Blog Archives




 

  • Live From Print 09
    By Bob Hall - Wednesday September 16, 2009
    Well, it’s day four at Print 09 and so far it has been a mixed bag. It’s really hard to judge attendance as compared to last year’s Graph Expo since this show stretches out two days longer and is in two halls instead of one. First day was very light, although I talked to some vendors who said the quality of the leads was pretty good. Saturday was better, but still not overwhelming. Sunday, the same. However, today (Monday) saw a pretty large herd of folks lined up for the show floor to open. Thus far, the highlight of the show has been the Xerox press event at the U2 concert. Sure, the music was great, but they had a light show that would be the envy of anybody who works in color. As far as the Print show goes, you really...

  • Mixed Internet Blessings
    By Bob Hall - Tuesday September 8, 2009
    A newspaper website in the UK has come up with 50 things that are being killed off by the Internet. (Just FYI, printing was not one of them.) While some of the things mentioned could be debated, several were beyond question.   One was the art of polite disagreement, which is pretty obvious when you read the plethora of online flames from skuzzy people hiding behind the Internet’s anonymity. Another was enforceable copyrights. Despite efforts of copyright holders, the Internet has become a Wild West of unauthorized reproductions. Yet another is geographical knowledge. Thanks to GPS systems in cars and cell phones, even cab drivers don’t have to know their way from here to there any more. One of the more scary ones was...

  • Trade Show Blues?
    By Bob Hall - Tuesday September 1, 2009
    Just got back last night from the Allegra Network convention in Chicago. That’s the third Chicago industry event so far this year, and Print 09 is still to come. That particular six-day trade show promises to be as exhausting as all the other conferences and conventions put together, which makes me a bit more amenable to the idea of virtual trade shows. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to sit in front of your computer and learn all about the offerings from the various printing industry vendors? Well, not really. You’d probably go cross-eyed staring at the screen for so long, and you’d miss out on all the noise and smells that come with an actual show. You’d miss walking until your feet hurt. You’d miss overpriced trade show...

  • Pipe Down!
    By Bob Hall - Monday August 24, 2009
    I was at the ICED annual convention in Houston a while back and got involved in a discussion with some old printer friends about the state of political discourse in the country. I can’t recall how the subject came up, but it might have had something to do with cocktails. Now, I’ve known these folks for many years and was well aware that our political positions occupy opposite segments of the spectrum. (They watch Fox News and I watch MSNBC.) Despite our differences, we soon got around to the subject of shouting. The conclusion was that there’s just too much of it any more. Nobody discusses or debates; they just try to shout each other down. We agreed that the problem can be found at both ends of the political...

  • In Hot Water
    By Bob Hall - Monday August 17, 2009
    The old saying is that there is a first time for everything. I don’t know if I agree with that on a cosmic level, but it probably holds true on an individual level. Last week’s trip to Florida for our annual Cygnus Graphics Media Group annual planning meeting provided one example. Karen and I checked into the Fairfield Inn in Fort Pierce at around midnight and encountered something I’d never encountered before. There was no cold water. Now I’ve been in lots of hotels that didn’t have much in the way of hot water, but never in one that had no cold water. We informed the desk clerk and he offered to move us into another room. Before moving we checked the water in the new room and it was the same deal. We stayed put and showered with...

  • Association Memership
    By Bob Hall - Monday August 10, 2009
    While we are counting down to Print 09, let's not forget that NAQP's Owners Conference is also coming up. Unlike other years when it came immediately before Graph Expo, this is a stand-alone event which brings up the issue of attendance. Sure, Austin is a great city with lots of good things to do, eat, and listen to, but will it be enough to attract lots of folks? Well, I've been to two major franchise events recently and was very impressed with the attendance during these hard economic times. Neither was tacked on to a major printing trade show. That bodes well for the NAQP event which comes at the end of October. I am always amazed by the independent printers who do not belong to an association, whether NAQP, NAPL, or PIA. They're out...

  • Doom & Gloom
    By Bob Hall - Monday August 3, 2009
    Doom, gloom, and other such negative reactions. The economy is killing my business. I’ll just bury my head in the sand and wait for things to get better. No sense doing much else. It wouldn’t help anyway. OK, so I’m exaggerating a little, but I’ve heard similar things from printers since the economy tanked. That’s why it was so refreshing to spend some time with the Sir Speedy, PIP, and Signal Graphics folks in San Diego this week and weekend. There was a completely different attitude on display. Sure, times are rough and business is more difficult than it might have been a couple years ago, but that’s no reason to hunker down and wait it out. Now is the time to get to work, so when things turn around we’ll be able to grab it...

  • Paper or Pixels?
    By Bob Hall - Monday July 27, 2009
    There is a continuing debate over the relative “greenness” of paper versus that of electronic media. Now International Paper has put out a brochure on the subject. “Pixels vs. Paper” is part of the company’s “Down to Earth” series, which also includes brochures on certification, recycled vs. virgin paper, and carbon footprints. (www.ipsustainability.com) As far as the pixel/paper comparisons, paper comes out looking pretty good. It comes from trees, which are a renewable resource, while electronic devices use non-renewable plastics and contain metals and chemicals. The amount of electricity used to run a computer for five months could produce enough paper for the average person to use for a year. Also, paper is biodegradable...

  • Thanks, Walter
    By Bob Hall - Monday July 20, 2009
    We lost a great one last Friday. In his time, he was arguably the most trusted man in America. In the days before cable TV, the Internet, blogs, and tweets, Walter Cronkite delivered the news in a calm and reasoned manner to a nation that relied upon him to give them the facts they needed to know about the important events of the day. He didn’t have to declare himself to be fair and objective, that’s just the way he was. How different it is today, with indiscriminant and instantaneous communications broadcasting opinions, rumors, innuendos, and vitriol from blogger keyboards and cable news cameras. It’s little wonder that the media of today is trusted only slightly more than are politicians. Of course, there are...

  • New Blood
    By Bob Hall - Monday July 13, 2009
    Despite the fact that everybody is trying to run lean and mean right now, there still is a need to keep an eye on the future workforce. When things turn around, and they will, who will be available to fill the jobs that open up due to prosperity or retirement? What will influence the next generation to consider the graphic arts as a smart career choice? Well, PGSF (Print & Graphics Scholarship Foundation) joined up with Illinois State University in an attempt to find out what influenced up and coming graphic arts students when it comes to career choices. The study, which involved high school and college students who were on PGSF scholarships, found that “high touch” experiences are the most influential in motivating students to...

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