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By Kevin Keane, IAPHC CEO Note Bene. It's in the mail to: Bianchini, Via Giovanni Gutenberg 110, Roma Italia 00143. And so too, it's in the mail to Edipresse Imprimeries in Renens, Switzerland; and to Ran Offset in Haifa, Israel and to Gulf Ocean Graphic Services in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. What's in the mail? An invitation to enter the 25th Anniversary International Gallery of Superb Printing. As the International Gallery becomes an ever more global event, we are reaching out to printers, graphic designers, prepress pros, trade finishers and more from Bangalore to Brussels to Buenos Aires; asking them to test their mettle against the Best of the Best. As one chats with printers in today's market, there are the obvious laments -- what to do about the encroaching digital world, how to find ANY employees; how to react to consolidation. And then there's that Internet monster. While tracking down candidates to invite to enter the International Gallery, the growing presence of printers on the Net is inescapably obvious. In a web site run by the Irish Development Agency one finds a directory for 220 printers and publishers in the Irish Republic who possess website addresses, and that's only the ones registered with the IDA. Enter the keyword 'printers' in any Internet search engine and be prepared for hundreds of thousands of 'hits.' Or take a visit to the website of a digital printer, called StarColor located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This virtual printshop has posted its color printing price list online. If you wanted to see how your pricing stacks up, this would be a place to compare. Go to www.starcolor.com In other words it is remarkably easy to use the Internet to find a printer anywhere in the world. And in an ever more global world economy which is adapting more and more rapidly to the promise of distribute and print, a new client can easily be located a half a world away from your pressroom. So how do you distinguish yourself as being world class to this far away client? And how can you let the world know about your product and service offerings? The International Gallery provides a way to do that. A little known aspect of the IAPHC's Knowledge Network is the number of times in a week we receive inquiries from someone looking for lenticular printing, or a printer of plastic cards, or four colour printed cubes, or a source for casebound book binding. Every graphic arts firm should make entry fees to the International Gallery of Superb Printing part of that firm's marketing and advertising budget. Because it just might be good for business. Why just the other day we suggested to our old friend Rick Weiss of Insty-Prints in Rochester, Minnesota that the best place we knew to handle his inquiry about scratch off printing was to call members Deb Olson or Dean Vlasak at Modernistic in St. Paul. And how do we know about some of Modernistic's specialties? Through the International Gallery of course. And if you do achieve success in the International Gallery, we have recently seen evidence of printers leveraging that success in their yellow pages ad (Printfastic in Surrey, British Columbia) and on their business cards (Indigo Printing in Surrey, BC) and on Lowe Martin's website (based in Ottawa, ON), go to www.lmgroup.com And this year, Gallery Chair Mike Handlin tells us that there were 3 websites entered into the 11th District Gallery of Superb Printing! Last week, the Detroit Club celebrated the HUGE success of its Tenth Annual Gallery of Superb Printing for printers located in Southeast Michigan. Our congratulations to co-chairs Dave Holman the Detroit Club President and Lorraine Jankow for the hard work they put in to assure the success of the evening. Some 319 entries! IAPHC Chairman Jeanann Georgianna was in attendance, and had a chance to visit with several of the participants. One of them, Charles Clark of Clark Graphic Service in Warren, Michigan was quite intrigued to learn about the size and scope and truly International nature of participating in the International Gallery in addition to the Detroit Gallery. (Closed circuit to the Detroit Club -- Mr. Clark will have earned his 30 year pin as a Craftsman member on 1-1-2000!) And this year we fully expect that the International Gallery entry count for Detroit area printers will be rising, because like Charles Clark, they know as do their automotive industry clients, the world is a much smaller place! Now, to drive home the point that entering the International Gallery is good for business -- an entry came in the other day from the Portland Club. It is unusual in that it was printed using Thermochromatic ink which according to the entry form is used for security purposes. The ink will not copy, and will disappear when human body heat is applied (through one's thumb print for example) only to re-appear later. Some fine day, we will field an inquiry for this process and Pointil Systems Inc may have another customer. What, no Folding? No Stapling? We feel mutilated. Last week, member Glenn Chapman of Canterbury Press in Rome, New York issued a challenge. (Hmmn, second printer based in Rome we've mentioned this issue.) Glenn wants to know why there isn't more bindery news in Tuesday Morning News (TMN). We think Glenn is right. But TMN is reliant upon news supplied in large part by our ever increasing array of readers across the globe. And frankly there's been a dearth of bindery news. So if you work in the bindery biz, or perhaps sell equipment for C.P. Bourg, or MBM or Duplo or Standard Finishing or Muller Martini we hope you might pass along a tidbit or two we could share with our readers suffering from too much delirium digitalis. As Glenn sagely noted, all the printing in the world isn't worth much if someone doesn't finish the job. For our part we'd like to share this blurb gleaned from the March/April 1999 issue of the The Prepress Bulletin written by Paul White of On Demand Publishing LLC. "An on-demand shop has to consider many factors in deciding whether to purchase in-line or stand-alone finishing systems. In-line systems -- those that attach directly to the printing device -- typically cost up to twice as much as stand-alone units. Stand-alone systems require more labor to transport work coming from the printer to the binding equipment. If you have a relatively high volume of like sizes and binding types, then you can probably cost justify an in-line system. Cost-justification is only part of the choice, however, compatible feed speed is another. If your in-line finishing equipment runs faster or slower than the printer, or there are reliability problems with the bindery equipment, consider buying a stand-alone system. Having a printer down because a binding machine isn't feeding properly drastically reduces throughput." In keeping with our theme of intertwining the International Gallery all through this issue of TMN, yesterday an International Gallery entry arrived from Gallery Go-Getter Bob Schneider of the Cincinnati Club and Muller Martini. It's the sales magazine called Panorama sent to Muller Martini customers worldwide. It's a great book and it features 4 Swiss printers in the canton of Tessin, none of whom have received an International Gallery Call for Entries invitation packet. Yet! We have been covering the introduction of the new Kodak high speed printer, the DigiSource 9110 which will be a central product offering of the Eastman Kodak/Heidelberg joint venture called NexPress. Danka is already selling the system in Europe, where it is more fully referred to as the Kodak 9110 Network Imaging System with PDF Publisher. Interestingly, and related to Paul White's comments about in-line finishing equipment, when one attaches a CP Bourg bookletmaker, the 9110 is 27 feet long! Finally, we invite all of you who have received the International Gallery Call for Entries packet to refer to the back cover of the 1998 International Gallery Best of the Best brochure you received in the mail. There, you will find displayed the Independent Machinery Best Finishing Technique Award winner -- Ground Zero Packaging of Toronto, Ontario. Independent Machinery Inc., based in Palatine, Illinois was one of a dozen world class supplier firms who were sponsors of the 1998 International Gallery and we look forward to their splendid support again this year. If you are reading this issue of TMN on a virtual bounce and have not seen the Call for Entries materials referenced in this paragraph, please drop the writer an e-mail with your mailing address and a packet will be mailed to you promptly. Consolidation Report In last week's TMN, we reported that Charles Cavell, CEO of Quebecor Printing had announced the firm was pursuing acquisitions in South America. Yesterday, Quebecor announced it had acquired Editorial Perfil, the largest publisher in Argentina for $12.5 million US. This deal means Quebecor is now the largest commercial printer in South America. Meanwhile, Merrill Corporation, Mail-Well, Inc., and Consolidated Graphics, Inc., all reported last week the successful completion of previously announced acquisitions. For some reason, one of Consolidated Graphics recent deals has escaped much notice. On 31 March, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Consolidated Graphics would be buying The Printery based in New Berlin, Wisconsin. Consolidated Graphics had earlier acquired other printers in Wisconsin including Image Systems in Menomenee Falls and Wetzel Brothers in Milwaukee. Both of the later firms have been entrants and winners in the International Gallery. This is also true of three of the newest members of the Master Graphics network of commercial printers --Woods Lithographics in Phoenix, Arizona and The Printing Company and White Arts, Inc in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hmmn, seems to be a trend here -- acquisition targets tend to be successful in the International Gallery. Whole Nuther Kind of Consolidation.... Last week's business press covered a different kind of consolidation. On page 94 of BusinessWeek magazine in a detailed interview with Xerox CEO Rick Thoman, one finds the magazines predictions of what's next for Xerox. The second bullet item states the goal of: "Get more companies to outsource their custom printing and publishing needs to Xerox." The Wall Street Transcript published a lengthy interview with Cunningham Graphics International CEO Michael Cunningham last week as well. (go to www.twst.com/ceos.htm ) Cunningham Graphics, in addition to acquiring a string of commercial printers in several countries, includes as part of its growth strategy, the integration of in-plant print shops. TWST: And the reason that people are outsourcing or letting you take them over? Mr. Cunningham: Basically we found that these companies are more suited to run their core businesses and not the specialty business which printing and graphic communication has become. The increasing cost of technology and also the problem of getting suitable talent and employees to run the equipment and the cost of the new equipment has been a hardship for these companies. Most in-house print shops run somewhere around 40-45% utilization. They are running their shops only one or two shifts and it is really not cost effective for them. We're able to run their shops, fold a majority of their business into our existing facilities here, and run their existing shop more efficiently, we typically increase their utilization up to around 90 per cent. We are able to sell back to the clients for approximately 15 to 20 per cent less than they are paying in house right now, increase their level of service by a good 20 to 30 percent and also avail them to some newer technologies. By way of emphasis, Cunningham Graphics International announced on 12 April that it had entered into a contract to provide printing and distribution services formerly provided by an internal print shop to an un-named major financial services company. Any of our TMN readers who work in an in-plant environment would agree that more and more offers to outsource the work being produced by the in-plant are being received each year by senior management. One method used by several in-plants shops is to underscore their quality orientation in the minds of senior managers is to enter the International Gallery of Superb Printing. In-house shops from Jacksonville, Florida, and Des Moines, Iowa, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have been frequent entrants and winners in past International Gallery events. Last week, an in-plant shop located outside Seattle, Washington called with some questions about their impending entries. In other words, success in the International Gallery can become savvy internal marketing. Paper Perks Up Last week several of the wire services carried stories about the reviving fortunes of the big paper manufacturers. Giant firms like Weyerhaeuser, Georgia Pacific and International Paper all posted better than expected earnings and there followed some investment rotation by folks who like cyclical stocks which lifted much of the paper sector higher last week. George Harad, CEO of Boise Cascade offered this analysis on 16 April: "Demand is on the upswing, and prices in some grades have started to rise as global markets for our key paper grades -- uncoated free sheet and containerboard -- work their way through the oversupply of pulp and paper cause by the Asian economic turmoil. Although business conditions in paper will continue to be challenging during the first half of the year, markets should gradually strengthen." Third District Governor Len Petitti sent us an intriguing article from The Sunday New York Times for 11 April, talking about the efforts to create brand name awareness in the purchase of common grades of paper by consumers and denizens of the SO/HO (Small Office/Home Office) marketplace. "Forest products companies long accustomed to business-to-business marketing have to learn all about in-store promotions, flashy package design, even the economics of national television campaigns." The article goes on: "The prices for the high-end papers are not scaring consumers. According to Lyra Research, the overall market for cut paper is growing at an annual rate of only 3.8 per cent. But sales are climbing 11.1 per cent a year in the SOHO market......and branded papers are selling best." and "Xerox-branded paper enhances awareness of our overall brand," said James Lesco, president of Xerox's supplies group. He said Xerox's paper sales to the SOHO market grew 35 per cent last year." Note to Jim Lesko, the Times spelled your surname incorrectly it would seem, unless Clint Davies erstwhile and self styled supplies guy with Xerox Canada gave us a bum steer when he asked that we add you to the TMN distribution list. Last week we picked up the incorrect spelling for John Dowey's name (V-P of Sales for Heidelberg USA) off a website based in the United Kingdom. Our apologies for any such inadvertent error. Note to Tom Cleves, Group V-P of XPEDX, the Times article offers still more support as to the value of XPEDX becoming a sponsor of the 25th International Gallery of Superb Printing -- later in this issue of TMN we will share with our readers the list of committed sponsors thus far in 1999. Just yesterday, we fielded a phone call from a first time entrant outside Sacramento, California who will be entering an award winning calendar project. Other Industry Tidbits Ray Prince, well know industry consultant sent along a note after reading in last week's TMN about the 12 unit Heidelberg press undergoing testing in Germany, that Heidelberg installed an 11 unit press at Williamson Printing in Dallas, Texas in February. On 8 April, Kanematsu USA demonstrated the ViviCo Print Server to color copier dealers attending BTA 99 in Las Vegas. The ViviCo Print Server converts a color copier to a network printer. On 14 April shareholders at Corel Corporation approved a poison pill takeover defense, which is aimed at trying to defeat an oft-rumoured and oft-denied possible takeover attempt by Adobe Systems. On 15 April, at the CMM packaging printing show held annually in Chicago, Scitex Corporation unveiled the new Lotem 40/45 platesetter which has been specially adapted for packaging printing. The machine images flexographic plates directly from a digital file. And not surprisingly, in this special International Gallery issue of TMN, the news compels us to remind you gentle reader that Flexo is the most rapidly growing segment of the graphic arts, and yes we do have flexo entry categories! News out of Jacksonville, Florida last week that local firm Secure Document Systems, Inc had entered into a pact with Pitney Bowes to allow a target market of some 200,000 midsized accounting departments to automate the production, printing and mail preparation of payroll checks and accounts payable transactions. What does this mean? It means more laser printed checks and less traditionally printed checks. And today, Check Technology Corporation said it would begin to market private label printers made by Oce Printing systems. On 16 April, Scitex Digital Printing announced in Dayton, Ohio that it had entered into a joint marketing agreement with Domino Printing Sciences based in London England under which users of high speed, variable information digital printing products used in high volume addressing, personalization, bar coding and numbering applications will be able to take full advantage of the synergies between Scitex Dijit and Domino's printer and controller products. On 19 April Big Flower Holdings, Inc., announced that its digital services premedia group Laser Tech Color (home of former Charlotte Club president Larry Evans) had bagged another digital deal. Laser Tech had been able to implement a digital workflow process for The Dial Corporation's premedia needs for its Nature's Accents line of personal care products. This is the second major premedia packaging deal scored by Laser Tech Color. All the more interesting then in this era of breathless consolidation, Big Flower Holdings announced today that it was evaluating strategic alternatives including the possible sale of all or part of the whole enterprise. Big Flower is best known as the largest US printer of advertising inserts, but it also has interests in Internet companies including MiningCo.com. Early next month at the On Demand Show in New York City, Heidelberg USA will use the theme "Lessons in Profitability" in its booth. The 'courseware' will focus on three key advantages to direct imaging technologies, especially compared to toner based digital printing methods. The 3 advantages are cost per sheet, speed and quality. To explain these advantages Heidelberg will debut the Quickmaster DI Plus at on Demand.
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