How one author is gaining fame with the e-book model

I recently read a Wall Street Journal article entitled "'Vanity' Press Goes Digital." It featured author Karen McQuestion, who had spent nearly a decade trying to persuade a variety of New York publishers to print one of her books. Failing to get their attention, she decided to self-publish - for the Amazon Kindle platform. Her book A Scattered Life has sold 36,000 electronic copies and has a film option with a Hollywood producer. Read more...

Jordan Finn, Indexx, Inc.

At WhatTheyThink, we are hearing from a growing number of printing businesses who have made it their business to extend their range of services into the marketing arena. One thing is clear: There is no set path to follow, and businesses are taking a wide range of different approaches. We interviewed Jordan Finn, President of Indexx, Inc., to gain a perspective on his approach to the business and the successes he is achieving with this new market focus. More...

Employee event kicks off with unveiling of replica of original resolution establishing the Agency

The Government Printing Office, (GPO) is kicking off its 150th Anniversary celebration with an employee event on June 23rd, 2010, at which a replica of the original resolution, signed by President Buchanan, will be unveiled. Watch the video of the 25th Public Printer and the National Archivist examining the original document.

Expands publication opportunities for magazines and catalogers

On June 10th, Quad/Graphics announced that it has developed an iPad application, in partnership with YUDU Media, that will allow magazines, catalogs and retail advertising to be published for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. This application is an addition to Quad/Graphics’ current Flash-based Digital Edition electronic publishing offering, an extension of the company’s premedia services. As I am sure our readers are aware, the iPad does not support Adobe Flash. We spoke with Jason Sawtelle, Director of Premedia Sales for Quad/Graphics, and Claire Ho, Corporate Communications Manager, to learn more. More...

Hear what Ace Group’s Val DiGiacinto Has to Say About the Business Opportunity

I've been following the discussion about QR codes from a variety of sources, including the LinkedIn Group 2D Codes for Global Media, WhatTheyThink articles by Barb Pellow and others, and the many tweets and LinkedIn messages from John Foley at interlinkONE, whose company offers a service called QReate & Track. But what's really happening in the U.S. relative to QR Codes? Is it really the next big thing? More...

Giving Francis McMahon a couple weeks to adjust to his new surroundings, WhatTheyThink spoke with him, and with Sheryl Pattek, Vice President of Marketing Services, on a wide range of interesting topics.

WTT: Francis, I know many people were surprised when you left the exciting position you had at HP. Can you share the backstory with us?

Read more...

Cary Sherburne talks with EFI CEO Guy Gecht about their recent earnings release and acquisition of Radius Solutions.

Leading a printing company can be a challenging task in the best of times. Not only do you have to keep up with all the technology, maintain connections with and a deep understanding of your customers’ business needs, but you also have to build the right team and inspire them to carry your message to customers and prospects. A recent keynote by Joan Davidson at EFI Connect sheds some light on how a successful leader is accomplishing these objectives.

Eric Owen, newly appointed as Kodak’s Worldwide Vice President of Customer Development for Digital Printing Solutions started at Scitex and moved to Creo, then Kodak, as a result of acquisitions. Read what Eric has to say about the key strategic objectives of his current position, where he sees inkjet and toner fitting, and his advice for print service providers as the economy begins to recover. More...

Collaboration to provide FedEx Office with new technology, sole source agreements, new revenue opportunities

Yesterday, FedEx Office, Canon and HP announced what FedEx Office President & CEO Brian Philips called a “game-changing moment,” saying, “We are transforming the world’s largest print-on-demand network. We are not just collaborating with HP and Canon to introduce new equipment, but we are also upgrading all of our networks to be able to plug each piece of equipment into that network as it is installed. Read more...

Padilla blends in-plant services and in-sourcing in ISO-certified operation

I had the opportunity recently to visit one of the largest printing operations in the Dominican Republic, in a visit arranged by Executive Vice President Fernando A. León. I have visited many printing operations in the U.S., and I was interested to see how this compared - it was quite impressive. I thought our readers might enjoy sharing a virtual walk-through. More...

Pitney Bowes President, Document Messaging Technologies, Ramesh Ratan Shares PB Strategy, Industry Outlook

In September 2009, Ramesh Ratan left his position as COO at The DMA (Direct Marketing Association) to become President of Pitney Bowes’ Document Messaging Technologies (DMT). We were curious about this transition, especially in light of the recent departure from The DMA of John Greco, its Executive Director. WhatTheyThink spoke with Ramesh to gain insight into the transition, what attracted him to Pitney Bowes, and his views on the future of our industry. More...

Upcoming Users Group Meeting Scheduled for April in Las Vegas

EFI Connect, one of the larger user groups in our industry, will be taking place at the Wynn in Las Vegas April 18 through 21. Since the event overlaps with the On Demand Conference in Philadelphia, WhatTheyThink is splitting its forces to cover both events.

Marc Olin, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Professional Print Software (APPS), of EFI, shared his thoughts with WhatTheyThink about what attendees can expect to experience at the 11th Annual Connect conference. More...

A year ago at drupa, HP announced an OEM relationship with Press-sense to bring to market HP’s SmartStream Director Web-to-fulfillment workflow solution, citing key benefits, components and features including...

As the new year began amidst tidings of economic doom and gloom, WhatTheyThink argued that firms should use this time to make sure their staff has the best possible training. The digital production floor is one area where training is often less than perfect. I recently spoke with industry expert David Zwang on this topic, one he is very passionate about.

Earlier this month, Kodak and Xeikon announced an alliance effective in the United States and Canada to offer label printers an online presence. We were interested to know how this came about, and what any potential future plans between the two companies might be, so we spoke with Michael Ring, VP of Sales and CMO for Xeikon North American Operations, and Steve Miller, Kodak’s Product Manager for Newspaper and Packaging Workflow, to find out more. Read the interview...

The pressure continues to build for print service providers to reinvent their businesses in order to better meet the realities of a marketplace where the demand for print is declining. There are many avenues to pursue, but the one most commonly suggested is making the transition to a marketing services provider by offering a range of print and electronic business communications services to support the needs of marketing professionals. Read more...

On the heels of a much diminished On Demand show in early April in Philadelphia, I had the pleasure of attending ad:tech later in the month in San Francisco as a member of the media. For me, it was quite different than the usual printing shows I attend for many reasons.

For those of you who might not be familiar with it, ad:tech is an interactive advertising and technology conference and exhibition. Worldwide shows blend keynote speakers, topic driven panels and workshops to provide attendees with the tools and techniques they need to compete in a changing world. Shows are held around the world throughout the year, with several U.S. venues, including Chicago right before Print 09. Read more...

Following David Dodd’s posting on PrintCEO about the Ingram reorganization, I was able to catch up with Lightning Source President David Taylor at BookExpo America in New York to gain a little more insight into the company’s move. Read more...

I was interested to see the latest web venture undertaken by Mohawk Papers, a new online paper store at MohawkPaperStore.com. The company has been one of the leaders in the paper world in terms of the tools and information provided for visitors to its primary web site, MohawkPaper.com, including detailed information about its own environmental initiatives as well as an environmental calculator, an eco-guide and tips for specifying sustainable papers. In addition, Mohawk was one of the first to map each of its papers against the various digital print engines to help designers and print service providers select the most appropriate paper for digital printing projects. Now it seems that they are the first mill to launch an online paper store designed for use by the consumer (if they are not, I am sure I will hear about it!). WhatTheyThink spoke with Hillary Davis, Interactive Marketing Manager, to get the details.

There is so much chatter about how important it is for printer service providers to transition to marketing services providers as our industry is reshaped by a number of internal and external factors. But what does that really mean? We recently had the occasion to speak with Mark Parent, CEO of Sugarbush Media Solutions, who has successfully made this transition, to learn more. A visit to his web site is quite an awakening, especially when it is compared to the average print service provider web site. Read more...