It’s Your DUTY to Make Print AMAZING
Can we please up our game? I yearn to see AMAZING print, but there are days when all I see is CRAPPY print. You see, I volunteer in the high school college and career center. When it’s slow, I file college brochures and viewbooks. New brochures flow into the center daily, and the annual view books […]
You Have WHAT on Your Bookshelf?
Books. From the time we’re babies, they surround us, with their bright pictures, big words and thick cardboard pages to chew on. Who doesn’t love a good book? What lines your bookshelf will no doubt change and evolve throughout your life, but there will always be titles that withstand the test of time (and teething). […]
How Many Printers Does It Take to Print a Light Bulb?
Q: How many Printers does it take to print a light bulb? A: You don’t know, you don’t print light bulbs… right? Because anyone can print a light bulb. You don’t want to be in the light bulb business. If you are, then you compete with everyone – including online discount light bulb printing factories. […]
GCSF Scholarship Winner Natalie Alcide on Print, Design and Industry Mentors
“This is the best industry in the world.” Those were the words of Natalie Alcide, a young graphic communications student and valedictorian of her class at the New York City College of Technology (City Tech). If you’re an elder in your professional tribe, you’re doing your duty when your heirs speak in this way. I […]
Color, Quality and Consistency: 2017 Print Buyer Survey Results Are In
For the past two years I have sent out some poignant questions to the print buying community with two goals in mind; first and foremost to find out what they care about, and second with my Print Buyerologist hat on, help printers and suppliers understand what they care about, in a manner that will resonate. The […]
The “Year of Color” is Here! (Are You READY?)
Optimism is in the wind. Things are picking up. People are feeling better. The clue? Color. People NEED color. They CRAVE color. So if I’m right (and I think I am), we’re going to see printed items with vivid color. Print design trends often follow consumer preferences in retail, home furnishings and fashion. Based on that, […]
TREND SPOTTING: The Road Ahead for Print is Paved with Gold… and Silver, and Varnish
Remember the R.E.M. song Shiny Happy People? If you do I bet you are singing it in your head now, and if you don’t, here you go… See the happy people? Think of them next time you are creating a printed piece, or about to estimate one for customers. They like shiny, tactile things that […]
Create Your #meandmydesignjet Moment Before July 31!
Greetings Citizens of the Printerverse… Ready to have a little fun? Help HP celebrate 25 years of DesignJet by downloading one or both of the images below to create your own #meandmydesignjet moment. Send it out through Twitter, make sure you include the #meandmydesignjet hashtag and on July 31st I will search the stream and pick out the tweet with […]
15 Content Ideas for Your Printing Blog
Starting a blog can be intimidating. Finding the time to sit and write can seem impossible. And when you finally DO have the time, you’re often left scratching your head wondering what to even talk about. Is it even worth the frustration? Well – in short – ABSOLUTELY. By strategically writing about things that are […]
5 Ways to Leverage Your Personal Brand With Print
Developing a personal brand has always mattered, because reputations and referrals have always been a cornerstone of business success. The phrase personal brand get’s a lot bad press. People fail to understand that it is basically the “presentation deck” called “you”. The way you introduce yourself to people, from the clothes you wear, the way […]
No, No, No, No! Black Typewriter Font – Just No!
Hi! I’m Chloe! I just got back from a trip and did my usual scan of the mail, and someone sent me, in 2016, a DM piece that is done in a typewriter font laser printed onto a preprinted shell. And then I opened a credit card statement for a new card I opened and […]
Print Doesn’t Need Saving
Every year we hear about the premature death of print. Yet somehow each and every year we find that the print industry is alive and well. It’s true that print designers are struggling to find jobs. It’s true that some smaller print shops find themselves struggling and dropping prices to get local clients in the […]