Printing Impressions December 2009 edition
A Cautious New Year
Amidst the rising cost of postal rates and major cutbacks, publishers and catalogers have been forced to reevaluate their marketing and business strategies. Companies in both sectors looked at cost reduction, how to gain stronger customer loyalty and better ROIs, as well as adopting multi-channel strategies.
ACROSS the nation
Printing Impressions’ National Commercial Printing Industry News for December 2009.
BINDERY matters
Binding and finishing company news, including items on Family Folder, Crown Embossing and VITS Technology.
Bucking the Trends
We have assembled a trio of printer profiles detailing the positive year-over-year growth enjoyed by these establishments. They're living proof that, no matter how tough times can get, there are always those companies who can see their way clear to prosperity.
Canon Announces Plans to Acquire Océ for $1.1 Billion
Canon has agreed to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Océ for euro 8.60 per share cash, or euro 730 million (US $1.1 billion), in a fully self-funded transaction.
DIGITAL digest
More than 150 "printers" and industry vendors recently attended the Printing Industries of America's 2009 Converge Conference. "The next generation of print and communication services" was the tag line used for this year's conference.
Forecasting a U-turn
In the vernacular of economists, the outlook is for the United States to continue seeing a "U"-shaped recovery from the Great Recession. While the economy has bottomed out and the decline stopped, there will be a wide and slow up-slope to the recovery, such as it is.
Getting the Scoop in Israel —Sherburne
I thought it would be worthwhile writing about my recent visit to Israel, hosted by HP Indigo and Dscoop, the Digital Solutions Cooperative, an independent HP Indigo users group beginning its fifth year of operation.
GREEN scene
Coverage of green printing, environmental and certification efforts of commercial printing companies from Printing Impressions' December 2009.
Heidelberg Splits into Three Divisions
Effective April 1, 2010, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will be split into three divisions: Heidelberg Equipment, Heidelberg Services and Heidelberg Financial Services.
Incentives Drive Salaries
The salary excesses in the financial/investment banking world that fueled widespread public outrage, however, won't be found among the earnings of principal officers at the largest publicly held printing companies.
Investors Scammed Via Fake Contracts
Gerard Frank Cellette, 44, secured money from investors who were backing printing contracts that were apparently phony in what is generally considered a Ponzi scheme.
Not the Best of Times
FOR THE second year running, Montreal’s Quebecor World captivated our minds and latched onto our attention span for the better part of the first six months of 2009—a thankful distraction from the economic woes our nation continued to experience. And for all of the negative news that permeated the front pages this year, it probably represented less than a third of all the closures and layoffs that actually took place. Perhaps ignorance is bliss.
One’s True Value Prop, Dickens Style —Cagle
Holiday music tends to put people in a better state of mind. Did it work for you? I know, it's hard to make the bad feelings of an entire year go away with a few lines from a Christmas song. We might have to book a Manheim Steamroller concert in order to sing away all the blahs accumulated during 2009.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind —Dana
My goal here is to give you plenty of ideas for keeping your name in your prospects' and customers' line of vision.
Paper Litigation Moves Forward
NewPage, Appleton Coated, Sappi Fine Paper North America and the United Steelworkers (USW) filed unfair trade cases on Sept. 23 with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the ITC alleging that certain coated paper from China and Indonesia had been dumped and subsidized, resulting in injury to the domestic industry.
PRINTER news
Commercial printer company and personnel news from Printing Impressions' December 2009 edition.
Receptionists that Rule —DeWese
MY NOVEMBER column was my 25th anniversary column and I just slap-my-head forgot about it. Twenty-five years is a long time to write a 1,250-word column every month and never miss an issue. I have missed most of the deadlines, but never an entire edition. I should have remembered.
Rolling with the Punches
The economy has devastated two of the nation's top direct mail marketers, namely the financial and automotive industries, resulting in fewer mailings for Chase credit cards, Toyota Tundra ads, home refinancing loans and the like.
Sales Slide Doesn’t Warrant Blame Game —Michelson
FOR THE 26 years that Printing Impressions has been publishing its annual ranking of the top printing companies in the United States and Canada, thankfully there have been more prosperous years than bad ones reported by the firms appearing on our list. The printing industry has suffered, and bounced back, from recessions before.
SUPPLIER news
Commercial printing supplier company and personnel news from Printing Impressions' December 2009 edition.
The 2009 Printing Impressions 400
Now in its 26th year, the Printing Impressions 400 provides the industry's most comprehensive ranking of the leading printing companies in the United States and Canada.
Trade, Higher Ed Better
It is fascinating to note what market influence the recession has visited on the book market, beyond the tempering of consumer confidence. But even in an atmosphere of printing platform right sizing and other business-related reconciliation, it is difficult to take any view but an optimistic one of the past year and the coming fortunes in 2010.
Two Newspapers are Battling Back
Last month, the San Francisco Chronicle became the first significant general interest daily to print its editions on high-quality glossy paper.
UPFRONT
Commercial printing industry news briefs, including items on the industry associations, Xerox, Agfa, Worldcolor, RR Donnelley and more.
