PAGE 2 • NPOA NEWS • OCTOBER 2017...1.888.316.2040 • PAGE 4 • NPOA NEWS • OCTOBER 2017 6th...

• NPOA NEWS • OCTOBER 2017

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OCTOBER 2017 • NPOA NEWS • PAGE 3

Board of DirectorsMr. Barry Martin

ChairmanCopyquik Printing & Graphics LLC710 Oak Hill Avenue, Hagerstown, MD 21740Phone: (301) 791-7400Email: [email protected]

Mr. Randy HerronVice ChairmanHerron Printing & Graphics7621 Rickenbacker Drive, #300Gaithersburg, MD 20879Phone: (301) 990-3100Email: [email protected]

Ms. Michelle MaynorSecretaryInterior Graphics & Printing405 Noble Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701Phone: (907) 456-4982Email: [email protected]

Mr. Dennis TrumpTreasurerTrump Direct1591 North Water Street, Decatur, IL 62526Phone: (217) 429-9001Email: [email protected]

Mr. Daniel FlattDirectorMulti-Media Services11136 River Road, Corning, NY 14830Phone: (607) 936 3186Email: [email protected]

Mr. Nathaniel GrantCommunications DirectorGAM Graphics and Marketing45969 Nokes Boulevard, Sterling, VA 20166Phone: (703) 450-4121Email: [email protected]

Mr. John HenryPrograms and Events DirectorMitchell’s Printing & Mailing1 Burkle Street, Oswego, NY 13126Phone: (315) 343-3531Email: [email protected]

Mr. Jace PrejeanImmediate Past ChairmanBayou Printing & Graphics922 Sunset Avenue, Houma, LA 70360Phone: (985) 868-8273Email: [email protected]

Chairman’s Letter ............................................................................................................................................ 5

Targeting the Titles that Buy ......................................................................................................... 7

How to Add Value to Printed Communications.............................................. 8

‘Cyberspace’ Anniversary ................................................................................................................... 9

Using Variable Data for the Win at Trade Shows .........................................10

Haines Printing Announces Expansion .....................................................................11

When Will All Those Paper Checks Disappear? ..............................................11

Special Report: Printing Industry Business Conditions .......................................................................12

Access to ‘WhatTheyThink’ Provided to NPOA Members .......................................................................................................13

Why I Fired My Sales Rep ..................................................................................................................17

OSHA Rolls Back Regulations, Reporting ...............................................................18

3-D Printed Automobile Tires Are on the Way ................................................18

Pre-Register Now for . . . The Best Conference in the Print Industry ............................................................19

Inside

National Print Owners Association301 Brush Creek Road, Warrendale, PA 15086-75291.888.316.2040 • www.printowners.org


6th Annual

Riverside Hotel • Ft Lauderdale • February 22-24, 2018


Greetings Fellow Print Owners,

Not having attended a national print show for several years, I was surprised when attending Print17 in Chicago at what I didn’t find more than what was offered. While waiting for the 10:00 a.m. opening there was the usual diverse crowd and excitement

of the group trying to get onto the show floor and start drooling over the new equipment. But something was missing from a few years ago and it wasn’t until we had covered the entire floor that we discovered that we didn’t see a single offset press. The days of the big 40” Heidelberg and Komori’s with their ink and solvent smell are going the way of the horse and carriage, replaced by the flash of digital toner and inkjet machines. No longer is big iron taking up the premium real estate in the main hall. I missed that, for some reason, watching paper come out of a digital device is not the same as coming off a big press!

In speaking with some fellow NPOA members at the show several have totally gone digital and were looking at the latest inkjet offerings. It seems that inkjet is the hottest item on the market and it might replace our toner machines in the near future.

Several of our NPOA member friends have retired in the past year and more are planning to in the next few years, so not only is our market undergoing a technology shift, many are considering phasing out of this market.

I was thinking about many of these things on the flight home and was pondering a few questions:

Should one consider reinvesting in toner or hold up for inkjet to become affordable to the average shop in our market space? How quickly will inkjet pass the toner machines? Who might be the leading vendors in the inkjet market? Who are the next generation of printer owners and what technology will they embrace? It seems that technology has leveled the playing field as anyone purchasing digital equipment can produce high-quality printing. Where is the break-even point between offset and some of the newer inkjet technology?

I had more questions than answers from my day at Print17, but was thinking that one of the benefits of the NPOA community is the resources of my fellow printers. All of these issues will be up for discussion at the next NPOA Spring Conference, February 22-24, 2018 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Hope you have signed up and looking forward to your thoughts on some of these questions!

Barry Martin Chairman, National Print Owners Association

Chairman’s Letter

“In speaking with some fellow NPOA members at the show several have totally gone digital and were looking at the latest inkjet offerings. It seems that inkjet is the hottest item on the market and it might replace our toner machines in the near future.”


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WhatTheyThink?


Here’s something to think about. The bigger any company is, the more likely it is that more than one person is actively buying printing, signage and promotional products. One of the keys to account

penetration is to identify all of those people, and I think it’s worth considering what “titles” buy the various elements of your product line. Here’s an admittedly sketchy list I’ve put together. Please give some thought to adding to it:• Office Managers buy

letterhead, envelopes, business cards, business forms and other types of “basic” business printing. In medical offices in particular, the Office Manager is probably the key contact for your sales efforts.

• Human Resources Titles (manager, specialist, assistant) buy employee

manuals – although admittedly not as many as they used to. They also buy signs, ranging from posters and banners to desk signs and door signs. Beyond that, HR titles buy a lot of printed/embroidered apparel – in fact, that may be the “home run” application with HR titles.

• Marketing Titles (manager, specialist, assistant) buy everything from stationery items to promotional printing, sometimes including product manuals and large format signage and point-of-purchase materials. They also buy a wide range of promotional products.

• Technical Titles (manager, editor, writer, specialist) buy technical manuals, making them great titles for digital printers. Yes, there may not be as much of this kind of printing as there used to be, but you want what there is, right?

• Purchasing Titles (manager, agent) might buy any kind of printing—but remember that purchasing titles tend to be the most price-oriented of all buyers!

• Executive Titles (owner, president, vice-president) might also buy any kind of printing, signs or promotional products. In a small company, these are good titles for you, but in a large company, you may have trouble getting the attention of such high-ranking executives and be better off looking for an initial contact at a lower level.As you consider these titles, let’s also remember

the difference between decision-makers and money-spenders. It may very well be that an Office Manager – or even a secretary or receptionist – places orders, but that person is not empowered to make the decision to change suppliers. To be successful at account penetration, you have to identify and be talking to the decision-makers!

Targeting the Titles that BuyBy Dave Fellman


By Kristen McKiernanPresident, AccuZIP, Inc.

Printers know personalized content improves response and conversion rates in any delivery channel. Recipients perceive personalized messages as indications the sender knows something about them.

They expect the documents will include targeted and useful material.

Documents built with bad data can be a disaster though. Personalized documents composed with inaccurate information are glaringly obvious to the readers. To prevent negative consequences, companies must verify or improve the data they use to drive customer communications. Data quality is more important than ever.

Decades ago, personalization efforts were limited to printing the customer’s name in a sales letter, often awkwardly injected multiple times. Personalized letters impressed consumers the first time they received them, but the newness faded. Presentation has improved immensely and inserting the recipient’s name barely counts as personalization anymore.

Everything May Be VariableToday, document

composition software and digital printing allows for more sophisticated approaches. Marketers may personalize documents with images, text, and offers based on demographic information, buying history, and more. Every piece could be different. In a multi-channel approach, marketers may tie a mailpiece to other personalized campaign elements such as precisely timed emails or text messages.

Unfortunately, inaccurate data still creates problems. Besides the challenges facing those early personalized document innovators, the current communication environment adds other potential pitfalls for dynamic messages. Document producers must consider new aspects of data quality.

• Variable text or images may not display as expected on all screen sizes

• Special characters or fonts in variable text can render inaccurately on different devices

• Online locations for data-driven images may have changed since initial testing

How to Add Value to Printed Communications

“Marketers may personalize documents with images, text, and offers based

on demographic information”


• Personalized links must connect to the intended web pages for every data variation

• Screen resolution and the ability to reproduce colors can affect variable message readability

Unlike those old “Dear JOHN SMITH” computer letters, personalized documents today do not depend on data directly from the contact database. Instead, the personalized data triggers selected offers, messages, and graphics used in the documents. This makes them more challenging to test and verify.

Address Data Quality and PersonalizationPostal addresses are common data elements for

controlling variable print documents. Inaccurate or incomplete address information can have a major influence on the messages delivered to recipients.

Owners of single-family homes, for instance, may receive one message while apartment-dwellers receive another. Here, software such as Apartment Append can be a valuable asset, adding apartment numbers to addresses mailers might otherwise identify as standalone homes. Besides ensuring accurate mail delivery, Apartment Append allows mailers to deliver relevant offers to each addressee. Marketers improve campaign performance through increased response and conversion rates.

In other cases, data quality techniques may help mailers drop undesirable names from the mailing list. Companies use Deceased Suppression databases to avoid sending insensitive or inappropriate communications to households where the principal contact has passed away. Family members may look unfavorably on a health club offering a lifetime membership to their recently departed relative, for instance. Deceased Suppression helps mailers prevent these embarrassing situations.

Many communications rely heavily on the recipient’s physical address to promote events, goods, or services available at the nearest physical location. Marketers may also vary copy and artwork depending on whether recipients live in urban, suburban, or rural communities. About 35 million people move every year, according to the US Census. Some movers do not file change-of-address forms with the US Postal Service. Combining the USPS NCOALink service with Additional Change of Address sources is one way to ensure mailers properly compose and deliver personalized documents based on the recipient’s geographic location.

Another postal process that improves delivery, lowers postage, and makes personalized content more accurate is leveraging local delivery information supplied by postal carriers. Products such as DSF2 can prevent mailers from sending material to vacant properties, unoccupied vacation homes, or addresses without a mail receptacle.

Data Quality and Mail Tracking as a Competitive Advantage

Many companies see data enhancement as a way to win and retain business. They improve data quality simultaneously with common processes such as merge/purge or postal sorting. More accurate address data enables them to boost their mail’s effectiveness through segmentation and personalization, making marketing efforts more productive and improving the customer experience. Both are generally objectives for businesses and non-profits.

Personalize Outbound Efforts by Tracking Scanned Mail and Using Personalized QR Codes

In addition to Data Quality and Personalization, there are tools available that can generate the Tracking URL and re-direct URLs to be used with a QR Code encoder to generate a personalized and variable QR Code image. The Personalized and Unique QR Code can be printed on each individual piece. Tools such as AccuZIP’s AccuTrace will automatically log exactly when the mail-piece was scanned, at what location it was scanned, the device used to scan the QR Code, and how many times the QR Code was scanned. A marketing or sales representative can then react with a proactive outbound personalized sales effort to the prospect.

Data used intelligently to craft and deliver personally relevant and impactful messages to the right audience improves campaign ROI and boosts conversion rates. Organizations spending their money on printed materials expect to achieve a reasonable return on their investments. Enhanced data adds value to print and delivers the best possible results.Kristen McKiernan is President of AccuZIP Inc. a provider of feature rich solutions to manage Contact Data Quality, Address Hygiene, USPS Postal Presorting and Compliance, and Mail Tracking and Reporting. Their Data Enhancement suite of products allows mailers to fine-tune their messages and get more of their mail delivered. Use their free calculator at http://accuzip.com/des/calculator/ to see how enhanced data quality can impact your next project. The AccuTrace tool also offers Mail Tracking and Reporting as well as Unique Piece Level QR Codes. Learn more about AccuTrace at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcf-p_ux0fE&t=9s Readers may reach Kristen at [email protected]

‘Cyberspace’ AnniversaryThis month marks the anniversary of William Gibson’s coining of the term “cyberspace” in his cult classic book “Neuromancer.” Released in 1984, his book was written when computers were not yet affordable or useful for the mainstream. Gibson envisioned a world in which hackers run rampant through a digital world offering visual hallucinations and a connected society that has only recently emerged in the real world. To a young generation of computer fanatics, he has been considered a prophet for his work.


By Mardra SikoraCEO Pocket Folders FasT

Your client is setting up for their next big trade show. You’re helping them with the banners, the signage, their business cards and brochures, and of course, their pocket folder. Pretty straight forward stuff.

Tradeshows are a serious investment for any company and the return on investment can be hard to quantify. There are challenges. How to get people to stop at the booth? How to turn that stop into a sale? Standing out and establishing a relationship are tricky prospects on a busy expo floor.

Planning and the Pre-Show List Tradeshow planning and marketing has three

segments: Pre-show, during the show and then follow-up. Now is time to open your bag of tricks and use one of the most underutilized features of digital print technology: variable print. Every digital press manufacturer uses this technology as a “selling point” – but are you actually selling it?

Pre-ShowDepending on the amount of data, you/your client

receives in a pre-show registration list, you can set up postcard or email blasts in order to incentivize attendees to check out the exhibitor’s wares. Give folks a reason to stop at the booth – even if it’s just for something fun, like a carnival game or a selfie station. Just getting the

exhibitor’s name and identity in front of the attendee before the show is a great tool to begin establishing name/logo recognition. If a mailing address is provided, sending a postcard that can be redeemed at the show for a special treat, sale, or prize is step one. At bigger shows, this note may be the crucial difference needed to get the attention of the attendees pre-planning their booth stops.

Would you believe this is where most exhibitors stop?

During the showHelp your client get creative with that pre-registration

list for items to distribute at the show. For us, having a personalized folder for every person who walks by the booth has been a real “show stopper.” People never seem to get tired of seeing their name and frankly, many are surprised by it.

“How did you get my name on this folder?” They are delighted and impressed. (And I’m dealing

with printers!) Variable print isn’t just about names, though. Say your

client wants to color code folders for certain subsets of their industry, or maybe they want to do a tab folder with different entities, or job titles on the tab.

As you know, I love folders. I could (and do) talk folders all day, but that’s not the only great variable print idea out there. How about having individualized luggage tags at a travel conference? Or personalized candy boxes to match a carnival themed booth?

Using Variable Data for the Win at Trade Shows


It is true, unless the booth is well “manned” and well organized, the trade show floor may be too chaotic to have individually personalized items available in the booth, but varied images, cities, colors . . . anything that an attendee can identify with, can be created. Executed correctly, the impact on the end customer is astronomical.

The Follow-UpThe traffic volume of a trade-show should never stop

an exhibitor from adding customization at the most important “touch” – the follow up.

Exhibitor Magazine indicates that 98% of all exhibitors collect sales leads at a trade show. Whether it’s a business card, a notebook, or a lead system – this data is precious.

OK Kids. I mean it. When working with a client on their trade show plans, be sure to include the follow-up as part of the process. Exhibitors pay a lot, I mean a whole lot, to invest in the travel, exhibits, and expenses. The follow-up needs to be carefully considered and executed. Ideally, with correspondence that ties in with the theme chosen for their show and it should always be personalized.

Also, that pre-show list should then be split in two, one list for the leads “seen” and the second list “We can help you!”

As an example, our team had a lot of fun with variable follow-up from a recent ASI show. Step one was to take photos in the booth – people love their “selfies” these days. When we reached out after the show, each lead received a folder with their picture on it. The caption read: “We had a blast at ASI Chicago! But the best part was meeting you!” If there was no photo, then we inserted the person’s name. We enjoyed hearing back from people who were delighted to open their envelope and find their smiling face as a solidification of this new relationship.

Another customer of ours specializes in print for the real-estate industry. Each folder in his company’s follow-up had the name and photo of the agency he met.

Again, I sell folders, so these are my world, but variable ideas work on any digitally imprinted product. Variable can be in groups as well, maybe by city, “We loved meeting the Kansas City Team” then, “New York” and “Atlanta Team,” too.

The point is, the technology is here and relatively simple. How simple? Well if it’s a copy change that means we need the basic design, a font choice, and an excel list. With pictures it’s a little fancier, but not bad. The set-up costs aren’t bad either.

Win-Win!When your client grows their business beyond

belief this year due to that great event you helped them with, because of those little touches that make a big difference, and the expertise you brought to the table, everyone wins!

MEMBER PROFILE

Haines Printing Announces Expansion

In July we moved into our 8,000 square foot addition and added a brand new Ryobi 925 press with perfector and aqueous coating. This is the first 4/1 perfector Ryobi built for this sheet size. The new

press now gives us the capabilities of printing on 24” x 36” which is a competitive advantage for multi-page brochures and longer run jobs. We’ve already acheived significant reductions in press time on jobs such as a 17,000 32-page brochure job; a 116 page 4-color perfect bound book; and 300,000 quarterly 12-page booklets with the cover being 4/1 and the inside pages b&w. The last job saves significant because of the perfecting capabilities. Our two large 4-color presses have been running near full capacity all year. Now we have open press time again and the potential to increase our business.

When Will All ThosePaper Checks Disappear?The paper check is a dinosaur walking. Not yet extinct, but close. The 300-year-old form of payment had a good run. According to Bloomberg, the average person still used 38 checks each year in 2015, but that number has been dropping fast. Payment options like Paypal and Venmo, which allow for instant transfers with just a few taps on any smartphone, have taken over, especially among young people. Older Americans are lagging behind with only 18 percent of smartphone users over 60 having used mobile banking services, although that number is slowly growing as well. In the UK, paper checks will be phased out in 2018. Sweden, Ireland and Australia have already eliminated them.


Printing Industry Business ConditionsBy Richard RomanoWhatTheyThink.com

RevenuesBusiness in the first half of 2017 has been generally good, although at mid-year, revenues are not growing as much as had been reported in 2016. Thirty percent of respondents said that revenues had increased by six percent or more compared to the first half of 2016, and 21% of respondents said that revenues had declined by six percent or more. Just about half (48%) of respondents were holding steady – revenues were unchanged, or increased/decreased by less than six percent.

Jobs/OrdersIn terms of number of jobs, one-fourth (26%) of respondents said that jobs had increased by six percent or more compared to the first half of 2016, while 19% said that jobs had declined by six percent or more. More than one-half (55%) of respondents said the number of jobs was holding steady. Only 11% of respondents said that the number of jobs had increased by more than ten percent.

Figure 1. In terms of your 2017 revenues so far this year at this location only, how do they compare to the first half of 2016? – All respondents, June 2017

ProfitsIn terms of profitability, almost one-third (31%) of respondents said that overall profitability had increased by six percent or more compared to the first half of 2016, and only 15% said that profits had declined by six percent or more. The bulk of respondents (55%) said that profits were holding steady. Still, 16% of respondents said that profits had increased by more than 10 percent.

Business ChallengesThe top business challenge was “capabilities of sales personnel,” selected by 20% of respondents, up from the 28% who said this in our Fall 2016 survey. At number two was the previous number one, “economic conditions,” selected by 26% of respondents, down from 44% last fall. At last, people are starting to get the sense that their problems lie elsewhere. The number three challenge was “pricing” at 25%, down one percentage point from last fall

Figure 3. In terms of your 2017 profits so far this year at this location only, how do they compare to the first half of 2016? –All respondents, June 2017

Figure 4. In the next 12 months, which of the following will be your biggest business challenges? – All respondents, June 2017

Figure 2. In terms of your 2017 jobs/orders so far this year at this location only, how do they compare to the first half of 2016? – All respondents, June 2017


Planned Investments“Finishing/bindery equipment for digital production” is far and away the hot investment item for print businesses overall; 31% said they planned to invest in finishing equipment in the next 12 months, up from the 22% who said this in our Fall 2016 survey. In somewhat distant second was “wide-format color printer,” selected by 19% At number three was “MIS system” selected by 15% of respondents, up from 11% last fall

Production Process ChangesOnly 3% of respondents said that offset jobs had increased by six percent or more compared to the first half of 2016, while 41% said that offset jobs had declined by six percent or more. More than one-half (56%) of respondents said that offset jobs were holding steady.

Figure 5. Which of the following investment items have you budgeted for and plan to acquire in the next 12 months? – All respondents, June 2017

Figure 6. Please indicate the extent to which offset jobs have been increasing or decreasing over the past 12 months – All respondents, June 2017

Almost one-half (46%) of respondents said that color digital jobs had increased by six percent or more compared to the first half of 2016, while 48% said that color digital jobs had held steady. Only 6% said that color digital jobs were shrinking.

Four out of 10 survey respondents said that wide-format jobs were growing 10 percent or more, while 59% said wide-format jobs were holding steady. Note, though, that 16% said “don’t have [wide-format equipment/jobs]/don’t know.”

Figure 8. Please indicate the extent to which black-and-white digital jobs have been increasing or decreasing over the past 12 months – All respondents, June 2017

Access to ‘WhatTheyThink’ Provided to NPOA MembersStay on top of emerging trends with the printing industry’s premier daily newsletter. As an NPOA member you have unlimited access to WhatTheyThink’s industry data, commentary and analysis. To join WhatTheyThink under NPOA’s premium membership plan visit the NPOA Member Portal http://www.printowners.org.

Figure 7. Please indicate the extent to which color digital jobs have been increasing or decreasing over the past 12 months –All respondents, June 2017

Continued on Next Page


Production Process ChangesThirteen percent of respondents said that black-and-white digital jobs were growing, while 68% said they were holding steady. Still, 20% said that black-and-white digital jobs were shrinking.

Thirty-one percent of respondents said that non-print marketing services were growing, 68% said they were holding steady, and 0.7% said they were shrinking.

Printing Industry Business ConditionsContinued from Page 13

Figure 10. Please indicate the extent to which non-print marketing services have been increasing or decreasing over the past 12 months —All respondents, June 2017

Business Development vs. SalesRespondents generally agreed with the statement “Our company uses business development strategies rather than traditional sales.” Six out of 10 agreed (11% strongly) while 18% disagreed and 21% neither agreed or disagreed.

Marketing Experience in HiringRespondents generally disagreed with the statement “Our company hires employees based on their end-user marketing experience rather than printing industry expertise,” with 15% agreeing and 27% disagreeing. Four out of 10 (39%) neither agreed or disagreed, and 19% selected “don’t know/not applicable.”

Figure 12. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement “Our company hires employees based on their end-user marketing experience rather than printing industry expertise.” – All respondents, June 2017

Figure 9. Please indicate the extent to which wide-format jobs have been increasing or decreasing over the past 12 months – All respondents, June 2017

Figure 11. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement “Our company uses business development strategies rather than traditional sales.” – All respondents, June 2017

This originally appeared on WhatTheyThink.com. WhatTheyThink is the global printing industry’s leading source for unbiased market intelligence. Copyright ©2017 WhatTheyThink. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. Access to WhatTheyThink Provided to NPOA Members. Stay on top of emerging trends with the printing industry’s premier daily newsletter. As an NPOA member you have unlimited access to WhatTheyThink’s industry data, commentary and analysis. To join WhatTheyThink under NPOA’s premium membership plan visit the NPOA Member Portal http://www.printowners.org

Full survey results – and more – can be found inour 2017 Mid-Year Report and 2018 Preview.


Generation GapMore respondents disagreed than agreed with the statement “The age/generation gap between our sales people and clients is a problem for our company.” Only 11% agreed (and only 1% strongly) and 35% disagreed (17% strongly). Seventeen percent neither agreed nor disagreed, but 17% also said “don’t know/not applicable.”

ROI and AnalyticsMore respondents agreed than disagreed with the statement “Our company makes an effort to track ROI and provide other analytics for client jobs.” Forty percent agreed (8% strongly) and 32% disagreed. Seventeen percent neither agreed or disagreed, and 11% said “don’t know/not applicable.”

Figure 14. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement “Our company makes an effort to track ROI and provide other analytics for client jobs” – All respondents, June 2017

Marketing AutomationMore respondents disagreed than agreed with the statement “Our company provides clients with data about their jobs that facilitates integration with marketing automation systems.” Almost one-half (48%) disagreed (30% strongly) while 29% agreed. Just under one-fourth (23%) neither agreed or disagreed, and 9% said “don’t know/not applicable.”

AlliancesOverwhelmingly, respondents agreed with the statement “Our company allies with other businesses to offer print services/products we don’t produce in-house”—93% agreed with the statement (42% strongly). Only 3% disagreed, 5% neither agreed nor disagreed, and no one said “don’t know/not applicable.”

Figure 16. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement “Our company allies with other businesses to offer print services/products we don’t produce in-house” – All respondents, June 2017

Figure 13. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement “The age/generation gap between our sales people and clients is a problem for our company.” – All respondents, June 2017

Figure 15. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement “Our company provides clients with data about their jobs that facilitates integration with marketing automation systems” – All respondents, June 2017

Continued on Next Page


©2017 Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved. Xerox®, Xerox and Design® and Versant® are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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AlliancesThe majority of respondents agreed with the statement “Our company allies with other businesses to offer non-print services/products we don’t produce in-house” – 83% agreed with the statement (24% strongly). Only 9% disagreed.

Planned Trade Show AttendanceThe top trade show/event that respondents intend to attend, selected by just under one-fourth of respondents, is PRINT 17. The number two response, way down at 8%, is the SGIA Expo, closely followed by NPOA (National Print Owners Association).

Figure 17. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement “Our company allies with other businesses to offer non-print services/products we don’t produce in-house” – All respondents, June 2017

Printing Industry Business ConditionsContinued from Page 15


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Why I Fired My Sales RepBy Paula FargoCurry Printing, Baltimore, MD

Although I sensed I had a problem on my hands even before my mother reported seeing my sales rep at her beauty salon getting

his nails done during business hours, I realized I needed to do something about this situation now.

“Wesley” was a glad hander! He was always happy to see you! “Hey! How’s everything? How’s it going?” and not waiting for a response. He had a “perma-grin” on his face, and not in a good way. He seemed, I don’t know, slick and dishonest?

I knew that was not the case. He was pretty honest in my experience, just a little, hmm, lackadaisical in the effort arena shall we say?

Oh, he brought in big accounts. He did a great job with clients and making them feel good about using us. And he did whatever we needed him to do. Unless he had something else to do. In which case, he did not help us. He wasn’t a team player, but is that necessarily a bad thing in a sales rep?

YES, it is deadly.Who wants to work overtime, go an extra mile, much less an

inch, and achieve above and beyond for a cardboard cutout? Not my staff, and I don’t blame them.

And what happens when the tide goes out and the economy goes down…you see who’s been swimming naked! Yup, Wesley was speedo-less, and when the economy tanked and his big clients pulled up stakes, guess who was left without a plan. Right…both of us were.

I share blame for this as a pre-Bill Farqrharson sales manager. I sales-managed by hoping, not, as it turns out, a particularly effective strategy.

My former sales rep was lazy and complacent. He was disorganized and not technologically savvy. He was shallow and needy. He knew the printing business, but so do a lot of people.

My NEW sales rep is motivated and hungry. She is efficient and learns what she needs to learn in order to know more than her clients do. She is interesting and self-sufficient. And now she knows the printing business.

Moral: Hire attitude and train for the printing industry. PS: Fire without looking back when needed.

“He was pretty honest in my experience, just a little, hmm,

lackadaisical in the effort arena shall we say?”


OSHA Rolls Back Regulations, Reporting

OSHA has rolled back some of its detailed reporting on workplace fatalities, a move that has been back by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce which thought the information was unnecessarily

and unfairly punitive to companies.

Under the Obama Administration, extensive details about fatalities were posted on the OSHA website, including the names of the workers who died, the companies, and the apparent circumstances. But critics said the practice did not protect the privacy of families and unfairly put black marks on companies even before the accidents were investigated.

The practice was an attempt to make companies work harder on compliance and humanize safety statistics, OSHA officials said. The agency posted weekly reports of accidents and put a scrolling box on its home page reporting the names of workers who died in accidents.

The new OSHA website posts a more limited set of information on citations for companies dating back to the beginning of the year. Previously fatality information was available through 2009. OSHA has also rolled back a regulation that required companies to electronically file injury logs they keep on the work site, reports the Wall Street Journal.

3-D Printed Automobile Tires Are on the WayFlat tires, blowouts, and even putting air into tires could one day be obsolete if Michelin’s concept for a new tire makes it to the mainstream. According to Engadget, the company has designed a prototype of a tire that can be printed in a machine, retreaded without replacement after it gets worn down, and is made using sustainable materials. All of these factors would lead to a tire that is cheaper, safer and more versatile for the consumer than the products currently on the market. With the new design, there is not a separate wheel and tire but rather one object constructed with a web-like pattern of rubbery material that supports the exterior tread. Because of this feature, the tire does not require any air and will be impervious to nails and other objects that can easily cause a flat with today’s vehicles. Although it is a long way off, this concept paints a bright future for the auto industry’s lessened impact on the environment.


Registration Includes Admission to the Graphics of America Show

Register Online atwww.printowners.orgor Give Us a Call1.888.316.2040 NPOA

You will meet fellow Print Owners and build lasting relationships.The NPOA 2018 Conference will be held in Fort Lauderdale, FL, in conjunction with the Graphics of the Americas Show. Come in Wednesday night and gain entrance to GOA for FREE. To register for the NPOA conference, fill out this form and return with payment or log into printowners.org and register and pay on-line. If you have any questions, feel free to contact NPOA at: [email protected]. Also, the 2018 registration includes admission to the Graphics of America Show on Thursday which will have their floor educational sessions going on at the same time.

Early Bird RegistrationEnds November 30, 2017

NPOA Member Conference Registration:M Primary Attendee .................................$525M Additional Attendees ........................$475M Additional Social Only ....................$145

Conference Registration Non-Members:M Primary Attendees ..............................$795M Additional Attendees ........................$795M Additional Social Only ....................$145

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Remember, if you have already registered for this conference, and then decide at a later point that you would like to register an additional attendee, partner or spouse you may do so simply by returning to this registration for at a later point.

The Best Conference in the Print Industry

Ricoh USA, Inc., 70 Valley Stream Parkway, Malvern, PA 19355, 1-800-63-RICOH. Ricoh® and the Ricoh logo are registered trademarksof Ricoh Company, Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2017 Ricoh USA, Inc. All rights reserved.

Printed on the RICOH Pro C7100X Series with 5th Color Neon Yellow Toner

Your next big opportunity starts with Ricoh. Having the right equipment in place to meet evolving market trends and customer demands is crucial to success.

With the RICOH Pro C7100X Series you can offer your clients more—and take your business further. Produce dazzling color output that’s more affordable for your customers—and more profitable for you.

This innovative 5th Color Digital Production Print System empowers you with the ability to print oversized media and explore new creative applications with Clear, White, and Neon Yellow Toner. Turn imaginative designs into captivating work with a broad range of substrate choices including synthetics, dark media, and simulated metallics.

To explore the possibilities, talk your Ricoh Sales Rep or visit RicohBusinessBooster.com/5thColor

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