Making
VD Work for You
There was a great breakfast meeting at the Print Ontario show
(Monday, November 22) co-hosted by the Ontario Association of
Quick Printers, the Toronto Club of Printing House Craftsmen and
the Digital Imaging Association. The topic was Demystifying Digital
Print Communications Solutions, and it included a heavy-hitting
line-up of panelists including digital colour press vendors and
users talking about how to bring variable data (VD) printing to
life.
Three common themes from the front lines: get into the full-colour
variable data business slowly—grow with your customers; find salespeople
who understand the business and can approach a client as a marketing
specialist; and invest in information technology, each customer's
program will be unique and needs to be tailored in-house.
Among the most enlightening panelist was a recent entrant into
the full-colour VD business, Scott Morris of Topline Printing
and Graphics in Mississauga. The company installed its HP-Indigo
in June and started up its own marketing agency in order to approach
customers differently, not as a printer but as direct mail specialists.
"We're selling communication, not print," said Morris.
He was able to illustrate an early success, where the company
was able to improve one Florida customer's direct mail response
rate by three times.
Rick Littrell, a panelist representing DDM Technologies in Montreal,
cited three groups that have to "get it" for the process
to work: the printer with the proper infrastructure (including
IT); the designer who understands how to design for variable;
and the marketing clients who comprehend the power of variable
data imaging.
At the end of the day, variable data printing success will be
based on the results of the direct mail response, says Littrell
According to this group, the market for VD is growing, it's not
at the tipping point yet, so there's still time to get into the
game. But move wisely, or the pain could be considerable.
The Breakfast
Club: (back row, l-r) Gerald Fruewirth, Craftsmen Club; Dean Baxendale
of First Impressions Communications in Toronto; John Glass, StorageTek
(Océ dealer); Dave Kew, Nexpress; Scott Morris of Topline
Printing and Graphics in Mississauga; Rick Littrell representing
DDM Technologies in Montreal; and Jim MacLachlan with Carswell Publishing
in Toronto. (front row, l-r) Mary Black (moderator) of Ryerson University
in Toronto; Mike Daly, HP-Indigo; Helene Blanchette, Xerox; and
Myron Arndt of Island Art Publishers in Victoria.
Happy holidays, Doug Picklyk
Editor, Canadian Printer
The Printing Business Index (PBI) of the National Association
for Printing Leadership (NAPL) reached a record high of 62.8 in
October, up from 59.9 in September. This marks the 16th consecutive
month the index has been above the 50.0 mark-the point at which
more printers report activity is picking up than report activity
is slowing down. "We must remember that the PBI, like everything
else in our industry, is bouncing off very depressed levels. This
reading is extremely significant, however, in that every component
of the index—even those that had been lagging, such as hiring
plans, prices, and profitability—is now rising," said Andrew
Paparozzi, NAPL vice president and chief economist. "This
shows that our recovery is finally the real thing."
Book Printer Receives Honourary Degree
David
Friesen has shown that he excels as much at fundraising as he
does as a printer. In recognition of Friesen's efforts as chair
of the University of Manitoba's recently completed "Building
on Strengths Campaign", Manitoba's largest university conferred
an honorary degree on Friesen at the its most recent Convocation
in October.
Friesen is the president of 97-year-old Friesens Corp., the Altona,
Manitoba book printer, one of the largest of its kind in Canada.
The company has sales of $84 million and a workforce of around
500.
A U of M graduate (Arts/1969), Friesen took on the chairmanship
of the University's fundraising campaign four years ago. "I
have been involved with the University in different capacities
for many years," Friesen says. "It is always humbling
when you receive an unexpected honour like this."
Incidentally, the campaign raised $237 million, considerably more
than what was initially expected.
-by
Myron Love
David Friesen, president of Manitoba book printer, Friesen's Corp.
$53
Million Investment in Web Presses
Transcontinental
Inc. is making a $53 million capital investment in its printing
operations involving the purchase of three new double-circumference
Goss Sunday gapless web presses as well as finishing equipment.
The order includes two 48-page Sunday 4000 presses and a 64-page
Goss Sunday 4000 press. One four-unit press will be installed
at the Transcontinental Interglobe book printing plant in Beauceville,
Quebec. The other two, a four-unit and a five-unit, will be going
into Transcontinental RBW Graphics in Owen Sound, Ontario and
Transcontinental Boucherville in the Montreal area. The new highly-automated
lines will replace seven presses currently in use and will result
in a reduction of about 135 employees.
"For Transcontinental, this major capital investment will
strengthen our competitive position in our book, magazine and
specialized catalogue niches," said Luc Desjardins, president
and CEO of Transcontinental. "These are highly competitive
markets in which we already have an experienced workforce and
good positioning. Buying the best equipment in the industry will
make us even more efficient."
All three presses will be equipped with Goss pinless combination
folders, Ecocool dryers with integrated chill rolls, and automation
features including fully automatic plate changing. Goss will supply
Contiweb splicers with the 48-page presses and a Contiweb flying
paster with the 64-page model. The installations will begin in
early 2005.
Pictured (l-r) Goss International CEO Bob Brown,
Jacques Gregoire, senior vice president Transcontinental's
Book Group, and sales vice president Ed Young, at the
Goss manufacturing site in Dover, New Hampshire.
In other
news, the Globe and Mail has extended its contract with
Transcontinental's Mississauga plant, Interweb, to print the newspaper
for the Ontario market through to 2015. This plant has been printing
the Globe since 1993 and now produces more than 200,000
copies daily. It is one of the Globe's six partner printing
plants across the country. Transcontinental owns three of the
six Globe print sites.
Quebecor
World Revenues Flat
Pierre
Karl Péladeau, president and CEO, Quebecor World Inc.
Quebecor
World's third quarter and nine-month consolidated worldwide revenues
were essentially flat when adjusted for currency (US$1.63 billion
and US$4.7 billion respectively). The company announced that in
Canada revenues and volume increased. However, excluding the favourable
impact of the currency, revenues were flat in the quarter and
down year-to-date compared to last year.
"We have made significant progress this year in improving
our results in a challenging market environment," said Pierre
Karl Péladeau, president and CEO, Quebecor World Inc.,
commenting on the overall operations. "The installation of
new presses, beginning in the third and fourth quarters of 2005,
will help to counterbalance the pricing impact on our results."
Péladeau recently streamlined the organization abolishing
the COO position, held by David Boles (who will now serve as "special
assistant" to CEO Péladeau. The new structure will
have divisions reporting directly to the CEO.
St.
Joseph Scores Digital Contract
St. Joseph
Printing has signed a multi-year, multimillion dollar digital
print contract with a major Canadian financial services organization,
making St. Joseph the single-source provider for all information
services print and mail requirements for this organization, marking
its foothold in this market sector. The company also announced
consolidated revenues of $70.7 million for the third quarter of
2004 compared to $74.4 million for the same quarter in 2003. For
the first nine months revenues were $210.9 million, down from
$225.4 million in 2003.
"Although we are disappointed that our results from normal
operations are behind last year, we are continuing to demonstrate
steady improvement quarter over quarter," noted Tony Gagliano,
executive chairman and CEO.
"In the print segment, we experienced a good quarter in our
Toronto operations. The business climate in the National Capital
Region though, continues to be difficult where volumes are down.
However, we are experiencing some improvement in our earnings
as a result of the cost reduction measures taken earlier this
year."
Wilkins
Joins Society of Fellows
The honours continue to roll in for Warren Wilkins, chairman of
Toronto-based book printer Webcom Limited. Earlier this year Wilkins
was announced as the winner of the Graphic Arts Leaders of the
Americas award for 2005. More recently, he has been named to the
Society of Fellows, an honour bestowed on industry leaders who
have made outstanding and lasting contributions to the industry
through the Printing Industries of America and the Graphic Arts
Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) and to the progress of the Print
and Graphics Scholarship Foundation.
Wilkins has served on the board of the Ontario Printing Industries
Association and Canadian Printing Industries Association and in
2000 served as the chairman of the PIA board. He continues to
chair the Canadian Printing Scholarship Foundation.
Congratulations Warren.
Print Ontario Highlights
Sadly, this year marks the final edition of Print Ontario as
we knew it, the show that has run bi-annually since 1986. However,
the show will return in 2006, only renamed as Print World. The
show company feels the event has outgrown its regional affiliation
and is worthy of a much broader title.
Below are some of the highlights from this year's "world-class"
three-day event (Nov. 20-22):
The show truly featured all things digital for the commercial
printing crowd:
HP appealed
to a hockey-starved crowd as it displayed the
HP-Indigo 5000 for the first time in Canada.
Nexpress,
now a Kodak company, was featuring its new
off-line glossing unit.
Xeikon was
demonstrating its new 5000 digital colour press
for the first time in Canada. The company is now selling
direct into Canada.
Xerox had
a broad range of technologies on the show floor,
including large format printing.
RISO was attracting crowds to see its HC5000
full-colour printer capable of 105 pages-per-minute
using inkjet technology.
There were offset presses on the floor, a couple, including the
premier showing of Heidelberg's PrintMaster 52 in a 4-colour
configuration. This one was sold to Bond Printing in B.C.
And A.B. Dick, now a Presstek Company, had
a prominent spot on the show floor displaying
its familiar products to the crowd.
Promoting Safe Holiday Driving
The all-glass front entrance of Oakville, Ontario's Ideal Graphic's
25,000 sq foot manufacturing facility became a temporary drive-thru
location in late October when it was struck by an out of control
pick-up truck.
"I would like to promote this incident…as the official
holiday season launch of Ideal Graphic's Don't Drink and Drive
campaign," said David Ruskin, Ideal's president in a letter.
Fortunately no one was hurt in the incident (which occurred around
3am), but the 21-year-old male who crashed into the building,
at an estimated speed of 80 km/hr, was later charged by police
not far from the scene.
"We had an open air concept office until the early afternoon,
but there was absolutely no interruption in any of Ideals production
or services," notes Ruskin.
Ideal Graphics is a mid-size sheetfed shop with around 20 employees
and featuring chemistry-free CtP.
Ideal Graphic's
temporary drive thru.
Supplier News
Creo's
year-end results revealed a 10% increase in revenue in fiscal
2004 compared to 2003, and earnings were $11.5 million for
the year, up from $5.5 million. Creo's Board has called an
annual and special meeting of shareholders for February 10,
2005 in response to the requisition sent to the company by
shareholders.
Presstek,
Inc. has closed its purchase of A.B. Dick Company.
Canadian A.B. Dick operations will be run from the A.B. Dick
headquarters in Chicago.
Feuiltault
Machinery, Quebec-based manufacturer of post-press technology,
has been acquired by John MacKay from its founder, Martin
Feuiltault. Mr. Feuiltault will remain with the company during
the transition.
Punch
International is spinning off its graphics group (Xeikon,
Strobbe Graphics and basysPrint) to create a
legal entity PunchGraphics, a 100% subsidiary of Punch,
and it intends to float the division on the London Alternative
Investment Market (AIM), while maintaining a controlling interest.
Domtar
has grouped its Domtar-owned merchant operations (Buntin
Reid, JBR/La Maison du Papier, The Paper House
and RIS Paper) under a single banner, the Domtar Distribution
Group, creating the fifth largest paper merchant organization
in North America, a common visual identity has been created
for all operations, with the individual branches retaining
their local brand names followed by, "the paper house."
Montreal-based
Objectif Lune, a developer of high-volume variable
content software, has acquired Atlas Software, developer
and marketer of PrintShop Mail Software.
Flint
Ink North America has announced a price increase from
5 to 7 percent for packaging ink products effective December
1, this comes in response to the rising costs of transportation,
energy and raw materials.
Graphic
Whizard Inc., manufacturer of print finishing products, has
moved, expanding its production space and adding machining technology
in response to demand following a successful DRUPA showing, it's
new address is available at http://www.graphicwhizard.com
MAN
Roland is offering customers a remanufactured pump and
blower program featuring rebuilds by Rietschle/Thomas, covering
most models including Becker pumps.
Adobe
has introduced Acrobat 7.0 software featuring more sophisticated
preflight functionality built into the application.
Nazdar,
a well-known supplier in the screen printing industry, has
named its company-owned distribution network SourceOne,
the company has one Canadian location in Toronto.
for
the eighth consecutive year Domtar is committed to
supporting the Literacy Foundation in its efforts to promote
the art of reading.
Muller
Martini recently produced its 2,000th three-knife trimmer
for book production, a Merit S that is being installed at
a production facility in Lachenmeier, Germany.
Creo
has shipped its 1000th Trendsetter very-large-format (VLF)
computer-to-plate device to a printer based in Prague, Czech
Republic.
DOMINO
Printing Sciences and Omron Electronics have
combined their expertise in bar coding and RFID solutions
to create a strategic alliance to provide a flexible method
of linking bar coding and Radio Frequency Identification.
Impika,
France-based inkjet technology solution company, and Xaar,
UK-based manufacturer of piezo inkjet printhead technology,
have announced a new greyscale printing solution-the IPS C-9000-targeted
at servicing the plastic card and security document industries,
producing 900-dpi using UV curable inks, and capable of up
to of 3,000 cards an hour.
** FREE, while supplies last, SMART Papers and
Magnum Photos are offering a six-colour spiral-bound
weekly 2005 calendar (pictured below) depicting "Moods
of Paris". The agenda was printed by Blanchette Press
of Richmond B.C., run on a six-colour press with one pass,
and it incorporates six different SMART paper stocks. The
10x7-inch, 126-page, desktop-planner is free to designers,
creatives and printers and is available now at www.smartpapers.com/paris.
*Important:
readers of this e-newsletter must enter priority code 1000
to complete the order.
Costing
for Sheetfed
New editions of NAPL's Sheetfed Press Blue Book and CS InterACT
software for Sheetfed Press Operations are now available, offering
printers access to recent costing information based on survey
data direct from the manufacturer or distributor on all new
equipment models. The new book features hourly cost rates, specifications,
descriptions and price information for 568 machines from 28
manufacturers, including 486 conventional presses, from one-unit
models to 12-unit configurations; 23 digital imaging presses;
and 59 digital duplicators/copier-printers.
The Budgeted Hourly Cost Studies on Sheetfed Press Operations
lists for US$179.95 on CD-ROM and US$199.95 in book form. For
more information visit www.napl.org/store/.
Print Competitions
First NUARs a Hit
Unisource hosted its first National Unisource Annual Report
show (NUARs), traveling the country and making 10 stops. The
show was in Toronto on Wednesday, Nov. 3rd at the swank downtown
venue called Carlu to present awards to the local winner including
the Best of Show. From 227 entries, four judges from across
Canada selected 15 winners. The Best of Show was awarded for
the PEN Canada report created by Soapbox Design Communications
and printed by Somerset Graphics Co., both of Toronto.
Unisource is committed to making the NUARs an annual event.
A complete listing of this year's winners and entry forms for
the 2005 Awards are available at www.unisourcedesign.ca
Photographed
receiving the Best of Show award (l-r): Jack Youngberg, president
Somerset Graphics, Ian Budge, GM Somerset, Gary Beelik and James
Ryce, both with Soapbox Design Communications.
The NUARs Best of Show entry, a report from PEN Canada.
Shine
On The Foil Stamping and Embossing Association (FSEA) is calling
for entries to its 12th annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards competition.
Open to both members and non-members alike, the foil stamped
and/or embossed entries fall into the following categories:
book covers, greeting cards, client promotion, self promotion,
presentation folders, rotary stamped labels or cartons, best
use of stamping/embossing with diecutting, business cards, stationery
ensembles, announcements/invitations, folding cartons, best
use of hot stamped holographic foil, best use of ink over hot
stamping foil, corporate brochures/annual reports and miscellaneous.
Entry deadline is Jan. 31, 2005. For an entry form and information
on entry fees, visit www.fsea.com.
Stick
to it
Avery Dennison Graphics Division North America is holding its
FASSON Choice Awards. The contest honors the best projects using
FASSON brand pressure-sensitive papers or films. Gold (US$500)
and Silver (US$250) winners will be awarded in each category,
and the best overall entry will win a vacation worth US$5,000.
Categories include: pressure-sensitive white papers; pressure-sensitive
colour papers and specialty sheets; pressure-sensitive films;
and pre-die-cut labels.
The entry deadline is January 31, 2005. Full contest details
are available at www.printing.averygraphics.com.
The
Digital Imaging Association of Toronto's annual Owners'
Luncheon, to be held Thursday, December 9th, 11:30
- 2 pm at the Inn-on-the-Park (Eglinton & Leslie) and will
feature speaker Steve Bonoff, president of the International Prepress
Association. Tickets are $80 or $600 for a table of 8 (credit
cards accepted). For more information contact Frank Cairns at
frank.cairns@on.aibn.com.
PRINT
OUTLOOK 05, the annual economic forecasting conference, will
be held at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center December 9-10
in Alexandria, Virginia (just outside of Washington, DC).
Further details visit www.npes.org.
The World
Print and Communication Congress (WPC8) gets underway in Cape
Town, South Africa from January 24 - 28. Please visit www.wpc8.com.
2005 marks
the 30th "pearl anniversary" of Graphics of the Americas,
hosted by the Printing Association of Florida, to be held February
4-6 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach,
Florida. For more information visit www.graphicsoftheamericas.com
Top Management
Conference '05, put on by the National Association of Printing
Leadership will be held February 16-20 at the JW Marriott
Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix, Arizona. For more
info visit www.napl.org
The San Antonio
News Express will host the 37th Metro Users Group Conference,
to be held at the Westin-La Cantera Resort in San Antonio,
Texas from February 19-23. Further details are available
at www.metrousers.com.
NEXPO
2005, the largest annual newspaper exhibition and conference,
takes place March 19 - 22 at the Dallas Convention Center,
in Dallas, Texas. For more information visit www.nexpo.com
Learn about
running a profitable fulfillment department as the National Association
for Printing Leadership (NAPL) and the Mailing & Fulfillment
Service Association (MFSA) partner to host The Fulfillment
Conference: Agenda for Success, April 18-21 at the Cleveland
Marriott Downtown at Key Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Members
of NAPL or MFSA registering by March 18th qualify for an early-bird
conference fee of US$495 (after March 18, US$575; non-members,
US$700 at all times). Register online at www.MFSANET.org.
Vue-Point
2005, the event featuring panels of actual printers speaking
about their experiences, is being held April 11 - 13 at
Wyndham Palace in the Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando,
Florida. For more info visit www.gasc.org.
ON DEMAND
2005 will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in
Philadelphia, May 17-19. For more information about
the ON DEMAND trade show and conference visit www.ondemandexpo.com
The Toronto
Club of Printing House Craftsmen's Golf Tournament will be
held May 25. For more information call the hotline at (905)
804-0924.
The International
Association of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD) and the Foil
Stamping & Embossing Association (FSEA) are partnering
on the three-day conference/exhibition with the theme Dare to
Explore. Slated to take place June 15-17 at the Cobb Galleria
Centre in Atlanta, Ga. For more information on the IADD/FSEA
2005 Odyssey, visit www.iadd.org.
Print
+ Pack Expo 2005, SignEx 2005 and Imaging Convergence
Expo 2005 are all scheduled for August 25-27 at the
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong,
China. For details, visit www.printpackexpo.com.
PRINT
05 & CONVERTING 05, the largest commercial, package printing
and converting event in the world next year, is partnering with
Seybold Seminars' newly created, Seybold Chicago 2005,
to offer additional educational sessions during the international
event at McCormick Place, Chicago, September 9-15.
For more information on PRINT 05 visit www.gasc.org.
For more about Seybold visit www.Seybold365.com
IfraExpo
2005, the annual European event of the newspaper industry,
will be held in Leipzig, Germany October 17-20.
for more information visit www.ifra.com
Graphics
Canada, the national printing trade show, will be held November
10-12, 2005 at the International Centre in Toronto.
Visit www.graphicscanada.com
Making
VD Work for You
