Who told Franklin to “Go fly a kite?”
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010By T. J. O’Hara Remember me? The industry heretic? The guy who’s not willing to accept that fact that margin erosion can’t be overcome? Heck, if you’ve read the political satire in my blog and books, you know that I even think our current political process can be fixed. Talk about being an “eternal optimist!” …
The Common Sense Czar on Printing: To Be or Not To Be. . .
Thursday, October 14th, 2010By T. J. O’Hara The Common Sense Czar As an executive consultant, my second favorite Shakespearean line is “To be or not to be: that is the question” … because it covers so much ground in the “hamlets” within which our businesses reside. As a political satirist, my favorite line comes from King George, VI: “The first…
Personalization – not just for Direct Mail Anymore
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010Orange County Printing (OCP), a Consolidated Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: CGX) company, has launched Forte Select, a line of personalized promotional gift and apparel items. Unlike traditional promotional product providers, Forte Select enables users to create one-off pieces such as mugs, mouse pads, and t-shirts that are personalized with individuals’ names, images, or other custom content. “We are…
Marketing yourself in Marketing
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010By Neal Boornazian, President/CEO, Wilde Agency In today’s competitive market, experience, tactical expertise, education, and a mantel-full of industry awards may not be enough to land you a job, let alone your dream job. In fact, they may only be enough to get you a “thanks for your time.” To stand apart, you’ll need more….
Is there a place for Small Businesses in the Printing Industry?
Thursday, August 26th, 2010US domestic printing is an $83+ billion industry that tops the automakers in terms of size and the number of people it employs (1+ million). From new car manuals to tabloid newspapers to t-shirts to those little tags on mattresses, nearly every product calls on the printing industry somewhere along the line. So the big question is: if the printing industry is starting to be controlled by a small group of industry leaders and many of the 70,000 plants in the country are shutting down, what happens to principals such as market competition and market controls such as “supply and demand”…not to mention the people and personnel it effects?
Reynolds Fundraiser for LIVESTRONG
Monday, August 23rd, 2010By Pete Basiliere What do you do when a family member is stricken with cancer? You offer support in any way you can. Encouragement. Prayer. Help with the chores, pay a couple of bills. Whatever it takes to help him or her focus on the fight at hand. The same holds true for your extended…
Fly with out the PowerPoint
Thursday, August 19th, 2010By Ed Cunningham, Vice President Sales W. A. Wilde I was flying home from a new business meeting the other night and realized I was in rarefied air…but not in the plane. This air was in New Jersey of all places. It was the fresh air that my team was breathing when we presented to a…
Learning from 2009. Planning for 2011.
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010By Tom A. Wilde, CEO & Vice Chairman W.A. Wilde Here we are: the dog days of summer. For marketing departments, it’s prime season for planning—for both the balance of the year and ahead to 2011. So what’s worked so far in 2010? It’s no secret that marketing departments were hit heavy by budget cuts…
Direct Mail: A Window to the Human Mind
Thursday, July 29th, 2010You want a window into the human mind? Look at some direct mail pieces. How people respond to them — or don’t — can tell you plenty. That’s because direct mail is all about psychology. It’s understanding what makes people behave the way they do.
Direct Marketing: T-Rex or Flinstone’s Vitamin?
Monday, July 12th, 2010Is Direct Marketing viewed as a dinosaur? How has your agency or company expanded the definition and important of direct marketing for your business?
Richard Lowe, EDSF’s New Chairman, Speaks Out
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010By Brenda Kai, Executive Director, EDSF EDSF, the international non-profit organization dedicated to the document management and graphic communications industries, could not be effective without the outstanding leadership of its Board of Directors—all volunteers who support EDSF in its mission. EDSF grants scholarships to students in support of their academic careers, provides research grants to…
An Introduction to JDF
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010To those who use it, JDF is considered one of the most innovative technologies in the printing industry. It allows workflow to become much more automated and help streamline some of the more cumbersome and repetitive tasks that often can cost printers a substantial amount of money; it was built to help eliminate waste.
The “Next You”
Monday, December 14th, 2009By Brenda Kai, Executive Director, EDSF We know that everyone is very busy this time of the year and has more than a few things to do. However, we would like you to take just a minute to think about a very important search. . .the search for the “next you.” Think about that for…
EDSF “The Future is Bright” Q&A: Andy & Julie Plata
Thursday, December 10th, 2009Andy and Julie Plata are well-known pioneers in the document and high volume transaction output (HVTO) industry. Over the past quarter-century, the Plata’s have contributed greatly to its continuing evolution. Andy was the third president (now called chairman) of Xplor International, where he traveled extensively to help establish chapters in Canada, Europe and Australia. Julie…
Volunteers Make EDSF REPORT Possible
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009By Brenda Kai, executive director, EDSF “I want to thank and pay tribute to all of our volunteers – those dedicated people who believe in all work and no pay”. –Robert Orben, humorist, writer and editor Without our volunteers, who give selflessly of their time and expertise, EDSF — the international non-profit organization dedicated to…
