
Last week I attended the State of Play 09 conference, organized by the NY Law School. There were several excellent speakers and panels, and I met lots of great people, and had many interesting discussions about virtual worlds and their applications. In the next couple of posts I'll try to summarize some of the ideas and discussions that arose during the conference. For more details, and better reporting on what was actually said, see the list of blog post collected by keynote speaker Raph Koster, or go back and look at the discussion that took place via twitter during the event. Raph Koster… -
Enterprise Security
Security is something we hear about daily.From home security to homeland security, and now cyber security, there is a lot to be concerned about.President Obama is even creating a “cyber czar” who will be tasked to develop strategy to protect the nation’s government and private run networks.Security breaches or attacks are almost a common occurrence now for our businesses, and the common opinion in most studies I have read is that more security breaches are caused by insiders, than from external sources.The manufacturers we are working with are taking this seriously, and are looking at… -
Financial Services Firms and the Sustainability Factor
I joined Xerox Global Services in the Q4 2008 to look after our financial services clients. Now with about nine months under my belt, I am reviving the financial services blog which was created by my predecessor, Julian Troake. After 20 years working for financial services firms I don't feel like I have left the financial services industry in this role at all. My entire focus, and the focus of my colleagues, is all on financial services. I must admit that the way I now look at the overall picture has expanded, and that would please many of the people in Operations and Technology roles… -
Information Overload Syndrome is REAL!
·Each year the amount of information createdin the enterprise, paper and digital combined, grows faster than 65%. ·Non-productive information work, such as reformatting documents or reentering documents into computers, consumed more than $1.5 trillion in U.S. salaries last year. ·Survey respondents spend as much as 26% of their time trying to manage information overload. ·Respondents split their time evenly between dealing with paper and digital information, but 71% prefer to deal with digital information. ·The amount of time U.S. information workers spent last year managing paper-driven…
-
packagePrinting Industry Headlines
-
Channeled Resources Awarded L.I.F.E. Certification
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmCHICAGO—Channeled Resources Group was awarded L.I.F.E. (Label Initiative for the Environment) certification after successfully completing an audit conducted by NSF International Strategic Registration in early June. L.I.F.E. is an... -
IGI to Focus on Inkjet Proofing
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmPewaukee, Wi—The Institute for Graphics and Imaging (IGI), an education and training organization funded by and dedicated to the printing and graphic arts industry, has announced a two-day training course focused on inkjet proofing. The... -
Web Offset Association Announces Winners
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmPITTSBURGH—The Web Offset Association (WOA), a special interest group of Printing Industries of America, has announced the winners of its 2009 WOA Annual Print Awards Competition. From around the world, companies competed to see if they... -
CCL Industries Purchases Rotocontrol Finishing Equipment
29 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmAhrensburg, Germany—Marco Aengenvoort, managing director for Rotocontrol, announced a supplier contract with CCL Industries Inc. to purchase Rotocontrol finishing machines. The first machine will be shipping to CCL’s Chilly Mazarin... -
SATO Expands with the Former Franklin Press Group
29 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmROMEOVILLE, Ill.—SATO Labeling Solutions America, Inc., a global provider of innovative label and tag printing solutions throughout the retail supply chain, announced the addition of the former Franklin Press group to its organization. SATO...
-
Printing Industry: Illinois & Indiana
-
OUR GOLF SPONSORS ARE GREAT!
Our thanks to these firms that sponsored the Graphic Finishing Industries/Jim Niesen Golf Open on Tuesday, June 16 at the Lake Zurich Golf Club: Diamond Diecutters, GC Dies, Jorson and Carlson, Marcell Papers and MBO America. Our day on the links was enhanced because of your generosity. The Printing Industries of Indiana’s 18th Annual Golf Classic went off without a hitch on Saturday, June 20. Golfers enjoyed a fine round, competitions, lunch and dinner, plus raffle drawings. Many thanks to our sponsors: Cornerstone Environmental, Diversified Financial Services, ESI, Fujifilm, Komori,… -
Extension of Graphic Arts Exemption
Note to PII Members: Our apologies: the June 1 issue of the Galley Proof newsletter has a bad ink to the legislative language (SB1691). Please click here (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/96/SB/09600SB1691ham003.htm) for the text of the bill. UPDATE: Sunday, May 31, 2009The Illinois Printing Industry's graphic arts exemption from state sales tax on machinery and equipment purchases, including repair and replacement parts, was set to statutorily expire on July 29, 2009.Senate Bill 1691 has been amended to include language that extends the credit through August, 2014 as well as language that… -
AND THE WINNER IS...
The 7th Annual PII Pinnacle Print Awards Gala took place Tuesday, May 19th. 125 PII members and guests gathered to learn who achieved the Best of State and Show honors. Congratulations to Quality Printing Company, Anderson, IN took home the Best of Indiana award, sponsored by Océ North America, for the Motion Wear Basics catalog. Best of Illinois, sponsored by Komori, was won by the JohnsByrne Company for its Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Kit. Best of Show, sponsored by United Insurance Company Limited, went to JohnsByrne. All Best of Category pieces in the Pinnacles competition have been… -
7th Annual Pinnacle Print Awards Winners (2009)
CompanyBest of CategoryBest of DivisionJudges' ChoiceAward of ExcellenceCertificate of MeritTotal AwardsABS Graphics, Inc.2 7 9All Out Print Comm.21 14Berlin Industries 3 3BFC2 215Consolidated Printing Co. 123Copresco1 2 3CS Kern, Inc. 11Darwill21 2 5Digital Hub, LLC1 12Elk Grove Graphics2 8 10Home Mountain Printing 213Jet Lithocolor1 1 2John S. Swift Co., Inc.1 146JohnsByrne Company9 15327Lake County Press, Inc.5313113Lehigh Direct21 6918Lifetouch Inc. 11 2Northwest Mailing 1 1Palmer Printing Inc.11 338Pentzer Printing, Inc.1 135Print Communications, Inc.2 226Quality Color Graphics,… -
THANK YOU TO PII'S PINNACLE AWARDS SPONSORS
Many thanks to the sponsors of the 7th Annual Pinnacle Print Awards Gala: United Insurance Company for Best of Show, Komori—Best of Illinois, Océ—Best of Indiana, silver level—Inextrama; bronze level—AGFA, APC Postal Logistics, Heidelberg USA, Recycling Services, The Oldham Group, Thought Transformations; annual PII Partners Xerox Corporation, IKON, a Ricoh Company, Diversified Financial Services, and Oak Trust Credit Union; in-kind sponsors ABS Graphics (mailing services), Canon Business Solutions (printing of the Call for Entries and Gala Program, and Graphics…
-
Lightning Labels Blog
-
Design Your Logo in Black & White Now, Save Yourself a Headache Later
2 Jul 2009 | 1:35 pmThe logo is one of the most important design elements of your product labels. It immediately and clearly associates your products with your company’s brand. Perhaps you are thinking about designing or redesigning a new logo for your company or one of its product lines. If so, I highly recommend that you create your logo in black and white before adding color to it. And if you are hiring a graphic designer to create a logo for you, make sure that they provide you with a black and white version. Now you may be asking yourself why I would recommend such a thing, being as I work for Lighting… -
Carbon Footprint Labels Come to Australia
1 Jul 2009 | 7:59 amLast year I wrote about the new carbon footprint labels that have begun appearing on products in the UK. Well now the same organization, Carbon Trust, is partnering with the Australian environmental organization, Planet Ark, to introduce carbon footprint labels into Australia. So why is this significant? It shows a growing interest that consumers have in knowing the total environmental impact of their product choices. In the UK, there are more than 2,500 individual product lines carrying these carbon footprint labels as companies see the advantages of sharing this information with their… -
Social Media Marketing for Small Business: Where to Start
26 Jun 2009 | 8:14 amMaintaining a social media presence on the Internet is vital for all businesses today, including small businesses and startups. But because there are so many different social media networks on the Internet to choose from today, it can be challenging to know where to begin. The Beginner’s Guide to Social Marketing video from Your Business Channel (featured above) gives an overview of what social media marketing is and gives some great advice for getting started with social media marketing that is tailored to small businesses like the ones that make up our customer base.We here at Lighting… -
Top 5 Label and Packaging Blogs
23 Jun 2009 | 3:16 pmI read a lot of blogs. I try and subscribe to every blog I find that is relevant to the label and packaging industry. While I don't read every word published by these blogs I do try and scan the headlines so I can keep the pulse of what is happening in this industry. So here I have gathered what I consider to be the five most important blogs for those people who buy labels and packaging. You can learn a great deal from these blogs, I encourage you to check them out below and subscribe to the ones that most appeal to you. The Dieline - if you are involved in packaging design in any way… -
Reaching the ‘Hooray Zone’ in Business
19 Jun 2009 | 8:15 amI ran across this Venn diagram “How to Be Happy in Business” the other day on Bud Cadell’s blog, What Consumes Me, and immediately thought of the successful small businesses we have featured in our quarterly newsletter, The Lighting Flash. Whether or not they have ever seen Bud’s plan for reaching what he calls the Hooray Zone in business, they are following it. They have figured out what products and services they are most passionate about (What We Want to Do) that match their skills, talents, and resources (What We Do Well), and built their businesses on those that are most…
-
Mercian Labels
-
the new adsl2+ with annex M service from nildram with the netgear dg834g modem
2 Jul 2009 | 12:16 amWe have been longstanding customers of Nildram broadband, and recently upgraded one of our lines to the latest generation of high upload speed line offering upto 16mb down / 2.5mb up using annex m. Anyone considering this service may be interested in these results: EXISTING NETGEAR DG834 v4 ROUTER (allegedly not annex m compatible but still works fine with 5.01.09 firmware): connection speed 14.64 mb down / 1.17mb up 3 x speedtest.net results: 1) 10.61 / 0.62 2) 10.80 / 0.65 3) 11.24 / 0.73 NEW THOMSON ROUTER FROM NILDRAM: connection speed 14.34 down / 1.14 up 3 x speedtest.net results: 1)… -
how to succeed in business
21 Jun 2009 | 11:30 amI love this image from Peter Renton’s Blog, originally the “How to Be Happy in Business” Venn diagram by Bud Caddell (available for distribution under Creative Commons License 2.0). It just sums up what you need to do in small businesses to be successful and happy. -
how to backup and reinstall firefox update scanner
22 May 2009 | 11:00 pmI am a huge fan of the firefox update scanner as previously blogged, in that it saves me a lot of time (and hurts when its not there!). Recently I’ve discovered that you can backup and restore or transfer the websites you are monitoring with ease in a remarkably simple way that I coudnt find anywhere on the web. All your websites being scanned are stored in your bookmarks, so if you backup all your bookmarks using the bookmark manager in firefox, it will save them all. you can then import them onto the new machine (in my case my new netbook) once you have installed the plugin on the… -
relaunched website www.selfadhesivelabels.com
22 May 2009 | 10:46 pmWe recently recruited a dedicated website designer to develop our websites, and he has done a cracking job with our main user website www.selfadhesivelabels.com . www.selfadhesivelabels.com The site has improved navigation, aesthetics, images, content and overall is a lot cleaner than our previous site, and we are really pleased with it. There has been a lot of clever work involved in this site, but as this is an open forum and I know our competitors watch this blog, I cannt cover them here! However, if any customers have comments on it, please feel free to leave your feedback below. -
I’ve bought a Dell Mini 9 that now runs Ubuntu Netbook Remix and connects over 3G using a bluetooth modem
22 May 2009 | 10:30 pmdell mini 9 running ubuntu netbook remix I have recently taken delivery of a Dell Mini 9 that came preinstalled with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS. I’ve upgraded the operating system to the latest Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook remix to make it boot faster and so its consistent with my laptop. Pictured above is it with the charger and the bag I also bought from Dell. Overall I’m really pleased with it, it small, light, the battery lasts for hours (like 4 hours+) and ideal as a netbook. The downside is the keyboard can be difficult to type on as the keys are just so close together and I must have fat…
