FEATURE: In the digital world the ink represents a key part of the technology within the total system.
FEATURE: The ink that is used in a digital press is a fundamentally different beast from that used on conventional engines.
FEATURE: It's all to do with conscience and accountability. Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, is intended to make businesses think about their impact on their surrounds and, even, the world at large.
FEATURE: This desire for a more harmonious relationship with nature is moving up the agenda for more people as they start to think about the world they are leaving behind for their children and grandchildren.
FEATURE: It's getting to that time of year when flights need to be booked and accommodation finalised for drupa.
FEATURE: When the HP Scitex FB6100 originally appeared in its first incarnation, back in June 2003, it actually created something of a stir.
FEATURE: Print is bedevilled with different data formats, programming languages and standards. But it is extremely important to understand at least what your options are.
FEATURE: Viewed very much as a growing market for wide-format digital print, wall coverings in all their guises are now moving out of a purely niche sector and more into the mainstream.
FEATURE: When people buy wide-format graphics they generally have a very particular purpose in mind. The same is true for wall graphics and wallpaper.
FEATURE: The Job Definition Format (JDF) is designed to provide interconnectivity between different print media production and related systems.
FEATURE: Increasingly we live in a world striving for efficiency yet, amazingly, many of us potter along content in working in a kind of controlled chaos. This is where JDF can become vital for business efficiency.
FEATURE: A few years ago a particular company wanted to introduce to the market a new roll-fed media which was 8m in width but it didn't take rocket science to explain why, in reality, this wasn't a particularly practical idea.
FEATURE: Someone once said you can never be thin enough or rich enough. But can that idea ever apply to a digital printing engine, as in wide enough or cheap enough?
FEATURE: There can be few, if anyone, involved in processing data and files who haven't heard of the PDF format.
FEATURE: Have you ever wondered why Kellogg's has so many different versions of Cornflakes? The reason for all these exciting breakfast possibilities is that people want choice.
FEATURE: Amongst the most picky of users with ink-jet printers are photographers, and these often are the folk who often have little to no direct printing experience but who expect exacting results.
FEATURE: Spectrometers measure light intensity and its composition, so they are obviously the instrument of choice for measuring printed colour data.
FEATURE: One of the most interesting aspects on a recent visit to Barcelona was talking to people who are actually using HP's latex printing technologies for innovative design.
FEATURE: Latex printers can help designers because they provide several output options, all using the same Latex ink which helps bring down the number of output variables.
FEATURE: We have all become so accustomed to working with Adobe's PostScript that it's probably hard to remember the days when there was a selection of alternatives on offer.
FEATURE: Once upon a time there were many contenders for the crown that Adobe PostScript eventually won.
FEATURE: Ask yourself a question. Are your incoming jobs being processed in the fastest and most efficient way – and if not, why not?
FEATURE: Making file processing more efficient depends on the starting point: the state of the files and the state of the workflow.
FEATURE: Colour is a slippery topic and one that has always demanded considerable expertise. Because colour doesn't really exist, it is inevitably complex whether we like it or not.
FEATURE: Colour has always been a thorny matter, from the days of process printing through to our current digital world.
FEATURE: In simple terms, PDF and PostScript are file formats which encapsulate both graphics and text elements.
FEATURE: PostScript was 'designed to be a modern standard for electronic printing', and indeed that is precisely what it became, while PDF was not originally designed or particularly intended for the graphic arts industry.
FEATURE: The more digital print dominates, the greater the demand for versatility.
FEATURE: There is huge diversity in the range of media for sign and display work, in line with the huge diversity of work this sector produces.
FEATURE: For a sign and display company, the distributor's slightly split role means that attending one of their open days can often be valuable.
FEATURE: In recent times there's been a spate of open days, road shows and other events all acting as spurs off the main trade show circuit.
FEATURE: Industry shows provide tremendous opportunities for housing every manufacturer and supplier under one roof.
FEATURE: The idea with next year's EcoPrint is to provide an environment conducive to debate, argument and discussion.
FEATURE: Thinking narrower is about more than investing into new technological innovations: it is about business growth, the direction and the path.
FEATURE: It's rather like making buns rather than cakes. The ingredients are the same but, normally, you can achieve a higher margin by producing multiples.
FEATURE: It has always been the same, whatever business you happen to be in: size matters.
FEATURE: When manufacturers and suppliers are trying to promote their wares there is a kind of inevitability which surrounds the numbers used when endorsing products.
FEATURE: As we rapidly approach the final quarter of 2011 there must be plenty of companies wondering whether the time has come to think about 2012.
FEATURE: For most of us, investment suggests spending money on new equipment – in which case it's always time to be thinking about future investments.
FEATURE: Sideways. If indeed PSPs are moving towards wider machines, they are doing it sideways.
FEATURE: Just as narrower applications and an increase in print-to-cut workflows are becoming more apparent in the wide-format industry, so there is a move in the opposite direction.
FEATURE: Colour management is all about managing how colours look to the human viewer, and it is a trick that increasingly depends on digital data management.
FEATURE: People can get very heated and confused when profiles come up in conversation but there's a point to their use.
FEATURE: Years ago we all knew the difference between a printer and a press, but nowadays the distinction is far from clear.
FEATURE: To my way of thinking, there is a world of difference between a printer, and a press.
FEATURE: The term 'social media' encompasses far more than churning out a limited number of characters on-screen to attract followers and a response.
FEATURE: For too long the printing industry was scared of what the internet was going to do to it.
FEATURE: Franchising is one of those things that can work really well or it can go completely pear-shaped very quickly.
FEATURE: The whole topic of franchising is in an interesting one. This is a model which can either work well or end up being a total disaster.
FEATURE: In days of yore, the only common ground held by particular industries in the UK was a trade association with the ethos being its members and their needs.
FEATURE: Industry associations are all well and good, but are they really necessary?
FEATURE: Some people are trade show junkies.
FEATURE: The world has shrunk; air fares have become cheaper and, these days, most of us think nothing about nipping on an early morning flight and spending a day or so at an exhibition.
FEATURE: Laurel Brunner wonders whether business owners want iPads more than they really need them.
FEATURE: Sophie Matthews-Paul wonders whether owning an iPad is really necessary for those working within the wide-format sector.
FEATURE: In the greater scheme of things, what exactly is marketing, and how does it differ from advertising?
FEATURE: Marketing is one of the vital organs for the body corporate. It helps keep a business's blood flowing and all parts in rude health.
FEATURE: From a technology point of view, or just as a social and networking event, drupa's appearance on the calendar starts to gleam with significance well in advance.
FEATURE: The technology and materials and all those must-sees. Is there anything to match drupa and can it ever be too soon to start thinking about it?
FEATURE: Generating new business ideas needs far more than flashes of fleeting brilliance when everyone is in the land of nod.
FEATURE: For many business owners, getting and developing ideas drives much of their anxiety for how they grow their companies.
FEATURE: Six months into the year, I doubt anyone would argue if I were to say that we haven't seen anything world-shatteringly new find its way onto the wide-format market.
FEATURE: For me the biggest up for the year so far was FESPA in Hamburg, which was busy, buzzy and better than ever.
FEATURE: Legend has it that we of the fairer sex are better at multi-tasking, so it's quite surprising how few women there are in the present day printing industry.
FEATURE: Of course there are women in the printing industry. But the question isn't about women versus men, it is about the prospects of this industry.
FEATURE: Digital technology will affect all forms of signage, but some sectors are more vulnerable than others.
FEATURE: Digital signage is fabulous stuff – but it has its place.
FEATURE: It might be that metallics are helping to protect traditional methods from the digital onslaught.
FEATURE: Why don't we have metallic UV-curable inks in the wide-format market? It's a good question, but not one which is particularly straightforward to answer.
FEATURE: In every other walk of life we expect to pay a premium for a better, personalised service, whether it's for dry cleaning or flying business class. Why can't we expect this in digital print?
FEATURE: Has there ever been a time, in any industry, market or business sector when consumables prices didn't matter?
FEATURE: Since it first really hit the streets courtesy of Adobe in 1993, the PDF format has gradually made its presence felt across the whole of the printing industry and beyond.
FEATURE: When PostScript was invented some 40 years ago, it helped to create a market where output could happen anywhere on any imagesetter.
FEATURE: In the case of FESPA there are a couple of realities that we know will live up to their hype.
FEATURE: Of the high numbers of individuals attending FESPA Digital, there should be a considerable percentage who want to discover accurate information about potential purchases.
FEATURE: Errors are not only embarrassing and time consuming to put right. They're also likely to be expensive if a blunder doesn't manifest itself until after the job's been printed.
FEATURE: Print producers and Captain Jack have much in common, if not in dress sense and dental hygiene, then definitely in the tendency to repeat errors.
FEATURE: I find it extremely odd that we all believe so strongly in education, and yet so many people think it stops as soon as one leaves formal schooling.
FEATURE: Learning enough about wide-format digital print to make the process seamless and cost efficient can be a minefield.
FEATURE: You don't need to spend loads of dosh to improve your carbon footprint. Minimising waste is an easy place to start.
FEATURE: Our world seems to be filled with excesses of paper and packaging and myriad other items which end up being put out for recycling or into the trash.
FEATURE: The Job Definition Format (JDF) and the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) are two rather different, and yet similar and compatible technologies.
FEATURE: We are all driven by sets of initials, whether its ABS and ESP in our cars, or the familiar file formats used on our computers.
FEATURE: It's a fact of life; if we needed specialists seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year, then we'd have resident plumbers, electricians, dentists and the various other folk only required for specific skills resident in our offices and homes, just in case.
FEATURE: Too many printers struggling to manage their businesses and lives day-to-day would say the answer to that question is never.
FEATURE: There's a bunch of talented folk out there who get nary a mention yet, without whom, end products might never appear in the first place.
FEATURE: The obvious answer to that question is young people. But with a few rare exceptions little darlings with qualifications are rarely passionate about industry, whether it's pharmaceuticals or printing.
FEATURE: If you want to know the answer to this week's Question of the Week, you really should read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
OPINION: Knowing how much ink your printer consumes is an important concern. But do you think you know the answer? And do you know how much it costs per metre?
FEATURE: Everyone using an ink-jet printer knows how much is spent on materials; but assessing finite rates according to material can be rather like the old adage of working out the length of a piece of string.
FEATURE: It should be clear enough that your customers are the greatest asset your business has, so it's important to make a bit of an effort to keep them happy.
FEATURE: The reaction of our customers is the driving force behind the success of the business it is using to provide a service.
FEATURE: Working with virtual copies of old fashioned content, layout information, fonts, graphics and what have you has truly revolutionised the industry.
OPINION: If you're hoping to secure a business loan, you will need to prepare a document showing everything your bank manager wants to know.
OPINION: Money is a very delicate issue, and banks don't like to lend it out. However, there are methods that will help in convincing your bank manager.
FEATURE: We're spoilt these days when it comes to file delivery.
FEATURE: Bank managers have a vested interest in lending money, but how do you convince them to do it?
FEATURE: There's an increasingly common dilemma in these difficult economic times, and that is how to convince bank managers, or other finance specialists, to lend you money.
FEATURE: One of the fathers of the digital printing revolution, Benny Landa, once said that 'anything that can go digital, will go digital'.
FEATURE: Anyone with doubts about how running a slick operation can improve their business only had to spend 20 minutes watching a digitally inspired front-end, and they'd surely wonder how on earth they managed without it.
FEATURE: The difference between UV-curable and solvent-based technologies goes further than the ink chemistries.
OPINION: 1) Because they're easier and cheaper to manage from an environmental standpoint With solvent-based systems, complying with the regulations governing the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be expensive and time consuming.
FEATURE: If you're content and solidly established in the business of making fast turnaround, cheap and colourful signs for long-lasting outdoor use, you probably don't want to bother with UV-curable.
FEATURE: It is not easy to count your chickens in the wide-format industry where the loss of one major customer can result in disaster.
FEATURE: The funny thing about ideals is that we all have them at some point in our lives, right up to that always awkward point when reality kicks it.
FEATURE: Discussions about colours, gamuts and spaces are often covered by geeky types out to impress their drinking partners in pubs, as well as by those to whom these seemingly innocent-sounding terms are designed to throw them into a pedantic frenzy.
FEATURE: We recently conducted a series of tests of UV-curable printers. One of the things we wanted to understand was what companies mean when they say a new machine has 'a wider colour gamut'.
FEATURE: It's late in the day on a miserable wet Friday afternoon. Pondering the week's Question of the Week.
FEATURE: In our continuing harsh climate the need to get new work stays at the top of the list for many display producers.
FEATURE: Before you run screaming to the hills at Laurel's mention of ISO standards, spare a thought to all those people who are trying to simplify the whole tortuous route to colour matching across all sectors of the printing industry.
FEATURE: Apart from all the ones that keep you and yours safe on the roads and so on, there are some crucial ISO standards for the graphic arts.
FEATURE: Talk about investing in new or second-user machines always brings me back to the inevitable question of whether or not the buyer has the work to support the purchase.
FEATURE: The UK's VAT increase, profiteering oil magnates, deadly dull weather throughout Europe – all of it combined could make for a miserable month.
