NAPL

I love those old good news-bad news jokes. In the best of them, the bad is unexpectedly derived from the good. On close examination, what seems at first glance to be good news turns out to be a mixed blessing, sometimes even a grotesque outcome. The humor comes from the disparity between what we at first expect and what we then learn. Well, there's good news for marketers in the printing industry. And, predictably, the good news is also the bad news. After two decades of struggle during the '70s and '80s, marketing won widespread acceptance in the printing industry. Few printing executives doubt

BY JERRY JANDA Phil Ruggles, a Cal Poly State University professor and consultant specializing in management information systems, estimates that this year there are approximately 70 vendors selling computer management systems to the graphic arts industry. As of yet, no vendors sell software that makes selecting, and integrating, a computer management system any easier. Ruggles notes that there is no easy way to determine which computer management system is best for a given company—there are simply too many variables to allow for a quick choice. Research and study by the printer are essential. And at the end of the research process, it is unlikely

BY JERRY JANDA "Sometimes you find yourself needing new challenges," David J. Steinhardt observes, "and you must re-energize." Steinhardt has chosen to re-energize at PrintImage International, formerly the National Association of Quick Printers (NAQP). He'll charge his batteries as the trade association's executive director. While the fresh opportunities of the new position excite Steinhardt, his decision to join PrintImage did not come easily. Accepting the job meant leaving NAGASA, the Washington trade association where he served as president and CEO. When NAGASA was born five years ago from the merger of two dealer organizations, Steinhardt was there to guide the fledgling association. He watched as the young organization

I am pathetic. I am impaired in so many ways. I'm house-painting challenged. I'm wallpaper-and-picture-hanging disadvantaged. I'm chess and bridge incompetent. My mother-in-law tried to teach me bridge and laughed herself silly for the first 15 minutes. Then she got ugly mad at my ineptitude and made me pick up all the cards she'd thrown around the room. Charles, a friend of mine, is a tournament-level backgammon player. I'm clueless when he talks about the game. Charles is also a single-digit handicap golfer and plays a great hand of bridge. (Guys named "Charles" are always smart and multi-talented.) I'm also a fishing idiot. My brother-in-law,

CHICAGO—The eighth annual GATF/NAPL Sheetfed Conference brought 420 attendees and 53 sponsors together recently to hear predictions of the future and case studies of innovative success stories. Consultants Frank Romano and Ray Prince offered some technology projections for the next couple of decades. Prince reminded the audience that printing press development has historically followed five-year time frames, adding that enhancements have invariably been driven by demands for higher productivity, not quality. He expects several new digital presses and many new robotic and automation advancements to be introduced at DRUPA 2000. Presses of the future will be simpler (to operate, not maintain!) with reusable plates/cylinders,