Blog Archives




 

  • 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...

  • By The Numbers
    By Bob Hall - Tuesday July 7, 2009
    I was preparing for my keynote “Habits of Recession Survivors” presentation at the Xerox Thought Leadership Workshop late last month when I ran across a 2003 presentation that was remarkably similar. Back then the dot.com bubble had burst and the economy was hurting, and I quoted Trend Watch as saying, “Too many printers are waiting for the economy to get better and fix their business.” I found that similarity so fascinating that I used it as the subject of my editorial in the July issue of QP, which will probably show up in your mailbox this week. What I didn’t mention in the editorial, nor in my last blog about using resources, was the overwhelming importance of knowing one’s finances. QP columnists Tom Crouser, John...

  • Use Your Resources
    By Bob Hall - Monday June 29, 2009
    As the pilot picked his way between airplane-eating thunderheads that towered above 40,000 feet, I started to question the wisdom of boarding the flight from Rochester to Cincinnati. The weather forecast had been dicey at best, but I wanted to get home after almost two weeks on the road. My most recent stop had been to keynote the Xerox Thought Leadership Workshop for quick and small commercial printers. The event had been very informative, but I was surprised how little the attendees knew about the sales and marketing tools Xerox could provide. As I thought about it later, I probably shouldn’t have been that surprised. Far too many printers I have run into are either not aware of or not inclined to take advantage of such useful tools...

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