Awards
Gala Wows Guests
An appreciative crowd of industry professionals
gathered for last night's Excellence in Print Awards gala, and were treated
to a feast for the senses with sights, sounds, smells, tastes and takeaways
that celebrated every aspect of print. Held at Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt,
MD, the new venue was just the beginning of the new aspects to the traditional
awards program. Vivid Mardi Gras decorations and take home favors--centerpieces,
masques, and beads--set a festive tone for the evening, while a jazz trio
entertained everyone with an elegant backdrop of sound during the highly
successful cocktail and networking portion of the evening.
PGAMA President Kerry Stackpole opened the program with welcoming
remarks and the announcement of a new regional print promotion
launched by PGAMA earlier this week. "Print
Grows Trees" is a consumer
education campaign meant to share the truth about the printing industry
with regard to forestry management. (See full details of Print Grows
Trees campaign in next article.) All guests received a complimentary
Print Grows Trees embossed poster courtesy of member Raff Embossing.
Riding
the enthusiasm generated by the Print Grows Trees debut, MC
Al Maddox of Time Printers, Inc. began the official awards ceremony
with an explanation of PGAMA's just-established Industry Hall of Fame. The
Hall was created to honor individuals who have significantly contributed
to the success of a PGAMA member firm. Previously recognized members of note
from PGAMA's founding associations now add this distinction to their credit,
and last night former PGAMA co-presidents Terry Heyer and Art Stowe were
inducted into this venerated group. Following this tribute, the stars of
print's future were saluted as well--those students competing in the 2010
SkillsUSA graphic communications contest this weekend. The audience
also applauded representatives of firms who had achieved the status of 25,
50, and 75 or more years of continuous Association membership.
The heart of the program then unfolded: the awards for entries in the Excellence
in Print competition. 42 companies received Best of Category awards, with
top honors going to GraphTec (Grand
Q); Printing Specialist Corporation (Little q); and Baltimore
Color Plate (Digital q).
Additional Special Sponsor Awards were presented to MOSAIC for
Most Unique Use of Design; and Westland Enterprises for Most
Creative Use of Binding & Finishing
as well as Best Use of Color. Look for full details
and photos of the event on pgama.com and in your upcoming member newsletters.
Print
Grows Trees: PGAMA Launches Print Promotion
PGAMA
unveiled a dynamic new print promotion campaign this week: Print Grows Trees.
The project was inspired by the creative
energy of Lewis Bloom and Mike Cooper of Lindenmeyr Munroe, and is fully
supported by the PGAMA Board of Directors and sponsored by the Association's
Education Fund. The focus of “Print
Grows Trees” is
to educate consumers about the value of print and its longstanding
role as a renewable and sustainable communication medium. The campaign launched
with signs featuring the image below adorning transit shelters throughout
D.C., and will expand to include billboards, radio spots, and posters. Each
image directs viewers to the campaign website (PrintGrowsTrees.org),
where facts and testimonials from the owners of America’s
woodlands explain how printing serves the environment
both as an economic engine and as a contributor to positive and proactive
forestry management. A greater awareness by the public of the true nature
of print could mean increased production for commercial printers.
PGAMA
members have access to the campaign artwork to create other promotional
materials such as bumper stickers, window clings, etc., which will not
only broadcast the message about print, but also showcase their firm's
special abilities. Member Raff Embossing & Foilcraft, for instance,
used the image to develop a luxe embossed poster for display in their shop
and to share with clients. (Sample posters were giveaways at the Excellence
in Print Awards Gala.) Similarly, Advantage Bookbinding used the images
to produce hardcover writing journals to distribute to their customers
and prospects. You can add your financial support to the campaign with
donations--every $50 contributor receives a "Print
Grows Trees" t-shirt--or
show your enthusiasm for the industry everywhere you go via a Print
Grows Trees license plate. Contact
PGAMA for full details about the license plate and/or use of the Print
Grows Trees artwork, 410-319-0900/877-319-0906.
Put Envelopes
to Work
When consumers receive marketing, advertising,
or promotional materials in the mail, what makes them open the
envelope? Ensure that your clients' (and your own!) mailings are read
by putting envelopes to work for you. Consumers report that they open
the envelope when:
They believe the contents might be interesting (66%)
They perceive the contents will be of personal interest
to them (61%)
They can clearly identify the purpose/sender (59%)
Are you making the most of envelopes as a marketing tool?
FREE
Video Training
As a PGAMA and Printing Industries
of America member, you can access complimentary
members-only Video Training. These one-to-three-minute
videos offer critical, timely information for printers and
their customers, with topics Including:
-Business—human resources, economics, environmental
issues
-Technical—production and workflow
-Customer Related Matters—design, prepress, and file
formatting
There are currently 17 videos available for download
in Windows Media, QuickTime, and Flash format, which can
be distributed to your staff and posted on your website for
your customers to access. You
Must Be Logged In To Access Members-Only Video Training Series!
To Log In:
Go to the home page: http://www.printing.org
Log on to Printing Industries of America by entering your
email address and password in the boxes located on the upper
righthand side of the page. You must be logged in to access
videos.
Click on Training Videos on the Events and Training drop-down
menu
Click on links at bottom of page to view and download your
video
401(k)
Rollovers on the Rise
More people are rolling over their 401(k) savings into IRAs
when they leave their jobs or retire, according to research
published by Charles Schwab. The research found 69% of assets
held by 401(k) participants were distributed from former
employers' plans within 12 months of leaving a job, confirmed
Eric Hazard, a spokesman for Schwab. Thirty-one percent kept
their money in their former employer's 401(k) plan. Of the
assets that were moved, 80% were rolled over into IRAs, 10%
were taken in cash distributions, 8% were moved into new
employer plans and 2% were taken in other forms of distributions,
according to a Schwab news release on the report. The research
was based on records of 12,198 employees who left jobs in
the fourth quarter of 2008.
Getting
Your Emails Read
The best
way to get your email read is to think of it like a news
article that you’d
find on the front page of the paper or the home page of a
news site. Here’s a three-step plan for creating
emails that will make it through the clutter. (And by the way
this works for voicemail and just about any communication
tool you can think of too!)
- The subject
line is the headline. When you read news, you decide what’s
worth reading based on the headline. In an email that’s
the subject line.
- The first paragraph is the “lead.” In
a news article, the first paragraph contains the “who,
what, when, where, why” — all
the important information. You can quickly scan it and
figure out if it’s
worth further investigation. The critical information
should be at the beginning of your email — preferably
in the first paragraph, so people can read it in their
preview pane.
- The article is edited before
it’s published.
Every news article goes past at least two or more sets
of eyes before it’s committed to paper or
the web. Why, then, do we trust that we can rattle off
critical business information without even rereading it
ourselves, let alone have someone else take a look at it
before we hit “send”? You don’t save
any time by creating an email in seconds — and then
spending days apologizing for misinformation or the tone
of your email. Just because you can send things at the
speed of light, doesn’t mean you should. Pause and
reread your email before sending it. If it’s really
critical have someone else take a look at it first.
Excerpted from "How to Write Emails That Will
Get Read"
by Wayne Turmel, and first published on bnet.com.
Member
News
The YGS Group was
featured in an article on WhatTheyThink.com about HP's Indigo
Division. YGS says that, "...streamlined HP SmartStream
workflows, along with HP Indigo presses' reliability, productivity
and high quality, make digital the most efficient and profitable
printing method for a significant amount of existing client
work." The YGS Group is now positioning itself for further
growth in digital with its recent addition of HP SmartStream
Director, which will allow the company to offer custom
online ordering interfaces for its clients. Check out the
full story at http://members.whattheythink.com/news/index.cfm?id=42778.
Upcoming
Events
| PAPER SHOW
TONIGHT! |
Production
Club of Baltimore Paper Show, 5:30-8:30pm
at Martin's West. See
the latest innovations in paper, media, and all
things production. Vendor space still available.
Contact Joann at 410-917-1358.
For details and attendee info go to
productionclubofbaltimore.org. |
| March 30 |
Seminar:
TechTalk-Using Technology to Track Clients and
Prospects, 11:30am-1:00pm
at PGAMA. PGAMA Vice
President Paul
Foster will teach you how to use FREE web-based
tools to get updates and follow developments
about key clients and prospects. $15 for MAGE
Members/$25 for Non-MAGE members. Not a member
of MAGE? Ask us how to join! Lunch will be provided.
Seating limited to 20 participants. To
register call the PGAMA office 410-319-0900 or
sign up online at www.pgama.com. |
| April 12-13 |
Seminar:
Total Immersion Digital Color, at
Printing Industries of America in Sewickley,
PA. This brand
new workshop designed to supply you with a
comprehensive look at what it takes to produce
reliable, high-quality digital output. The
instruction will provide two intense days of
hands-on training to get you totally immersed—and
totally knowledgeable—on the subject
of digital color and press optimization. Apply
the troubleshooting, benchmarking, and maintenance
skills you learn at Total Immersion: Optimizing
Color from Your Digital Press to improve color
output and consistency, increase production
speed while maintaining quality, and build
and ensure customer satisfaction. Cost is $595
for members$1095 for non-members. Register
online at http://www.printing.org/node/5965. |
| April 15 |
Webinar:
Maximize Press Time with Pit-Stop Main, 2:00-3:00pm.
While it’s accepted that preventive equipment
maintenance should be scheduled regularly, companies
are often reluctant to give up press time to
do so. Don’t skimp on this necessary task—instead,
learn how to substantially reduce the time it
takes—by up to 60%—and reduce unscheduled
downtime as well. Presented by Ken Rizzo, Director
of Technical and Lean Services for Printing Industries
of America's Center for Technology and Research.
Cost is $99 for members/$199 for non-members.
More details
and register at http://www.printing.org/node/5950. |
May 16-19
Baltimore Show! |
2010
PIFE Spring Conference, Baltimore
Hilton, Baltimore, Maryland. Come meet and
network with other finance professionals, plus
find out about the latest technologies and
keys to profitability to help successfully
manage your company’s
finance and administration functions. PIFE
meetings provide continuing education credits.
Learn more at http://www.printing.org/event-calendar/5642. |
May 17-19
Baltimore Show! |
2010
Offset & Beyond,
Baltimore
Hilton, Baltimore, Maryland. Attend
to get the resources, tools, and connections
you need to succeed. Offset & Beyond
offers topics that cover business opportunities
and trends, comprehensive technology, production,
digital, sales, marketing, and financial sessions
via leadership, operations, and production
tracks. Learn more at http://www.printing.org/offsetandbeyon. |
May 17-19
Baltimore Show! |
2010
BIA Mid Management Conference, Baltimore
Hilton, Baltimore, Maryland. The
BIA Mid-Management Conference brings together
mid-managers from trade binderies, graphic finishing,
information packaging, custom loose-leaf manufacturing,
and the suppliers to those industries. Be prepared
for a blitz of information, new products and ideas,
as well as unparalleled networking with your
peers from around the world. Plant tours featuring
PGAMA members, too! Learn more at http://www.printing.org/event-calendar/5946. |
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