During a group conversation today, an optimistic salesperson said, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel like things are starting to turn around.†Another party said she didn’t really get that feeling, but was glad that someone could say they did. Still another member of the group offered that he’d heard a couple of printers saying that they felt like the economy was starting to show signs of recovery. Last week, NAPL sent out a press release titled “Despite Signs of Recession Bottoming Out, Industry Sales Continue to Nosedive.†It delivered the glum news of the first quarter had shown the worst quarterly sales declines since the association began tracking these figures more than 20 years...

With the economy making for tough business times, printers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competition in order to stay above water. Sadly, some are cutting prices to unhealthy levels. Others are cutting staff or reducing costs. Some are cutting back on marketing, which really is something they should be increasing. However, the one area of differentiation that doesn’t require a great deal of expenditure is service. Good customer service has become such a rare commodity that when you receive it, you are usually a bit surprised. The basics aren’t that hard. Be nice. Be polite. Be responsive. Do what you say you are going to do. Help find solutions to problems. Resolve complaints, etc. Is it...

I trekked to far away Cincinnati last week to see the new xpedx Technology Center. It features three Ryobi presses, including a five-color Ryobi 525 two-up press, along with a wide variety of prepress, digital, and post press options from such companies as Kodak, Epson, Morgana, C.P. Bourg, and Secap. Other equipment and technologies from these and other manufacturers will be added in the near future. The aim of the center is to attract some 250 printers annually to see how these various offerings can be mixed and matched. xpedx claims the center is the only one in the U.S. devoted to demonstrating and selling equipment from a wide variety of manufacturers for both offset printing and digital printing markets. I think the xpedx approach...

I SPENT two days last week at the AlphaGraphics headquarters in Salt Lake City observing the monthly Discovery Days event for folks considering an AG franchise. Some were looking to start a franchise from scratch while others were considering converting their existing printing operation or buying an existing AG franchise. I don’t know if any of the people who attended will actually pull the trigger but they certainly got what I think was a full measure of candor and openness. Now let’s be clear. I’m not a cheerleader for AlphaGraphics or any other particular franchise system. I am, however, a cheerleader for this industry and I found the attendees’ interest in the industry encouraging. The days of go-go...