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  • Embrace Technology at GRAPH EXPO 2011
    By Denise Gustavson - Tuesday August 30, 2011
    As you know, Cygnus Graphics Media has been busy working away at the content for the upcoming GRAPH EXPO 2011 Show Daily and I have to say, the four days in Chicago is going to be a whirlwind of activity. But what can you expect if you plan to attend? Well, this year's GRAPH EXPO 2011 is themed “Embrace Technology,” and attendees will have the opportunity to see the full spectrum of equipment and services, from design to delivery, for every segment of the printing and graphic communications industry. There are nine special-interest sections on the show floor, including the 2011 debut of the Marketing Pavilion. This year’s PackPrint pavilion, covering package printing and converting, also features Future Print that provides...

  • Wide-Format on the Web
    By Denise Gustavson - Tuesday June 28, 2011
    Each week we're all bombarded by so much. From television to radio to the internet, we're surrounded by news. I have the added benefit of being on the receiving end of various PR feeds and distribution lists, so my inbox is overflowing nearly each and every day. I also make it a point to look for interesting and unique stories and blog posts that make me think and/or make me stop and say "Wow. That's cool." I don't always have the opportunity to share these unless it's through social media. So, for this blog, I'm going to run through a few that really stood out to me over the past few weeks. 40 Dangerously Creative Billboard Ads via @SignsByTomorrow http://bit.ly/l1evqT Billboards are everywhere—we can all attest to that. But some...

  • Industry Trends Video Extravaganza
    By Denise Gustavson - Monday June 6, 2011
    I have to admit, it's been a whirlwind since my last post. Between various trade shows, a really quick vacation, pre Graph Expo Show Daily planning, regular monthly issues, a little side project about the history of the wide-format industry (check out LinkedIn for more on that) and the launch of the MyPrintResource portal website, I can't say that I've had a moment to sit and simply breathe. But, at the recent 2011 ISA Sign Expo, I had the opportunity—and the complete pleasure—to sit down with 12 industry leaders to talk about some of the critical issues facing the wide-format industry in the beginning of 2011. Some of these folks I'd only had the opportunity to talk with via email or over the phone, so it was a pleasure to meet them...

  • Macro Forces Affecting the Wide-Format Market
    By Denise Gustavson - Wednesday April 6, 2011
    During the GOA/FESPA Americas 2011 show in Orlando last week, I had the opportunity to attend and take part in the FESPA Global Business Forum. Stretching across two days, the sessions provided some topical and strategic information for wide-format business owners. I also had the pleasure to moderate a session (The Digital Debate) on Friday afternoon featuring Frank Mallozzi Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, EFI; Robert Smithson, Chief Executive, Trinity Graphic US.A; Anders Nilsson, Owner, Gamleby Screen; and Professor Qinguo Fan, University of Massachusetts. During the opening session of the Global Business Forum, FESPA's Frazer Chesterman and Marcus Timson presented 10 marco forces affecting the wide- and grand-format...

  • Any Way You Want It
    By Denise Gustavson - Wednesday April 6, 2011
    Is it just me or are we seeing a lot more of the high-end cars wrapped in all sorts of graphics and films? I'm not talking about the high-end cars you normally see tooling about on the highways and byways across the country. Epson America, Avery Graphics, and SkinzWraps joined forces to wrap a Bugatti Veyron during SEMA 2010. Take for example the Seiko "Ultimate Wrap Experience" at SGIA. Each day of the show APE Wraps wrapped a $400,000 Rolls Royce in various designs. Granted it was a demo, but the car certainly was amazing to look at. You can see pictures of the car (and wrap) on the front cover of WFI's SGIA 2010 Post Show Guide. And then a week or so later, SkinzWraps took it up another notch at SEMA. Partnering with...

  • Calvin Klein, QR Codes, and You
    By Denise Gustavson - Wednesday April 6, 2011
    Last week Calvin Klein kicked off its 2010 Fall advertising campaign in NYC and LA. For one short week, Calvin Klein Jeans replaced three of its billboards—two in downtown New York and one on Sunset Boulevard in LA—with a bright red QR code under the words “Get It Uncensored.†View the billboards at: Mashable http://mashable.com/2010/07/13/calvin-klein-qr-code-billboard/ Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com/5587753/nycs-sexiest-billboard-doesnt-care-for-dumphones Those with Smartphones—a limited market at present—could scan the QR code and view a 40-second Calvin Klein commercial. Obviously, the manufacturer is testing the waters with this new ad—especially since it was up for such a short...

  • Into the Belly of the Beast
    By Denise Gustavson - Wednesday April 6, 2011
    Last week I had the opportunity to head to Chicago for a press and analyst meeting with Océ North America. It was an interesting—and information-packed – meeting, focusing primarily on the technical documents market. We discussed many of the trends affecting the technical documents market such as: Increased decentralization as printing is pushed downstream, i.e. deliver digitally, print locally Increased use of electronic document workflow, primarily PDF Increased adoption of BIM and Integrated Project Delivery Transition from monochrome to color printing in AEC More complex GIS applications One of the topics we delved into in detail was about the ROI for measuring a realistic return through the use of color...

  • Designing "Wow"
    By Denise Gustavson - Wednesday April 6, 2011
    Okay. So how many of you are HGTV junkies? Raise your hands. I have to admit, I probably watch more HGTV than a single girl should. But how can you beat men working with power tools? But I digress. If you've been watching HGTV, you may have noticed how more and more, many of the designers have been turning to digitally printed projects to really turn their interior designs up a notch. Take for instance the new program "The Antonio Treatment". This show is a one-hour weekly docu-design series where he Antonio Ballatore will make over multiple rooms in various locations that are suffering from drab decor. In several episodes so far, digitally printed, wide-format graphics have taken center stage to the redesigns he's created. In...

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