m-Bossed

What do NYC window displays teach Printing Storefronts?

Photo by:Powellizer

• Make it transparent, yet eye catching.
• Break through the language barriers.

The Aesthetics

A snaking line wraps around the entire city block of the Macy's flagship store in New York City for the majority of the holiday season. Both tourists and locals alike gather to see the storyboard scenes that unfold from each picture window. The attraction is the holiday decor although the stores do increase buyer traffic. The retailers of New York try to trump the next for the bigger, brighter, or more realistic display in lure of these shoppers. Simply put, the displays are stimuli for the eye that connect with each onlooker at an individual level. Joy, suspense, happiness, and awe, are just a few of the emotions that are seen in the window reflections. Online storefronts, where print buyers go to place orders, have to adhere to the same design aesthetics to attract and retain customers. If the website is confusing, cluttered, or simply ugly, the online print buyer can simply type in the next printer's URL. Customer loyalty or geographic restrictions are less of an issue for the online print buyer, so the print shop's online storefront must be designed for the greatest appeal or at least to not repel prospective business. The technology behind the user experience must be as transparent as the picture window glass is for the holiday shoppers. Whether ordering template based catalog work or a complex ode to Shakespeare, the storefront should automate every possible aspect of the purchasing experience. iTunes can be viewed as the creme de la creme of online shopping for its ease of use because the technology supports the user experience. Anyone can purchase a song within 4 clicks of a mouse. A feat most printing storefront solutions cannot match.

Speaking the Languages

New York City is a veritable melting pot of cultures. The lines wrapped around the window displays are filled with a rainbow of nationalities. Russian, French, German, Italian, or Farsi, are just a few of the languages that can be heard. Yet the central message in the display transcends any of the language barriers. Everyone gets the message. A print shop's online storefront must similarly be able to speak different languages - the languages of e-commerce. There are many dialects to e-commerce but each speaks to a specific function or purpose. SQL speaks the language of databases. CSS, or cascading style sheets, allow for visual customization of the webpages.  XML is a data format for information exchange. JDF, a specific structure of XML, ties together the production processes of the print shop from management through shipping. VDX is for composing variable data print. The list goes on. Each language is needed based upon the specific uses of the storefront. Not all storefront solutions speak every language, so a careful needs analysis is required. The needs of the customer will ultimately dictate the e-commerce architecture needed. Yet the biggest challenge is to let the architecture support the storefront without overwhelming the experience. After all, lines would not queue up at Macy's every year if the windows were painted white.  

Who in Graphic Arts is on Twitter? - MindMap Round 2

Get the word out about your social media efforts with Twitter by posting your information to a public Mind Map for all to see. Click on the Retweet This! bird below to automatically post this to your Twitter account.

Benefits

1. Increase your Twitter exposure to those who matter.
2. Easier than digging through Twitter to find others with similar interest.
   
3. Categories group the Twitter account by purpose.

Steps:

1. Read the Posting Guidelines below.
   
2. Learn about the Categories below.
   
3. Click the link to be taken to the Mind Map
   
4. Create a free account - no registration required to view
   
5. Add your Twitter account name and link (www.twitter.com/[username])

General Guidelines for Posting to the Mind Map

    Do post to the right category.
        A description of categories is listed below.
    Do create additional categories and sub-categories if necessary.
        We all love organization.

    Do not assign a color to the link!
        It's cool to print in color, but not to look at a rainbow mine field.
    Do not create a category for just yourself!
        Self promotion is good, vanity is not.

If you are involved within the Graphic Arts community and use Twitter, then post your Twitter information on this Mind Map

Categories

• Vendor Twits
  Twitter account officially sanctioned by a print supplier/vendor. Examples of vendors would include MAN Roland, Heidelberg, Kodak, Agfa, etc.
  
• Print Pundit Twits
  Twitter users who offer a voice and opinion that add value to the graphic arts community. These are individuals, blogs, or groups that are not affiliated with established vendors or traditional news outlets.
  
• Printer Twits
  Print shops that have implemented Twitter in their social media repertoire.
  
• Print News Twits
  Printing industry, online news sites who also tweet, i.e. PrintWeek, WhatTheyThink.com, etc.
  
• Print Publication Twits
  Printed trade magazines that might also have an online presence like American Printer.

 

Click to see here the Printing Blog Mind Map.

 

graphic arts, print industry, printing, tweets, twits, twitter

Print09: Complete Twitter Coverage

 

Now that the media days for Print09 are over, vendors and show exhibitors are opening up the curtains to reveal new releases and product announcements. The media coverage this year will be a huge departure from past years as smart phone strapped attendees stroll the show floor reporting in real time. The power of social media will be on full display. From now until the Oz-like announcer closes the show, you can follow Print09 Twitter coverage here at mBossed.com (http://www.m-bossed.com/print09.html).

Remember to include the #print09 in your tweets about Print09.

Top 4 Reasons

1. One website to remember.
2. Check it from any internet connection.
3. No tools required, it's already setup for you.
4. No Twitter client needed.

The top feed finds all tweets with the hash tag "#print09". All other feeds pull vendor specific information. A tweet with "#print09" and "prinergy" would appear under the Kodak feed, whereas "print09" and "prinect" would appear under the Heidelberg feed, etc.

Vendor Specific Feeds*

• EFI
• Kodak
• Canon
• Agfa
• HP
• Xerox
• Heidelberg
• manroland
• Komori

Don't forget to type out those tweets throughout the show until your fingers go numb! Check back regularly for the latest exhibitor news and attendee reactions.

* Subject to change dependent upon activity level.

Place Your Bets for EFI Connect

On August 2nd the Vegas strip will become more than just a destination for Texas Hold 'em, Cirque du Soliel shows, and overpriced dining, when EFI kicks off this years Connect user group conference at the Wynn resort. The conference lasts for four short days but will be packed with general sessions, user group meetings, exhibitor booths, and a hands-on computer lab. Check out the full itinerary on EFI's site.

The loyal fan base's angst (link) should have cooled considerably over the past year as users adjusted to the new unified MIS product matrix consisting of Printsmith, EFIPace, and Monarch. Users who have not migrated away from those products, however, will also be happy to know EFI is continuing breakout sessions at Connect.

Three Likely Outcomes

1. Process Improvement sessions will be a hit as printers seek advice in the current economic environment.
2. The Monarch software suite will offer better integration to Digital Storefront and 3rd party prepress systems like Kodak's Prinergy.
3. A full year of joint development translates into big gains for former ePace users.

Any Wildcards?

Will EFI continue acquiring technologies through targeted purchases like last year's ePace? Could it be Lithotechnics, makers of Metrix software, this year? Only time will tell.

Regardless, EFI Connect is a great opportunity for users to express their concerns, build camaraderie, and gain important product/process knowledge.

Printing with the jitters.

Like many, I start my day off with a cup of coffee (corporate swill) or a grande, non-fat latte from Starbucks if the mood strikes. A different type of  espresso recently caught my attention - the Espresso Book Machine or EBM. The EBM is the first print on demand kiosk to offer perfect bound books with page counts from 40-830 pages in sizing up to 8.5" x 11". Currently, there are over 1 million copyrighted works available after a few clicks of a mouse. The company is positioning the device as an ATM device for the publishing industry.

The launch of the first updated, version 2.0 EBM was this past April at Blackwell's flagship bookstore in London. If the On Demand Books company is successful in scattering the EBM into every library, coffee shop, and bookstore, then the EBM could offer an attractive alternative to eBooks and readers like the Kindle. Books published by the Espresso are priced attractively, often lower than the Kindle downloads, and still offer all of the tactile comforts of a traditional book.

Listen to the NPR's Morning Edition coverage of the EBM.

Intro Video from Which?

A Printer's Response to the Espresso

Counterpoint: Better Off? Where technology has taken print.

I love technology almost to a detriment. I have a Mac, PC, DVR (formally Tivo), portable hard drive, thumb drive, Bluetooth headset, flat screen television, and other gadgets to numerous to list. I also have iPhone envy. As for work, I am immersed in Web-to-Print, MIS, ERP, and JDF based workflows on a daily basis.

The promise of technology is to enrich our lives - make it easier, faster, better. The reality, however, often falls far from the hype. Technologies and machines can develop alter egos that require constant attention, thus robbing us of the benefit originally offered. Such is the premise of Eric Brende's book Better Off, Flipping the Switch on Technology, in which he tries to discover the minimum amount of technology pursuant to the good life while living amongst an Amish-esque community. During this time he discovers the benefits of minimation stating, "...it is better to find a non-technological solution than a technological one, or failing that, a less technological solution than a more technological one."

The role of technology in printing has definitely created a more efficient production engine, but at what price? The industry, largely due to technology, seems to still be reeling from the transformation of boutique production to commodity manufacturing. For print shop owners, production technologies have reduced turn around times while marginalizing profits - more work for the same money. For the print shop employees, production technologies have forced stagnant wages and the disappearance of mono-tasked jobs. The replacement of machine over man is Eric's second reason for minimation.

To cater to an inanimate object's needs is one thing; to aid and abet our own replacement is another. - Eric Brende, Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology

Death by Technology for these Jobs (brief selection)

• Typesetter
• Camera Operator
• Film Technician
• Mechanical Paste-up
• Dot Etcher
• Stripper
• Proofer
• Press Helper

Likewise, technology has increased the demand for Einstein smart employees. Ineffective HR policies and lackluster wages appear to be hampering a lot of recruitment efforts. This concept has already been explored here, but was also recently cited at the Printing Office blog. Patrick Henry pointed to a study by Manpower, Inc. which indicated a third of companies are having difficulty filling open positions, with the toughest placement in skilled trades such as printing.

In many ways technology has increased the difficulty for printers and their employees. Even so, technology still has its place. For Eric Brende's minimation doctrine, technology is "handy" for bodily labor, transportation, and communication. He still applies the rules for minimation, however, where the telephone still trumps e-mail, Twitter, or Facebook, for communication due to its simplicity in getting the job done. For printers, the same simplicity should be sought when evaluating any new print technology where the implicit value must outweigh the explicit costs.

Print09: Technology to Consider

In preparing for the Must See 'Em awards, the GASC identified ten "core" technologies that printers should be evaluating as part of their operations. Below is the list that can also be found at GraphicsArtsOnline.

Print 09 Core Technologies

1. Information Technology
   Web-to-Print
   Management Information Systems (MIS)
   three way tie for 1st place
2. Digital Printing
3. Workflow
4. Color Management
   Cross-Media Production
   two way tie for 6th place
5. Automated Equipment
6. Customer Resource Management (CRM)
7. Preflighting

Printing by Nerds

As the printing industry has evolved into a computer centric manufacturing business focused on lean manufacturing and production efficiencies, the industry has also had to rely more on the use of technology. To no surprise then, seven of the top 10 categories rely heavily on IT and technical prowess. Printers, in their attempts to diversify beyond printing, are continuing to focus as much effort in technology as traditionally spent researching physical press and bindery equipment.

CRM, MIS, Web-to-Print, and/or prepress workflows often require advance know how in database (SQL, Oracle, etc.) management and web programming languages (CSS, XML, etc). The skill sets usually have to be recruited from outside the traditional labor pool of the printing industry. Finding and retaining this talent can be difficult, since print shop owners are now recruiting against traditional tech-centric companies and industries.

At Print09 vendors will also be focusing on the nerdy aspects of computer integrated print manufacturing by showing the new and improved customer, management, and workflow systems. Instead of focusing on each individual component, however, focus on the cohesion and integration between the Web-to-Print, MIS, and production workflows. Most vendors, having mastered the integration between their own products, will now tout integration in mixed vendor environments. Since industry wide specifications for data exchange (JDF, JMF, EDI, etc.) have matured, the foundation for true interoperability between vendors is coming to fruition. Such integration will be a boon for the majority of print shops since their Web-to-Print, MIS, and production workflows are usually purchased from different vendors. A typical example might include Web-to-Print from a service such as Pageflex, MIS from EFI, and the production workflow from Kodak.

At minimum, the "core" list can act as a starting place for discovering key technologies that can enhance any shops offerings. If you are planning a trip to Print09, grab a map and plot your course to learn what these core technologies could do for your business.

Who is Workin' 9 to 5?

photo by: cybermelli

The U.S. Bureau of  Labor Statistics (BLS) released the new figures on the nation's unemployment outlook last Friday. Surprisingly, the better than expected numbers caused a brief, but temporary rally on Wall Street. The employment numbers were down with the worse hits coming from (surprise) the manufacturing segment - more specifically auto manufacturing. The official unemployment count stands 14.5 million or 9.4% of the eligible workforce.

Here are some other ways of viewing the data:

• The BLS estimates the active workforce at 154 million.
  Total U.S. population sits at 306,620,460 people according to the Census Bureau, so roughly half the population is too young, old, or otherwise incapable of working anyway.
   
• If you add the 2.2 million "marginally attached", those who have looked for work within the past 12 months but not 4 weeks, the total unemployment figures stand at 16.7 million or roughly 10.8%.
  1 in 10 people who can work are looking for employment.
   
• The number of unemployed for Manufacturing of Non-Durable Goods, which would including printing, more than doubled from May 2008 to May 2009 to a total of 690,000 . (data)
• The number of people working in temporary employment capacity has increased 15.5% over the past year.
  As more people are faced with paying mortgages, expiring unemployment benefits, and down labor market, they have lowered their job expectations and pay scales.

Footnote: Workin' 9 to 5 the musical is now open on Broadway in case you missed the Tony Awards show.