PluggedIn   

The folks at Helios had this to say in their last newsletter:

"This year's WWDC also had a strong developer presence around the iPhone, which builds a second platform for the Apple business. Some customers say that Apple shifts too much into the consumer business. However we see this differently. The iPhone based on Mac OS X offers a tremendous platform for applications. Of course the first wave of Apps are daily utilities and games, but many business applications will follow. New capabilities like the iPhone push notifications allow server applications to inform mobile users within seconds without polling. We are confident that many businesses will benefit from future iPhone Apps in a big way."

It's true many folks will resist being able to monitor print production from their phones. Being available anytime anywhere has its negative points and ma...Read More

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Pundits are currently debating whether the worst of the economic downturn is over. My own guess is: probably not. But it also seems to be the general consensus that it won’t get as bad as some feared and that a general recovery will arrive before the year is out.

The problem is, a lot (too many) of printers and print service providers will not be able to hold out that long. There is not enough cash flow or borrowing power to survive. With the competition operating at a loss just to keep the cash flow going, it gets harder and harder for companies on the verge of collapse to keep going.

Whether the Federal government will be able to induce banks to make reasonable financing available to these companies may not matter. Any relief that comes may come too late. There will certainly be more consolidation and fewer mom and pop printers.

Still,...Read More

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The News Releases are starting to come fast and furious as equipment and software suppliers gear up for Print '09 in Chicago Setpember 11-16th. One of the first e-mails to hit was concerning discounted hotel rooms in the Windy City, indicating show staff is concerned about the effect of the economic downturn on travel.

I love attending the Chicago Print show, but I have to wonder how many folks will be springing for the travel and housing expense this year. I'd like to know how our readers are coping with this. Are you cutting the number of attendees, scratching Print '09 off your calendar, doubling up on hotel rooms, travelling by other means (train or car vs. plane?)

But I guess the key question is whether folks are using alternative methods of researching new products: web forums, sites like graphicartsonline, webinars, webex demos etc. How are you gettin...Read More

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Howie Fenton's post citing Andy Paparozzi's NAPL Biz Trends blog, that "41.5% of the panel report that productivity is lower—a year ago the percent reporting lower productivity was 23.3%," is disturbing, but it does reinforce what I was saying in my last post. Although it is difficult to know how folks are measuring declines in productivity, it seems clear that the problem is not solved simply by slashing staff. In fact it can be exacerbated by that tactic.

If productivity is declining at a significantly greater rate than staff cuts, something is amiss. It may be in part because the most productive people are the ones being cut, though it is hard to believe that printers are making bad choices as to who should stay and who should go. More likely, there is a steep drop in morale and a decline in incentive. More work for less pay doesn't promote job excellen...Read More

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The market has been downsized considerably in the past several months with mergers and closings and big players gobbling up little players. It's very difficult to get a feel for where things really stand. Two thinks seem clear. First that this consolidation and downsizing process isn't really going to make competition any less fierce. The companies may be leaner and meaner, but they are still hungry and profit margins are still low.

Downsizing has already reached the point that companies are cutting into the vital muscles and sinews, and proceeding further in that same could spell disaster for companies who might otherwise be able to weather this downturn if they relied on long term strategic moves instead of short-term cuts.

What strategic moves can help? At the risk of sounding self-serving, investing in efficiency boosting and automation software now mak...Read More

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When we published lists of printers on LinkedIn and Twitter recently, the response was a bit unexpected. I'm still getting emails from folks who want to be added to the list, and I have added some of them here and on http://www.printoolz.com.

Clearly a lot of folks think being on Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and even Facebook has benefits. I'm curious if folks are willing to share exactly what they are getting from social networking.

As a writer and columnist, it's easy enough for me to see a direct benefit from social networking. Posts I make on LinkedIn help drive people to the GAM and Printoolz sites. And the links I make help drive information, news, resources and commentary my way in addition to providing me with a connection to a wide variety of print industry experts.

But printers aren't writers. The...Read More

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Printers may feel it as much as anyone. Just when the kids are getting ready to start their Summer vacation, printers are fielding calls from Colleges for their getting their Fall class schedules printed. Perhaps you're already working on someone's Christmas Catalogs. And everyone's talking about what will be featured at Graph Expo '09.

Maybe that has changed a little bit as deadlines shorten, but it sure doesn't seem to have changed much. We are always running several months in advance of the rest of the world.

That has its pros and cons, but in the Summer it seems particularly disconcerting because the season of cookouts and trips to the beach should be a time to relax, and when you're already working on back-to-school and Halloween deadlines, well it just doesn't seem right.

So on this first day of June, take a deep breath, enjoy the hint ...Read More

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OK, we admit it.  The Forums of GAO have been around for awhile without gaining much traction. Essentially they haven't been used. We want to change that. We're making a concerted effort to let people know where they are and to encourage their use on a regular basis. We know to have a lively discussion, you need a core group of active posters, so we'll be pushing the forums on eGam and other places.

Let's get started. Please go to the resources tab and click on forums. Sign up. Make a Post. Comment on a post. Get things moving. We need you.

Our site has more than 60,000 unique visitors each month. That's huge. And they are all folks with something to offer. Like you. We want to leverage all of that knowledge into one of the most informative, responsive and interactive forums around. The premiere site to go to for information and insight on printing....Read More

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We'd like the graphicartsonline.com forums to live up to their full potential. They really should be an important way for our readers to communicate, offer advice, learn from their peers and get unbiased information on products and processes that are critical to their success.

With more than 60,000 unique visitors each month, graphicartsonline.com is one of the most visited sites on the web for print providers, and it is certainly the most respected voice in the industry. We want to leverage our forums to become an effective voice for our readers. We want our forums to be your voice.

Over the next few weeks we'll be "priming the pumps." We'll be pushing our audience to the forums through our blogs, other forums, and our eGam mailings. To be honest, the forums have not seen a lot of traffic, and certainly nowhere near what they are capable of. We e...Read More

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This may not seem to be a time when you would really want to be a software developer for the printing industry. But it may be the perfect time. Folks are anxious for tools that will allow them to streamline their workflow and cut the amount of time they spend fixing, processing and managing every file that comes in. And so even the smallest of developers has the opportunity to create that tim saving plug-in, Xtension, or stand-alone software product that will keep struggling print providers from succumbing to an economic downturn.

What we really need is a solid line of communication, and that's what we'd like to provide.

Tell us what you're looking for. What is clogging up your workflow? What is taking more time than you think it should. What problems do you need to solve that the right software tool could remedy?

Developers want to know. Lio...Read More

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We're twittering away at http://twitter.com/printingtools

The rest of this list was edited from one supplied by Markzware

Graphic Communication, Print experts and Associations:
@dblatner                 http://twitter.com/dblatner
@vectorbabe           http://twitter.com/vectorbabe
@PaulAtDell             http://twitter.com/PaulAtDell
@xchangeuk             http://...Read More

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While I normally write about software issues, I can be forgiven if I also pay some attention to the fact that this printing industry remains, by and large, one that lives on huge iron machines fed by metal printing plates applying ink to paper. Unlike software, which simply becomes outdated (some may say software is PERPUETUALLY outdated from the moment of installation) , those platemaking devices actually break.

Rick Litrell is someone who is more known for software solutions himself, as has Magicomm web site will attest. But his backgound is in platemaking devices, so his new business (which will operate completely separately from Magicomm) is one of supplying parts for platemakers. All sorts of platemakers: Agfa, Heidelberg, Screen, Fujifilm.

iFix.com is the first online resource stor...Read More

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