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JANUARY 2007
Topic: State of the Industry
Title: Mapping the Future
Summary: A color-coded map illustrates the printing industry employment figures by county, and the story features profiles of industry members who give their opinion of the landscape. Page 25.
Topic: State of the Industry
Title: The Rising Cost of Postage
Summary: The most complex U.S. Postal Service rate change in history drives printers to mail smarter programs and in different shapes. Page 50.
Topic: Case Study, Labels & Tags
Title: Problem Dissolved
Summary: Paragon Data Systems reduces waste in manufacturing plants with its Batch Labeling System. Page 12.
Topic: Case Study, Envelopes
Title: A Simpler Solution
Summary: Conformer Expansion Products streamlines Oxford Health Plans’ mailer program. Page 58.
Topic: Profile
Title: Researcher Steven J. Harrington Joins an Elite Club with His 100th Patent
Summary: Steven J. Harrington is one of only 14 scientists employed by Xerox Corp. to earn 100 patents from the U.S. Government Patent and Trademark Office. Page 90.
Topic: Strategic Sales
Title: The State of Buyer-Seller Relationships
Summary: The selling challenge in 2007 is to help customers with solutions that more than offset increased costs. Page 10.
FEBRUARY 2007
Topic: Health Care Market
Title: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Summary: Distributors can help physicians run their offices with print and supplies. Page 20.
Topic: Health Care Market
Title: Health Care Forms Undergo Revision
Summary: Changes in health care law allow distributors to treat old forms like new products. Page 29.
Topic: Case Study, Health Care Market
Title: A Pound of Cure
Summary: Webb/Mason tackles Gordian Health Solutions’ fulfillment woes. Page 34.
Topic: Niche Market
Title: Scent Marketing is Wafting Your Way
Summary: A former niche market makes inroads in mainstream advertising. Page 38.
Topic: Management
Title: Looking for a Good CSR
Summary: Employers discuss what to look for in potential employees. Page 48.
Topic: Case Study, Commercial Printing
Title: Make the Pieces Fit
Summary: Copart Inc.’s 120 automotive services facilities rely on a new-hire kit produced by Independent Business Group. Page 56.
Topic: Competitive Landscape
Title: Adding a Little Strategy to the Mix
Summary: TFC Inc. unites print with marketing know-how to attract big-name clients. Page 52.
Topic: Profile
Title: Packaged With Care
Summary: With help from her father’s distributorship, Chelsea Rich organized a campaign to send care packages to U.S. troops. Page 96.
Topic: Strategic Sales
Title: Return to Sender—Postal Reform Reflects Status Quo
Summary: Rate relief won’t benefit the printing industry. Page 10.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: Print Buyers Want Forms Automated
Summary: PERF Report shows buyers want web-to-print interfaces. Page 64.
MARCH 2007
Topic: Web-to-Print
Title: Web2Print 2.0
Summary: Web-to-print software experts change the print buying landscape forever. Page 16.
Topic: Web-to-Print
Title: Something New Is in the Works
Summary: Automation turns web-to-print into “just add paper.” Page 29.
Topic: Web-to-Print
Title: W2P’s Impact on the Industry
Summary: Print veterans weight in on web-to-print technology. Page 38.
Topic: Web-to-Print
Title: What’s On Your Mind?
Summary: A Q&A on web-to-print with AMGRAF Inc.’s CEO. Page 46.
Topic: Web-to-Print
Title: Banking on a New Solution
Summary: Omega Graphics helps Wells Fargo personalize its marketing collateral with web-to-print. Page 36.
Topic: Web-to-Print
Title: Color in the Web-to-Print World
Summary: Modern International Graphics designs a W2P solution for Sherwin-Williams. Page 42.
Topic: Web-to-Print
Title: The Window Treatment
Summary: Budget Blinds’ reliance on web-to-print is open and shut. Page 50.
Topic: Color Management, Workflow
Title: Helping Print Providers See the Light
Summary: Rods and Cones assists clients with workflow and color management needs. Page 60.
Topic: Strategic Sales
Title: Treat Your Client Like a Date
Summary: Woo print buyers by meeting them on their own terms. Page 8.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: Survey Says: Trust Necessary to Win Print Buyers’ Loyalty
Summary: PERF Report, part two, reveals buyers’ criteria for selecting a print provider. Page 68.
Topic: Profile
Title: The Fish Don’t Stand a Chance
Summary: Ennis Sales Manager John Anderson sends fish caught at his vacation home to clients every Christmas. Page 98.
APRIL 2007
Topic: Document Security
Title: Developing Credible Security Standards
Summary: Two organizations raise the bar for U.S. document security. Page 14.
Topic: Document Security
Title: The Many Instances of Fraud
Summary: Position customers as invulnerable by offering security expertise. Page 20.
Topic: Document Security
Title: Four Laws that Affect Document Security
Summary: These legislative acts influence how you do business. Page 28.
Topic: Document Security
Title: The Gift That Doesn’t Keep Giving
Summary: Gift card fraud makes clients take security more seriously. Page 30.
Topic: Document Security
Title: No Longer Lost in Translation
Summary: Micro Format Inc. creates a better product for an international client. Page 34.
Topic: Competitive Landscape
Title: Crowdsourcing in the Ad Specialties Arena
Summary: Zazzle.com Inc. keeps customer loyalty by making end users stakeholders in its business. Page 38.
Topic: Profile
Title: Hollywood Comes to Neenah Paper
Summary: An environmentally friendly Wisconsin paper mill was profiled in the History Channel’s Modern Marvels program. Page 92.
Topic: Strategic Sales
Title: The Difference in Differentiation
Summary: Successful sales reps will have a firm, usable elevator speech and the savvy to back up their claims. Page 8.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: Suppliers Behaving Badly
Summary: PERF Report, part three, details buyers’ woes of supplier mistakes. Page 66.
Topic: Special Feature, Software
Title: Operations Software Buyers’ Guide
Summary: Annual survey of operations software packages for both printers and distributors. Page 46.
MAY 2007
Topic: Top Manufacturers
Title: A Pre-Eminent List
Summary: Print Solutions’ annual survey and rankings continues to evolve. The story includes top manufacturers by sales, growth, sales per employee, commercial printing, cut sheets, labels and tags, plastic products and paper-based forms. Page 18.
Topic: Niche Market
Title: RFID: Wait and See
Summary: End users cautiously observe Wal-Mart’s venture. Page 46.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: The End of Order-Taking
Summary: A manufacturer adds value by integrating sales and prepress. Page 54.
Topic: Web-to-Print
Title: The Anti-VistaPrint
Summary: Growll.com caters to resellers only. Page 58.
Topic: Niche Market
Title: Tread on Me
Summary: Enhance a Colour produces custom, short run carpets. Page 66.
Topic: Case Study, Plastic Cards
Title: First Class Customer Service
Summary: Ward/Kraft Inc. repeats history of delivery orders by plane. Page 84.
Topic: Profile
Title: Pro Football Hall of Fame Elects Roger Wehrli
Summary: FormStore Incorporated Vice President Roger Wehrli is honored along with the best American football players at a ceremony in Hawaii. Page 112.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: Eliminate the “Burden of Proofs”
Summary: A guest columnist from Proof-it-Online details the PDF proof option. Page 91.
Topic: Strategic Sales
Title: Product Isn’t Everything
Summary: Print suppliers should survey their customers and provide information and knowledge that is useful or actionable. Page 12.
JUNE 2007
Topic: Top Distributors
Title: The Big Get Bigger
Summary: Print Solutions’ annual survey and rankings continues to evolve. The story includes top manufacturers by sales, growth, sales per employee, commercial printing, cut sheets, labels and tags and paper-based forms. Page 46.
Topic: Profile
Title: The Next Level
Summary: Tim McClellan, owner of Strategic Print Solutions, charts a course to grow his distributorship’s annual sales to more than $1 million. Page 26.
Topic: Community Relations
Title: A Smart Way to Give
Summary: Print vendors find innovative ways to give to their communities. Page 68.
Topic: Management
Title: The Difference a Salesperson Makes
Summary: Staff your company with the best of the best. Page 82.
Topic: Niche Market
Title: An Illuminating Idea
Summary: Electroluminescence offers distributors new opportunities to compete in the dynamic signage arena. Page 86.
Topic: Social Networks, Sales Strategies
Title: Brave New World
Summary: Marketers embrace cyberspace by selling products in Second Life. Page 102.
Topic: Case Study, Document Security
Title: Security on Tap
Summary: Print-on-demand delivers encrypted passports immediately. Page 10.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: Navigating the Labyrinth
Summary: The process of purchasing a digital press is simplified by determining beforehand exactly how it will be used. Page 120.
Topic: Profile
Title: Never Too Late to Get in Shape
Summary: Wayne Martin, 54, vice president of sales operations at American Solutions for Business, has run nearly a dozen marathons since he suffered a heart attack 13 years ago. Page 154.
Topic: Strategic Sales
Title: The Holy Grail of Job Descriptions
Summary: Owners should communicate their expectations and their companies’ cultures to potential sales reps before hiring them. Page 6.
JULY 2007
Topic: Promotional Products
Title: Big Fish Rule
Summary: Program sellers live large on promotional products. Page 14.
Topic: Promotional Products
Title: Just the Thing
Summary: Your client wants an ad specialty. You want to sell them one. But which one? Page 22.
Topic: Promotional Products
Title: What Green Can Mean
Summary: Eco-friendly promotional product sellers see a boost in their niche, but they still face challenges. Page 29.
Topic: Promotional Products
Title: If the Sale Fits, Wear It
Summary: Apparel products boost profits by opening doors. Page 44.
Topic: Promotional Products
Title: Tips from the Gurus
Summary: Promotional products consultants help distributors boost sales. Page 52.
Topic: Promotional Products
Title: Play to Your Strengths
Summary: Industry vets share ways that distributors can maintain a lead over direct-selling competition. Page 57.
Topic: Promotional Products
Title: A Distributor’s Best Friend
Summary: Hidden gem or fool’s gold? The elusive search for a good vendor. Page 62.
Topic: Case Study, Promotional Products
Title: Alive and Kicking
Summary: Flowering bulbs and plants leave a lasting impression. Page 40.
Topic: Case Study, Promotional Products
Title: Hit the Jackpot!
Summary: Proforma GPS helps Hot Shot Slots explode in popularity. Page 58.
Topic: Case Study, Promotional Products
Title: Keeping Phones and Making Names
Topic: A new promotional product does double duty. Page 67.
Topic: Profile
Title: Artwork Means Work Art
Summary: Chris Arnold, account representative at EM Print Group, Elyria, Ohio, works as a wedding photographer on the weekends. Page 98.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: A Shopping List of Features
Summary: The process of purchasing a digital press is simplified by determining beforehand exactly how it will be used. Page 81.
Topic: Strategic Sales
Title: Toss Out Antiquated Sales Training
Summary: Contemporary salespeople must know their customers’ businesses well enough to solve problems and create custom applications. Page 12.
AUGUST 2007
Topic: Print Excellence And Knowledge Contest
Title: Innovations PEAK Louder Than Words
Summary: Award-winning entries improved clients’ businesses. Page 10.
Topic: Case Study, Software
Title: The Quest to Eliminate Data Entry
Summary: RPM won its client by promising seamless software integration. Page 46.
Topic: Case Study, Web-to-Print
Title: Home Sweet Homes
Summary: Cross Media targets homebuilders with a cost-cutting, web-to-print solution. Page 56.
Topic: Software, Marketing Applications
Title: New Spin on an Old Medium
Summary: adplex incorporates 1-to-1 marketing with online circulars. Page 52.
Topic: Management
Title: Culture Shock
Summary: Office climates determine hot sales or the cold shoulder. Page 60.
Topic: Management
Title: Motivation Matchmakers Ensure an Effective Workforce
Summary: Channel employees’ inherent drives by putting them in the right roles. Page 72.
Topic: Competitive Landscape
Title: A Broader Interface
Summary: VistaPrint’s online solution targets big companies. Page 78.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: Beyond Traditional Business Channels
Summary: Manufacturers must modify their distribution models or face going out of business. Page 94.
Topic: Profile
Title: The Spectacular Stingray Man
Summary: Shamrock Companies’ employee Ryan O’Connor, 21, conceived of a new comic book character and story. Page 110.
SEPTEMBER 2007
Topic: Profile
Title: The Next Step
Summary: More than 50 people offered advice and asked questions during a live online chat hosted by distributors Tim McClellan and Mike Fisher, CDC. Page 6.
Topic: Profile
Title: Industry Anniversaries
Summary: Appleton celebrates its centennial anniversary; manufacturer Genoa Business Forms celebrates its 50th anniversary. Page 30.
Topic: 2007 Print Solutions Conference & Expo
Title: 2007 Show Guide
Summary: An overview of the 2007 conference schedule, with conference session descriptions, exhibitor list and directory, and more. Page 46.
Topic: Profile
Title: Think Fast, Calmly
Summary: Vanguard Direct President Bob O’Connell’s keen perception of the marketplace has multiplied the company’s bottom line, but it’s his connection with people that makes him a success. Page 10.
Topic: Profile, PEAK Awards
Title: Small Business Rates Highly
Summary: PEAK Awards speaker Frank Newport, editor in chief of The Gallup Poll, talks with Print Solutions magazine. Page 36.
Topic: Marketing
Title: Elevated Marketing
Summary: The Las Vegas Monorail embraces “advertainment.” Page 40.
Topic: Profile
Title: Clark County Heritage Museum
Summary: See an old-fashioned Las Vegas print shop at work. Page 44.
Topic: Profile
Title: Win, Place & Show
Summary: Distributor Pete Mattson breeds and races thoroughbreds. Page 177.
OCTOBER 2007
Topic: Buyers’ Guide
Title: Buyers’ Guide 2008
Summary: An award-winning directory of hundreds of manufacturers and suppliers listed by company and by product.
NOVEMBER 2007
Topic: Digital Printing
Title: Statements TransForm the Future of VDP
Summary: Trusty transaction printing brings new opportunities with personalization. Page 15.
Topic: Digital Printing
Title: The Search for Intelligent Mail
Summary: Connecting VDP campaigns to the Intelligent Mail Barcode is a smart move. Page 24.
Topic: Digital Printing
Title: The Digital Label Market Is Surprisingly Underserved…For Now
Summary: Sales opportunities abound for frontrunners. Page 30.
Topic: Digital Printing
Title: Custom Catalogs May Appeal to Platinum Customers
Summary: A California software company says its system creates personalized catalogs for high-end customers. The only problem: No one can print them. Page 40.
Topic: Digital Printing
Title: Sell VDP? Not Me!
Summary: Printers should know better than to mention variable data printing. Page 49.
Topic: Digital Printing, Case Study
Title: Achieve Blockbuster Success in the Movie Market
Summary: A VDP campaign results in double-digit coupon response. Page 46.
Topic: Digital Printing, Case Study
Title: Network Power
Summary: To stay competitive, successful offset manufacturer Herald Printing bought a digital press and teamed with Kodak and Four51. Page 54.
Topic: Manufacturing
Title: The Future of Direct Mail
Summary: Consumers prefer direct mail to email campaigns, especially if the mailings are personalized. Page 72.
Topic: Profile
Title: Working Vacation Helps Others
Summary: A VistaPrint employee takes a month of paid leave to volunteer in the developing world. Page 96.
DECEMBER 2007
Topic: Rebranding
Title: Rebranded!
Summary: DMIA becomes Print Services and Distribution Association in response to industry trends. Page 10.
Topic: Competition
Title: Big Box Bullies
Summary: The printing industry has gotten tougher. Have you? Page 16.
Topic: Sales Management
Title: Movin’ on Up
Summary: The transition from sales rep to manager isn’t for everyone. Page 22.
Topic: Profile
Title: The Twisted Path
Summary: A small distributor planning to grow his business finds the terrain may change en route. Page 32.
Topic: Special Report, Conference
Title: Las Vegas Show Is Right On the Money
Summary: Attendees at PSDA’s Print Solutions 2007 Conference & Expo in Las Vegas enjoyed peer-led education sessions and new products on the show floor. Page 34.
Topic: Industry Report, Manufacturing
Title: Trends in Digital Color Print
Summary: Color printing continues to drive the production digital print market and will be the most important overall trend coming years. Page 62.