Quick Printing

It should come as no surprise that J.C. Penny will stop printing its “Big Book” catalogue. The company says it is part of an effort to reduce paper usage, but in fact it is a recognition of the reality that giant catalogues covering everything from A to Z are no longer effective. Sears discontinued its general merchandising catalogue in 1993 in favor of niche catalogues such as the one for its Craftsmen tool line. Meanwhile, the public was searching more and more online for products and services.

Print promoters insist that print is a great way to drive people to websites, and it is. However, print needs to be more specifically targeted in order to accomplish this. Gone are the days when the cutting edge of marketing was the 400-page catalogue covering everything from guns to butter churns to complete houses.

That said, nostalgia buffs probably know that at one time folks could order a complete house kit from the catalogue and Sears would deliver instructions and two boxcar loads of materials to build a house. The shipment included 30,000 separate pieces, including 750 pounds of nails, 22 gallons of paint and varnish, and 20,000 shingles. The company estimated that a carpenter would charge $450 to put it all together. I’m told that some of these catalogue houses are still standing, long after the catalogues themselves have ceased to exist.

A little while back, the rumored on-again, off-again merger discussions between Heidelberg and manroland were the talk of the industry. Right now, they are off again, but stay tuned. The latest speculation has the two German press manufacturers, along with the other major German player, Koenig & Bauer, talking to each other about survival strategies.

Monday, we heard that Agfa has agreed to buy the assets of Gandi Innovations, a Canadian maker of large-format printers currently “trading in creditor protection.” We also learned that Canon will make an offer to buy Océ, Europe’s largest printer manufacturer. None of this is too surprising considering the state of the worldwide economy and the sea changes in the printing and graphic arts industries.

What did catch me a bit off guard Monday was the announcement that the three major U.S. printing trade associations plan to consolidate their separate industry leadership conferences (NAPL Top Management Conference, PIA President’s Conference, and NPES Spring Conference) into one major “industry-wide management conference” starting in 2011. Some folks have been agitating for PIA and NAPL to merge and might look at this as a first step, but I tend to doubt it.

It is, however, a smart move considering lagging attendance at the three separate events. After all, the three associations already cooperate in putting on Graph Expo and Print under the auspices of the jointly-owned Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC), which will also honcho the combined leadership event. The three will also cooperate in a united campaign promoting print, which is well and good.

The only worry I have with this association event consolidation is the fate of the NAQP Owners Conference, which is the only industry event specifically aimed at quick and small commercial printers—who happen to be the backbone of the industry. It would be a major mistake to abandon this industry event.

Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall came down. I was living in Florida and had just recently taken over as editor of Quick Printing when the wall fell. That was a particularly emotional moment for me because I had lived several years in what had been dubbed the world’s largest ready-made prison camp. I’ll freely admit that I got a lump in my throat while watching the telecast of the wall being torn apart by joyous Berliners. I had walked along that wall which divided the city on countless occasions and had driven to and from work every day along the perimeter wire fence with its plowed death strip. I was living there when Russia invaded Czechoslovakia and frightened Berliners emptied store shelves while American and British tanks rushed to the city’s perimeters just in case.

I didn’t know it 20 years ago, but the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War. It was a monumental moment I will always remember.

Why write about this sort of stuff in a printing-oriented blog? Because sometimes we need to remind ourselves that there are many monumental and mundane things that take place outside of our own industry and our own businesses that can affect us.

PS: This week we also celebrate Veterans Day. Be sure to thank any veterans you know for their service to our country. They richly deserve it.

Just got back from the NAQP Owners Conference in Austin, TX. Good turnout, good vibes, and lots of good information. As usual, I thought that the highlight of the event was the presentation by NAPL economist Andy Paparozzi on the “New Normal” for our industry. Now let me be perfectly clear, I have heard the term “New Normal” to the point that I am heartily sick and tired of it. However, I forgave the title of the session and paid attention to the contents.

Along with lots of numbers—including some pretty depressing ones on industry sales over the last year or so—Andy offered some solid advice on how to get ready for systemic changes our industry will face as we emerge from the recession. (Notice I refrained from using the term “paradigm shift.” That’s so last decade.) I hope to get him to reprise some of his findings in a future edition of QP, but in the meantime I thought I would share what he called “The Right Questions” that quick and small commercial printers should ask themselves in preparation for the pending economic recovery:

• “What are we doing better today than we did two years ago?”
• “What will we be doing better in two years than we are today?”
• “How are we becoming more valuable to our customers?”

I heartily agree with Andy that if you answer “I don’t know” or “I don’t have time; I’m too busy with the day-to-day operations,” then you have problems that the recovery ahead is not going to fix. That is some serious food for thought.