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      Print Decorating, Binding and Finishing

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        Enews October 2023

        Record-Breaking PACK EXPO Las Vegas Exceeds Expectations

        September 20, 2023

        Press release submitted on behalf of PACK EXPO

        The packaging and processing community came together this week for perhaps the most important PACK EXPO Las Vegas in its history, according to show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

        Nearly 32,000 attendees, the most in the show’s history, actively engaged with more than 2,300 exhibitors across 1 million net square feet of exhibit space at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

        This event not only stands as the largest packaging and processing trade show in North America this year but as the largest PACK EXPO Las Vegas in the show’s history.

        “PACK EXPO Las Vegas was a huge win for the packaging and processing industry,” says Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “From attendance to exhibition space to educational sessions – the show surpassed expectations to provide our largest, most comprehensive show to date. This is proof that the industry continues to thrive and show-up to provide the most innovative, sustainable, effective solutions the world has to offer.”

        As PMMI’s State of the Industry report highlights, industry growth remains steady at a healthy 3.4 percent with the total size of the market in the U.S. reaching $10.2 billion.

        Looking to capitalize on this growth, more than 2,300 exhibitors displayed and promoted their latest innovations to make connections with decision makers in packaging and processing.

        “PACK EXPO Las Vegas has been an invaluable platform for Ska Fabricating to connect and engage in meaningful discussions about packaging line automation,” says Elise Wright, marketing & events manager, Ska Fabricating. “This show not only showcases a myriad of solutions for the entire packaging industry, but also fosters an environment where industry professionals can exchange ideas and insights. The networking opportunities on and off the show floor have helped to strengthen and grow our industry partnerships.”

        “The show has been fantastic for us, and being in the Processing Zone was perfect. The traffic has been excellent, and we’re having quality conversations with key decision-makers about their processing needs. PACK EXPO Las Vegas was the perfect place to showcase our new processing innovations,” says Mark Padly, account manager, Provisur Technologies.

        “Our goal was to meet potential customers and share more about our company offerings and values in an up close and personal way. It was pretty amazing to have this level of access to buyers and experience all the machinery in action,” says Ryan Cabral, sales and operations manager, Ideal Solution LLC.

        Both first-time and long-time exhibitors made new connections, unveiled new solutions and found exceptional value at this year’s PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

        “We didn’t quite know what to expect our first time at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, but we found the experience to be effective. We connected with value chain members that we normally don’t have a chance to connect with and discovered innovations, especially in sustainability, that we didn’t know existed. We were pleasantly surprised,” says Jon Timbers, chief sustainability officer, Epsilyte LLC.

        “The best part of PACK EXPO Las Vegas was introducing our brand to new audiences and diverse industries. We are impressed with the number of decision makers with quality projects we were able to meet with. We expect the number of leads that came from this show to fuel our business for months to come,” says Jack H., communications manager, Chubby Gorilla, Inc.

        “After years of being an attendee at PACK EXPO, making the decision to exhibit at PACK EXPO Las Vegas has brought us great value. The Containers and Materials Pavilion was the perfect venue to showcase our capabilities. The show traffic exceeded our expectations, and we are planning to be back!” says Mary Mayled, manager of marketing, business development and commercial administration, Plastipak Packaging, Inc.

        Attendees come for a variety of reasons, and a show like PACK EXPO Las Vegas offers multifaceted solutions for the more than 40 vertical markets represented at the show.

        “We’re a pet food co-packer and came to PACK EXPO Las Vegas with a big group from Spanish Fork, Utah,” says Kyle Cloward, packaging manager, Mountain Country Foods. “I’m here to see materials and containers while others from our team are focused on equipment. I’m specifically looking for materials that stand up to more highly automated systems. This is my third visit to the show. It’s always good to see everything you need in one place.”

        “I came to PACK EXPO Las Vegas to find new packaging and filling equipment and am excited by what I’m seeing on the show floor. This might be the largest PACK EXPO I’ve attended. It’s a well put together event with a good representation of industry suppliers which allows me to see so many solutions live and under one roof,” says Suzanne Dawis, vice president of R&D, Bright Innovation Labs.

        “Our group includes several companies and more than 28 brands in cookies, crackers, snacks, and breads. I’m at PACK EXPO Las Vegas to find automation and robotics solutions to take our operations to the next level,” says Ryan Besai Group, chief engineer, Bermudez Group Limited based in Trinidad and Tobago. “While I’m new to the show, I can see that PACK EXPO Las Vegas has a wide variety of suppliers. The Innovation Stage sessions I attended were very enlightening. For businesses based in the Caribbean, the show is relatively close and easy to reach.”

        As stated in the latest State of the Industry report, sustainability remains top of mind and thousands of attendees visited the new Sustainability Central exhibit to take a journey through the sustainability process. They were also able to visit the hundreds of exhibitors showcasing sustainable materials and machinery at the show.

        “We came to PACK EXPO Las Vegas to find more sustainable packaging options,” says Brooke Ervin, packaging engineer, Mopar (Chrysler Service Parts Division). “Particularly, we’re interested in returnable packaging. We’ve already seen possible solutions on the show floor and visited Sustainability Central. This show is where we need to be.”

        Show attendees voted for the most outstanding innovations on the show floor in the Technology

        Excellence Awards announced Tuesday afternoon. The winners of the 2023 awards are Aneko Emsys (Aneko, N-10165) for Food/Beverage, AI Enabled Augmented Reality for Transforming Packaging Operations (Harpak-ULMA Packaging, SL-6188, SL-6101) for General Packaging and Processing, Catalyx Digital LineClearance Assistant™ (Catalyx, SL-6185) for Personal Care/Pharma, and Amcor HealthCare Recycle Ready Sachet (Amcor Healthcare Packaging, SL-6635) for Sustainability. For more information about this year’s winners, visit packexpolasvegas.com/tea.

        PACK EXPO Las Vegas was more than just a packaging and processing equipment and materials show, it offered more than 130 educational sessions and plenty of networking opportunities.

        “I consult for a wide range of companies – from manufacturers of electronics to sealants to food and beverage CPGs” says Kurt Ulmer, captain, Crazy Contraption, Packaging Design Consultancy. “PACK EXPO Las Vegas is huge and all-encompassing. It’s a good place to network. I’m also here to see materials advances and find innovative solutions for sustainability – particularly lightweighting – and cost savings in package design.”

        A highlight of the show’s second day came early when 750 industry professionals gathered for the Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) breakfast. Keynote speaker Manjit Minhas, renowned Canadian entrepreneur, beer baroness, and television personality covered mentorship, being a working mom, starting her business, the importance of being fearless, and constant learning.

        “It takes coordination and participation from all parts of our industry to pull together an event of this size and caliber. We’re extremely grateful to all involved in making this show a record-breaking success,” says Laura Thompson, vice president, trade shows, PMMI. “The feedback from exhibitors and attendees is encouraging, especially hearing success stories from both first-time and long-time participants.”

        PMMI heads east next year with registration officially open for PACK EXPO East (March 18-20, 2024; Pennsylvania Convention Center). For more information and the register, visit packexpoeast.com.

        PACK EXPO East is followed by EXPO PACK México (June 4-7, 2024; Mexico City), PACK EXPO International (Nov. 3-6, 2024; Chicago), and the newest addition to the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows, PACK EXPO Southeast (March 10-12, 2025; Atlanta). For all show-related information, visit packexpo.com.

         

        Business is About Results, Not Excuses

        September 11, 2023

        By Ed Rigsbee, CAE, CSP and president of Rigsbee Research

        Why do some people seem to have the desirable ability to get things done – to get results – while others seem to continually spin their wheels?

        I believe that the results-getters have three common qualities or traits: great self-talk, great alliances and great ability. The complexity of these three traits is part of the mix.

        Great self-talk is driven by a number of factors, including personal experiences, both positive and negative; environment; personal goals; the prices that one is willing to pay for success; personal desire to continually improve; minimal concern for what others say about oneself; and a host of other elements. Together, these factors create in a person something that most of us would identify as passion.

        The much talked about issue is if passion can be taught or acquired, or does it have to be innate? Many believe one has to be born with passion. I, on the contrary, do not believe this. There are too many negative examples today of religious fanatics that became passionate about their cause after their conversion or, perhaps better stated, indoctrination. This is proof to me that passion can be taught or learned.

        If employers or their employees are not enjoying the results they need or desire, positive self-talk is the first step toward results.

        Great alliances appear in many forms: camaraderie, friendship, partnership, networks, collaborative activities, master-minds groups and mentorships, depending on the situation. The relationships employers and their employees enjoy will affect their self-talk and their abilities. Great alliance relationships are the glue between the first and third steps to results.

        Building great relationships comes naturally to some people; however, it is a skill that can be taught and learned. Organizations that adopt partnering as a key strategy for growth must learn the skills to develop and implement profitable alliances. The same goes for results-driven individuals.

        Great ability is more than the sum of one’s God-given talents. Ability is the collective body of one’s knowledge, skills, experiences and talent synthesized through self-talk. The relationships built greatly affect one’s ability.

        One’s abilities come from empirical knowledge and experiences. Few people knew how to drive a car upon leaving the womb. Similarly, few people knew how to effectively run multi-billion dollar companies when they were in third grade. These skills were taught to them. Ability comes from the knowledge and skills gained from relationships with others – paid or reciprocal, or through trial and error. Trial and error is costly and time-consuming.

        What does this mean? Want results? Anyone can have results if the person is willing to have great self-talk, build better relationships and learn from the people who currently embody the skills needed. Volumes of books have been written to explain the above, yet it is as simple as 1-2-3.

        Ed Rigsbee is the founder and CEO of the 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, Cigar PEG Philanthropy through Fun, and president at Rigsbee Research, which conducts qualitative member ROI research and consulting for associations and societies. He holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) and Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) accreditation. Rigsbee is the author of the The ROI of Membership-Today’s Missing Link for Explosive Growth, PartnerShift, Developing Strategic Alliances and The Art of Partnering. Resources are available at www.rigsbee.com.

        Company Creates Business Card Too Beautiful for the Rolodex

        September 11, 2023

        By Liz Stevens, writer, PostPress

        On Line Bindery, Richmond, California, earned the gold for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Business Card/Stationery in the 30th Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards with the design and production of an outstanding business card. On Line’s triplex mounted card with foil and laser cutting was created with a three-layer card, with laser cut text in the top layer which revealed foil in the middle layer, backed by a solid bottom layer. The company used BOBST and Trotec Laser equipment for the project, along with foil/embossing dies from Universal Engraving, Inc., and foil from Great Western Foils.

        The company tackled this project to update its business cards with a fresh, new look that would grab the attention of existing customers and prompt prospective clients to connect with the company to create their own attention-grabbing print products. On Line wanted to demonstrate its creativity and versatility. “We are in the business of enhancing printing,” said Steve Wignall, manager of the coating, laminating and mounting departments at On Line. “If we can’t do something interesting for our own use, we need to reevaluate our purpose in the industry.”

        Wignall described how the design for the business card morphed as the project unfolded. “The design evolved from a single duplexed card to a triplex,” Wignall said, “and then to laser cut, and finally to a design with numerous foil colors stamped on one of the layers to show through the laser-cut company name.”

        With this project, On Line was able to showcase the high quality of its new laser. “We recently had installed a Trotec laser for cutting and engraving work,” Wignall said, “so this seemed like a good time to put it to work if we could incorporate the laser capability into our business card.”

        Wignall said the challenge involved with laser cutting is trying to achieve precise cutting without leaving any burn marks. On Line finds that some substrates work well for this while others can be problematic. “With the substrate for our business card, our laser operator rose to the challenge,” he said, “and was able to make the design work even though it was not a particularly laser-friendly duplexed stock.”

        Feedback from customers and prospective clients has been overwhelmingly positive. “Our motto is ‘go big or go home,’” Wignall said, “and this card fits our motto. It has been well received by customers and others in the industry.” Numerous customers have asked On Line to make similar cards for their companies. “Everyone we hand it to instantly makes reference to the thickness and loves the tactile feeling,” Wignall said. “One of our customers who produces business cards told us, ‘This is the nicest business card I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot!’”

        The company received high praise from one of its foil suppliers, Great Western Foils, Inc. Great Western Foils’ national sales manager, Brian Bowland, wrote in an email, “The On Line Bindery business cards are a great representation of what it can offer to customers. It’s amazing to see how printing, foiling, laser diecutting and gluing and pasting all work very well on this little piece of paper.” Bowland noted how the business card design brought to mind a favorite 2014 YouTube video. “The video is called ‘Your business card sucks!’” Bowland recalled. “The presenter talks about how cheap cards are totally worthless, and he is right. The On Line business card is exactly what he is talking about. It is beautiful, it shows off what you On Line offer, and it is the kind of card that does NOT go into a rolodex. It’s too beautiful.”

        Embellished Direct Mail Marketing Creates Sensory Experience

        September 7, 2023

        By Julie Shaffer, senior vice president, content and programs, WhatTheyThink/ Association for PRINT Technologies

        Brands add embellishments to printed products to make them stand out and to grab the consumer’s attention. Studies show that people will look at a branded product with enhancements, such as foil, 50% longer than without such enhancements. Brands put this to work for many packaged products; consider those rows of beautifully embellished wine and liquor labels on store shelves. But there is a blue ocean of opportunity in a market people may not associate with print embellishment – direct mail marketing – and it is proving to be a boon for the savvy marketers who are using it to stand out in the sea of white envelopes in the consumer’s mailbox.

        Certainly, digital communication has had a major impact in reducing many forms of mail, especially billing. A recent study shows that 66% of US consumers pay at least some of their bills electronically directly to the biller and 40% pay bills through their bank’s digital payment service. But while billing mail is on the wane, direct mail marketing brings a brand’s message directly to the consumer’s door.

        The US mail market is the largest in the world, with more volume than all the EU countries’ mail volume combined. Approximately 66 billion units of marketing mail are sent each year. In fact, the mailing industry represents about 4.6% of the US GDP. Combine this with the fact that the US is a consumer economy, with 70% of the GDP represented by consumer spending, and it’s the perfect medium to carry a brand’s message to a massive potential audience.

        And people do read the direct marketing pieces that show up in their mailboxes. Studies show that US households read or scan over 70% of the advertising mail they receive, a statistic that remains unchanged since 2019. Consumers spend an average of 30 minutes reading their mail, and a USPS report on direct mail found that 67% of respondents agree mail feels more personal than the Internet.

        That personal touch is an important component of direct mail marketing. Personalized messaging is nothing new, but today consumers almost have come to expect it. This especially is true for millennials, who have grown up with digital communication and are less concerned with sharing data. As the largest living age group in the US today, millennials are an important marketing target – together with Gen X, they make up 42% of the population.

        This envelope produced by Parkland Direct is embellished with gold and holographic foil and augmented reality links to a virtual experience.

        Contrary to the popular stereotype that digital natives are glued to their digital devices, studies are showing it is millennials who most often interact with direct mail. For example, a recent USPS study looking at how millennials respond to direct mail shows that 80% of millennials look forward to seeing what’s in their mailbox and two-thirds of millennials may bring marketing mail to retail stores or use direct mail prompts to go online.

        Still, it can be a challenge for brands to get their direct mail piece to stand out from that stack in the mailbox. And just as brands have found that adding embellishment to packaging helps grab the attention of a shopper, the same is true for direct mail marketing. “If embellishment works in packaging, it can work for direct mail,” said Clint Seckman, president of Parkland Direct, whose company is a leader in high-end, embellished envelope manufacturing.

        A big reason embellishments “work” – that is, get people to notice and react to it – has to do with neuroscience. The human brain reacts differently to print than it does to digital media. Over half of the brain is devoted to processing sensory experience, and much of that sensory receptivity focuses on touch. Studies show that people who touch an object, or even imagine touching it, begin to exhibit a sense of ownership. Foil stamping has been shown to significantly affect consumer attention toward a product compared to the same product without foil, and metallized paper envelopes can boost response rates by as much as 30%. Adding a tactile element like texture, or visual enhancers like foil, to a mail piece will make it stand out and stimulate a haptic response.

        Parkland Direct has been in the printing business for 45 years and an envelope manufacturer for over 20 years. Just as its high-volume mail clients have shifted from billing mail toward direct marketing mail, so has the company. Parkland’s embellished envelopes business has grown over the past five years and includes many advanced embellishments techniques – metallic foils, holographic foils, embossing, micro-embossing and a range of textures – on the outside of envelopes. Today, Seckman said, the business is, “all about the customer experience.”

        Andy Schipke, vice president marketing and strategic sales, W+D North America, the largest supplier of envelope equipment in the mail market, put it this way: “We have moved the envelope away from being simply a delivery device and made it a part of the promotion.” An embellished envelope, he said, can improve lift and open rates; provide a tactile, memorable customer experience; and help tell a brand’s story, all before it is opened. “The challenge,” Schipke said, “has been how to do this at scale for hundreds of millions of units per customer. Companies like Parkland have been leaders in this space.” Mailing technology, he said, also has been changing to accommodate this need.

        Two of the largest industries that heavily use direct mail marketing are nonprofits and the financial industry. Because adding embellishments also adds cost to mail pieces, nonprofits are less likely to use it. Financial companies, however, are putting together direct mail campaigns with all sorts of added embellishments to help to position their products as high quality, like high-end packaged products or a fine wine label. While adding embellishments increase the production cost, Seckman said, these brands measure success not in cost per piece, but in cost per customer acquisition.

        Parkland Direct created this textured cityscape design using foil and emboss with clear gloss foil, providing a tactile experience for the recipient.

        The USPS is doing its part to help promote physical mail and direct mail response rates through its promotions and incentive programs. These annual programs encourage marketers, printers and mailers to integrate mail with new print techniques and technology for First-Class® and USPS Marketing Mail® with postage discounts. Each promotion runs for about six months, starting at different times of the year. The promotions for 2024 will be the same as 2023, which include discount incentives (typically around 5%) for direct mail projects that utilize personalization, reply mail, Informed Delivery®, retargeting, “emerging technology” and “tactile, sensory and interactive technologies.”

        The USPS Informed Delivery program ties physical mail to online campaigns. The postal service, using automated equipment, scans and captures images of each piece of mail. These images are available as a daily preview mail that customers who register for the service can check through email, a mobile app or online dashboard mail before it hits their physical mailbox (so one actually can confirm that the check is, indeed, in the mail.) The Informed Delivery platform also allows marketers to build interactive campaigns around a direct mail marketing piece, providing custom images and URL links along with the image of the mail piece when customers check their daily preview. These links can guide the customer to online content – a video, a web landing page, a storefront – further boosting campaign response rates.

        Participation in both Informed Delivery and the promotion and incentive programs is significant. There are over 55 million Informed Delivery customers in the US, and there have been 53,000 marketing campaigns. As for the promotional programs, in 2022, over 22.5 billion mail pieces were mailed as part of the six annual promotions, from over 10,000 direct mailing participants. The program paid $219 million dollars in discounts cumulatively to these marketers.

        Carl Boettner is a product development specialist at the USPS and part of the team that manages the promotion and incentive programs. Part of his job is reviewing the samples submitted by marketers for acceptance into the program, and he is a huge proponent of direct mail marketing. “Direct mail cuts through the digital noise,” he said, “and even if a piece of mail that you pull from your mailbox isn’t relevant to you, you’re touching it. You’re interacting with it. That has an impact.”

        Schipke agreed. “Marketers are using the science of haptics in whole new ways,” he said. “The customer experience for a lot of marketers begins through tactile nature of a mail piece – whether that be embossing, embellishments or special diecuts – with the understanding that all they have to do is have recipients touch it and feel it and that already will encode in their mind what they want to achieve for the brand. They don’t even necessarily have to read it.”

        Perhaps not, but when recipients do open those envelopes, response rates can go through the roof. Seckman said he has clients reporting response upward of 30% for direct mail campaigns in envelopes enhanced with foil or other techniques, a ten-fold increase over the typical direct mail response rate of 2-3%.

        Educating brands marketers on print embellishment is key to expanding the opportunities for using it in the mailing industry. The USPS offers a webinar series showcasing interesting direct marketing campaigns and provides how-to educational resources at www.usps.com. Parkland Direct has a creative mailing program and regularly designs and creates new envelopes with different types of embellishments, which then are shared with members of the mailing program (readers can register to be on the recipient list at parklanddirect.com.)

        Julie Shaffer is senior vice president, content and programs with WhatTheyThink/ the Association for PRINT Technologies. In a career spanning 35 years, Shaffer has been devoted to building innovative business resources and educational programs to serve the industry. She has developed and presented dozens of educational workshops and presented hundreds of seminars and presentations at major industry events around the world. Shaffer also has authored magazine articles and several industry-focused books, including the PDF Print Production Guide (3 editions), the Web-to-Print Primer and the Social Media Field Guide.

        Resources
        • “The Flexibility Factor: Mapping Consumer Demand for Bill Payment Innovation,” PYMNTS and BillGo, www.pymnts.com.
        • www.census.gov
        • www.bea.gov/data/consumer-spending
        • www.investopedia.com
        • www.usps.com

        Industry Influencer: George White

        September 1, 2023

        George White can make the case for greeting cards in today’s digital world. The greeting card industry veteran has witnessed industry changes over the years to include e-cards, m-cards and social media, but what hasn’t changed is the strong need for more authentic, lasting connections. That’s where greeting cards shine. Sixty-five percent of consumers agree that receiving cards in the mail lifts their spirits. 1 White has spent most of his career making sure those special moments continue.

        PostPress recently sat down with White to discuss the challenges facing the greeting card industry and where White sees the industry going in light of a more digital world and sustainability demands.

        How did your career develop in the greeting card industry, and what is your role now?

        I was hired as the general manager of the Alternative Markets Strategic Business Unit at Gibson Greetings in 1997 – a job for which I had zero experience and less training. But that was the point: The president of Gibson previously had worked with me when I was a consultant on entertainment trading cards, and he wanted someone to bring a fresh perspective to the greeting card industry. Two years later, I was managing all greeting cards at Gibson – and then the company was sold to American Greetings, so I left the industry for a few years.

        I then became president of Up With Paper, the original pop-up greeting card company, in 2004, and retain that title today, although my main role now is as CEO of CM Paula, a holding company that owns Up With Paper and three other firms across highly diversified industries. I also have been on the Executive Committee (EC) of the Greeting Card Association (GCA) since 2007, served as president in 2020-21 and will rotate off the EC later this year.

        How do you see the greeting card industry embracing global trends, such as the circular economy and sustainability demands from consumers and others?

        The most important thing a greeting card can do is to facilitate and/or further the relationship between two humans. That has been and will continue to be the number-one driver in how greeting card makers design and produce their cards, and in the cards consumers purchase.

        That said, sustainability is of growing importance for both makers and consumers. We will see accelerating growth in efforts to produce more sustainable cards, such as the use of recycled, alternative or FSC paper for card production; a reduction in the use of non-recyclable polybags or other packaging; an emphasis on more sustainable embellishments; and production and/or processing in net-zero facilities. Europe currently is ahead of the US in this department, and the solutions to more deeply embed the greeting card industry in the circular economy vary dramatically, but adherence to those solutions in the US is accelerating.

        What are the biggest challenges the greeting card industry faces? How should the industry respond to successfully grow and thrive?

        The obvious challenges are to ensure that retailers of all sizes and types understand how well greeting cards will sell for them – well beyond traditional stationery stores and large grocery and drug stores – AND to combat lazy media stories that greeting cards are no longer relevant. That could not be further from the truth based on the strong sales of cards to millennials.

        Frankly, our biggest challenge may well be the health of the US Postal Service, which traditionally has delivered nearly 60% of purchased greeting cards to their final recipient. The rapid price increases, deterioration of service and the inability of USPS to well handle thicker, heavier and odd-sized envelopes with the types of unique cards millennials prefer are combining to make it much more difficult for consumers to send the cards they want to their friends and family. If that continues, it will put a lot of negative pressure on card sales.

        It is hard to envision an alternative that can deliver to any household in the US, quickly and at a reasonable price, so our response has to be to halt the negative slide at USPS.

        What trends are emerging in the design, production and distribution of greeting cards that will influence the future of the industry?

        As indicated, as the influence of millennial consumers continues to grow in our industry, the design, production and distribution of greeting cards will need to continue to change to meet that demand. That means more small and diversified designers and makers; more small-batch production with more embellishments, done more sustainably; and broader and thinner distribution – meaning more stores will carry cards, but with a lower number of cards in each location, with the cards carried matching the customer psychographics of that location.

        What are your predictions for the greeting card industry in the next five to 10 years?

        The greeting card industry is in a good place. We have a record number of small makers in the industry, and while our largest card buyers by volume, baby boomers, are declining, our largest segment by dollars, millennials, are only now entering their primary card-buying life stages – getting married, having babies and buying a house (not necessarily in that order!) – as they are now 29-42 years old.

        I would expect mass-market card sections in Walmart and Kroger stores to get smaller, but the number and variety of retailers carrying greeting cards will continue to expand.

        Embellishments will continue to drive sales and pricing as millennials continue to look for differentiated cards that reflect who they are AND their relationship with recipients of their cards.

        Overall, I expect greeting card volume to continue a slow decline, but overall greeting card dollar sales to enjoy a slow increase. In short, the next five to 10 years are a good time for small makers, for suppliers able to help them produce unique, differentiated cards for the millennial market and for small retailers who have women customers with money and taste and carry the right greeting cards for them.

        Reference
        1. “Greeting Cards – Facts and Info to Know,” The Greeting Card Association, www.greetingcard.org

        Leasing Equipment – Buyer Beware

        September 9, 2021

        By David Spiel, Spiel Associates, Inc.

        When a printer or finisher is considering new equipment and sits down with a supplier and a leasing agent, how does the finisher know who is on his side and who is looking out for his best interest – or even knows what the “best interest” is? Consider this: An honest machinery dealer will not oversell a customer on equipment, especially if he wants future business. A leasing company, in many cases, is not concerned about what is the best equipment for the application or even has any understanding of what the best options are. Granted, many leasing representatives are honest, hardworking people who will not oversell a customer, but there are those who will.

        I recently worked with a customer who was starting from scratch and needed to buy a perfect binder, a laminator and a case binding line. When I visited his plant, I didn’t see a paper cutter. It may be the first shop I have ever been to that didn’t have one. The shop did no cutting and only needed a cutter for this particular application. I suggested a particular lower-priced cutter because it was the right fit for the customer. When the leasing agent asked why I had sold the cheaper cutter, I told him it was the right fit for the job and the customer didn’t need anything more for his application.

        Many times with digital printing equipment, I have seen companies trying to sell bindery equipment with the lease and the customer not really getting a fair look at what bindery equipment might be best for the operation. This is where it can get tricky. Are the supplier and leasing agent one and the same? If so, how can the customer tell if the agent is understanding the additional bindery or other finishing equipment the customer might really need?

        The large digital printing equipment companies have their “go to” partners for bindery equipment, in many cases. That makes sense for them because they can pick out what the customer needs from a shopping list: perfect binder, laminator, inline punch, etc. Now most of the machines they will recommend are good machines, but are they always the best fit for what the printer/finisher may be using it for?

        If a particular printing equipment supplier only has one partner for bindery equipment, that is what he will recommend. A savvy customer will compare it to other brands and look at what is available in the marketplace. There are a variety of quality suppliers of bindery and finishing equipment that can work both inline or offline with most all digital printing equipment.

        And, depending on what the application or applications are for new digital printing equipment, it may be that additional bindery or finishing equipment is not necessary at all. For instance, if the customer assesses that there will be less than 30% of the jobs that will need to be perfect bound, why invest in a perfect binder? In any medium- to large-sized cities, printers can find a trade binder/finisher to work with to help with binding needs. With the current shortage of labor, it might make even more sense to work with a trade binding/finishing partner. 

        The key is to be aware of what else is available. I highly recommend that customers evaluate the potential choices before including whatever bindery equipment is offered to them because it is easy to include it in a lease that covers the digital printer and bindery equipment. It is all on one lease and it is the easy decision, but it may be overpriced, and it may not be the best machine of its type.

        Another bindery option that I see many customers purchase with their digital equipment is an inline punch for plastic or wire-o coiling. When I ask the customer the price, I always hear the same answers: “I don’t know, it’s in the lease,” and “I don’t know how much I am paying, but it is not much.” 

        A good entry-level offline automatic punch should last at least 10 years and maybe even 20. A heavy-duty automatic punch, if maintained properly, should last at least 20 years. So, does it make sense for a customer to purchase an inline punch if there is potential to move to a different or larger digital press in five years? Also, a good entry-level automatic punch should punch over 50,000 sheets per hour. This can handle multiple digital presses. So, there usually is no need to have an inline punch on every digital press if the customer already has several. And, if a press goes down, the customer has no access to the punch. In this case, an inline punch makes little sense except for potentially smaller operations with only one press and where it is most likely it will stay that way. Finally, can the inline punch handle the wide variety of paper stocks and sizes that a standalone punch can produce? The answer, in most cases, is no. 

        The same holds true for perfect binders. Inline perfect binders are very expensive, extraordinarily limited and often cannot bind a good variety of stocks and sizes. Buying one makes sense if printers knows what jobs they are expected to run on a regular basis, but it makes little sense if the customers are expecting a variety of jobs and paper stocks. Again, a quality offline perfect binder will last at least 10 and maybe even 20 years and, in most cases, are much less expensive than an inline option. Does a customer want to buy a new perfect binder each time the shop upgrades to a new digital printer? In addition, as stated earlier, it is important to look at how many jobs the customer will be perfect binding. It may make the most sense to partner with a trade binder/finisher for the bindery work. 

        The bottom line is when a printer or finisher sits down with a sales rep and/or leasing agent, the factors above should be considered. Is the agent selecting the best binding/finishing equipment for what the printer will be producing or is equipment being sold that happens to be part of what the digital printing equipment company is offering? Is the finisher getting the best price, or is it just hidden in the lease? Can the machines do most or all the jobs that are needed to be produced, or will the printer end up farming a fair amount of the binding/finishing work out? Lastly, when analyzing what type of binding will most commonly take place, does working with a trade binder/finisher make the most sense? 

        When the leasing company rep asked me, “Why didn’t you sell him a more expensive cutter?”, I replied, “Because he doesn’t need one.”  

        David Spiel is the co-owner of Spiel Associates, Inc., a bindery and finishing equipment supplier in Garden City Park, New York. For more information on Spiel Associates, Inc., visit www.spielassociates.com. 

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