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Unbox This! By Noel Ward, Editor@Large A couple of years back, much to the chagrin of his board, Yvon Chouinard, founder of and chairman of outdoor apparel company Patagonia noted, “You don’t need a $500 parka to climb that mountain.” In doing so he attacked rampant consumerism and the notion...

Maybe it's just me, but I never install the new version of any software. I wait a few weeks until the first dot rev comes along. There are still "issues" but some of the more obvious ones have often been dealt with. FWIW, over the years I've found that Apple and Adobe do not always play well in...

What do you do When the Dragons Come to Call? By Noel Ward, Editor@Large A few sips into the second beer many business owners will start talking about the things that crawl out of the dark in the wee hours and make sleep an elusive pursuit. You’ve probably attended a conference or two where...

Are you a Can Person or a Can’t Person? Either way, you’ll convince yourself. By Noel Ward, Editor@Large AT A RECENT CONFERENCE OF PRINT PROVIDERS I heard an interesting talk about leadership and the challenges of running a business today. I thought you might be interested. The talk was...

Propelling Your Business Forward—Part 4 Positioning Your Commercial Printing Business for Success By Noel Ward, Editor@Large Every business plan is predicated on success, but our turbulent times make success, which is different for every type of business, a moving target. What are other Print...

Propelling Your Business Forward—Part 3 Pinpointing and Pursuing High Growth Applications By Noel Ward, Editor@Large Self-confidence is key to growing a successful business but must be combined with the right product mix, knowing what customers value, and meeting their needs and expectations...

Keith1... Have done somewhat the same. Nowadays I only do business with people I like and who pay promptly. Less revenue but less stress and I don't have to chase anyone for money or kiss any butts. Have fired a couple clients over the years. Was always a relief. Semi-retired works well and I...

What? Fire a Customer?! By Noel Ward, Editor@Large Sooner or later the moment of reckoning arrives for every business-owner. There are always customers that cost you money, are too aggravating to work with or simply not worth the revenue they bring in. So what do you do? If the customer were...

I agree that both quality and customer expectations can be objective but without sufficient research data in the report I was writing about I cannot back up that perspective with any data. My job in this case was to report on the data provided, not editorialize or make assumptions about...

OK, so I can't get glossy paper. So how about you print on some nice 20-pound bond and put a flood coating on it? It'll be the same, right? The way things are going, in a few more years 20- and 24-pound bond will be about all you can easily get. (On allocation, of course.) Maybe 110 cover if...

Print quality. And I have edited the copy to reflect this. Thanks for catching this. I should have seen that before I uploaded! I have not gone into a detailed definition because it would get too far into the weeds and is actually a subjective topic.

Propelling Your Business Forward—Part 2 Enhancing In-Plant Product & Service Offerings By Noel Ward, Editor@Large One of the more interesting points in the latest Canon USA study is that the most successful in-plant operations seem more like well-run commercial print shops and may even compete...

Steps to Efficient Post-Press Know your customers’ needs today and the future By Noel Ward, Editor@Large When it comes to finishing, the balance between sheet-fed offset or digital presses has to be weighed to ensure optimum throughput. Knowing this, I was not expecting die-cutters and...

Cloud-powered Print Production Business intelligence you can see… and use By Noel Ward, Editor@Large With almost everything that takes place on a computer landing in “the cloud” these days, it’s no surprise that your print workflow can go there too. After all, the cloud is fast, reliable...

Still Rollin’ After All These Years Xeikon Café shows versatility in both packaging and graphic arts By Noel Ward, Editor@Large With the arrival of the new normal the big players in the world of digital print are wasting no time in communicating with existing customers and attracting new ones...

Give Customers More How a Print MIS Adds Value for Customers and for You By Noel Ward, Editor@Large In case you haven’t noticed or are ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away, customers expect more than they once did. And are not shy about asking for or even demanding new levels of...

What about zombies?

My, my. Aren't we being hypersensitive! News flash for you: Dead people don't read. At least I don't hide behind a screen name.

Ha ha. Get a life.

Propelling Your Business Forward—Part 1 Print 2022 and Beyond By Noel Ward, Editor@Large The next twelve months offer great potential despite labor shortages and supply chain disruptions. Print providers and in-plants are planning growth and investing in people and technology, while chasing...