PRINTING: The Wonderful World of Color

AMBER. You and I know that CAUTION is what many business owners feel in these times—leery of hiring or investing (if we have anything left) in an uncertain economy. I believe there are many ways to move forward in this economy, and with little capital. Again, one way is to systemize your business. When business slows down, I suggest you throw CAUTION to the wind and take the opportunity to work on improving your business processes. It pays great dividends!

GREEN [that works (PDF)]. 1) Build business systems/processes that reduce consumption of resources—i.e. chemicals, paper, and other consumables used to produce printed products; 2) Provide tools to help sustain low levels of waste, reducing the impact on the ecosystem; 3) As much as possible, eliminate all forms of waste, which saves energy, thereby reducing your carbon footprint and your utility bills.

For those who demonize the printing industry for using trees to make products, they might remember that TREES ARE A RENEWABLE RESOURCE, just like wheat that is cut down to make bread. If, as some say, the earth is millions of years old, it's amazing that we never run out of trees—they just keep growing and growing! Good system!

(You may want to read a letter the president of Printing Industries of America wrote to the president of our United States, regarding his comments about our industry)

GREY. Overcoming in these times requires commitment and willingness to move ahead, whatever it takes. It’s the GREY areas that hold many companies and owners in limbo. However, it isn’t rocket science and doesn’t take a lot of capital to implement quality control and other cost savings systems.

Systemizing your company can be the key to huge savings, which can add to your bottom line—the difference between RED and BLACK.