Training and Education

Conferences Measure Industry’s Pulse
April 1, 2007

CHANDLER, AZ—The highest attendee turnout of the decade marked the PIA/GATF Presidents Conference at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass & Resort here March 4-8. More than 300 people attended the five-day affair, which featured the theme, “Printing Industry at the Crossroads,” and it marked the conference’s largest number of newcomers. Among the highlights of the event was a silent auction, titled “Road Rally,” that helped raise $17,000 for the association’s political action committee, PrintPAC. Another topical subject was a look at private equity partners in the printing industry. The NAPL’s Top Management Conference got underway March 8 in Santa Barbara, CA, with NAPL Vice President and

Special Report — Reinventing the Web Offset Assn. Conference
April 1, 2007

THE CLIMATE of the printing industry changes with print media competition growing, weekly news reports of consolidations, and daily challenges from a myriad of resources and technology innovations. Companies make over their names, add processes, rework their customer bases, add new mixes to their repertoire of services, and leverage the Internet and other new technologies. The industry is vibrant, exciting and changing—and we recognize this. What does not change is the need for individuals to keep abreast of the management trends, operations and production issues related to the printing and graphics community. With that as the backdrop, the board of directors of the Web Offset

Extraordinary Vision
April 1, 2007

EVERY SUCCESSFUL company can trace its roots to a visionary leader, an individual who embodies a strong work ethic, respect for others and keen decision-making abilities. Rémi Marcoux has surely portrayed those qualities over his lengthy career and, in recognition of his accomplishments, will be awarded the 2007 Harry V. Quadracci VISION Award by the Web Offset Association duing its annual conference. Marcoux founded Transcontinental in 1976 and guided its daily progress until March 2004, when Luc Desjardins became president and CEO. As executive chairman of the board, Marcoux continues to participate in major decisions related to the corporation’s strategic evolution and keeps close

A Cut Above
April 1, 2007

Once a year, one outstanding pressman is selected for the H. Howard Flint II Pressroom Manager of the Year Award. This year, the award went to Steve Richardson, pressroom manager at Courier Kendallville, in Indiana. The award, named after Flint following his death in 2005, honors a web offset pressroom manager or supervisor who has excelled in his profession. A 35-year veteran in the printing industry, Richardson is a cut above the rest. He began his printing career in 1971 and has progressed through the ranks from entry level, to journeyman operator, to shift supervisor. In 1996, Richardson joined Courier Kendallville as a press operator.

Graphics of the Americas-Xplor Proves Successful
March 14, 2007

High-level Buying and Capital Investment Results in Record Onsite Sales for Next Year MIAMI BEACH, FL—March 15, 2007—Graphics of the Americas-Xplor, the second largest U.S.-based annual international graphic communications exhibit and conference, today announced the positive results of their 32nd annual exhibition held in Miami Beach, Florida, March 2-4, 2007. The event organizers are eager to report that this year’s attendance exceeded the previous year by 4%, with close to 500 exhibitors filling the Miami Beach Convention Center, both representing an increase over 2006. More importantly, exhibitors reported larger than ever high-level buying activities and capital investments. In a survey conducted during the event with

Mailing & Fulfillment Center at Graph Expo Promises to be Largest Ever
March 13, 2007

RESTON, VA—Visitors to GRAPH EXPO will see more machinery, more top brand manufacturers and more innovative processes than at any other industry exhibition and conference in the Americas this year. Held in the mammoth McCormick Place South, September 9-12, 2007, in Chicago, IL, GRAPH EXPO’s dedicated Mailing & Fulfillment Center will be more comprehensive than last year, with the largest showcase of mail processing, sorting, stamping, weighing, addressing and preparation equipment in one place. Space sales in the Center at the same time in 2006 totaled over 25,000 square feet with 42 exhibitors, and it has already grown by nearly 10%, with well over

Key Conferences Held by PIA/GATF, NAPL
March 9, 2007

CHANDLER, AZ—The highest attendee turnout of the decade marked the PIA/GATF Presidents Conference at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass & Resort here March 4-8. More than 300 attended the five-day affair, including the conference’s largest number of newcomers. Among the highlights of the event was a silent auction that helped raise $17,000 for the association’s political action committee, PrintPAC. The NAPL’s Top Management Conference got underway Thursday in Santa Barbara, CA, with NAPL VP and chief economist, Andrew Paparozzi, telling a record crowd of more than 250 that the printing industry is in expansion, with sales for 2006 growing at their fastest rate in eight years.

Employing Printers Education Trust Provides Large Endowment to the Print and Graphic Scholarship Foundation
March 5, 2007

SEWICKLEY, PA—March 5, 2007—Employing Printers Education Trust (EPET) has given over $650,000 to the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF). The Trustees, under Chairman Charles Pecher of Skinner & Kennedy Company, have directed PGSF to establish educational scholarships following the tradition started by EPET in the 1960s. The funds will be used to build an endowment in the name of the Education Trust. This large endowment will be used to provide a number of scholarships at the highest “Gutenberg level” of $5,000, or more, annually. “In this day of technological explosions, the only advantage any employer has is an educated and committed work force,”

PIA/GATF Creative-Printer Seminar Takes to the Road Again
March 2, 2007

SEWICKLEY, PA—PIA/GATF will be taking its Mission:Possible seminar back on the road this spring to help designers and printers learn what they can do together to make the production process more efficient. Mission:Possible—A Mutual Strategy for Creatives and Printers addresses the issues between creative and prepress teams that can result in frustration and unsatisfactory performance. The seminars cover everything from design considerations for print and color communication to soft proofing. The eight-city tour starts May 22 in Charlotte, and continues to Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Vancouver, and New York, ending on June 28 in Atlanta. Information on dates and meeting

Printing Impressions and The Bennett Group Announce Affiliation to Launch Mailing Education Programs
March 2, 2007

Collaboration Will Help to Identify Emerging Postal Issues and Facilitate Education PHILADELPHIA—March 2, 2007—Printing Impressions, the most influential journal for printing and graphic arts worldwide, today announced a partnership to sponsor mailing education programs developed by The Bennett Group, Inc of Rochester, NY Mark Michelson, Editor-in-Chief of Printing Impressions states, “Our goal has always been to keep printers informed, inspired and enlightened and the upcoming USPS postage rate increase is the most crucial concern facing our industry today. By affiliating ourselves with the mailing training products, programs and services of The Bennett Group, we continue our commitment to lead the way in addressing