Commercial Printing

for the average consumer, the phrase “industrial printing” recalls images of smokestacks, machines of frightening complexity and robot-operated plants processing paper through the long night. However, the business of commercial printing has many facets. Between any two companies, there are vast differences in product and procedure, even when filling almost identical consumer needs. But, there are also great similarities. Specifically, the way to look at the process, from project inception to delivery, so every aspect of the commercial print industry can be analyzed simultaneously. Regardless of a commercial printer's niche in the industry, it is unlikely that “caring” would become a befitting word to

iT HAS TAKEN MORE THAN a decade, but digital printing is now mainstream. “Of all United States commercial and quick printers, more than 60 percent currently have some level of digital color capability,” noted Frank Romano, professor emeritus of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Print Media located in Rochester, New York. “It is no longer a case of printers asking ‘Should I’, but rather, ‘Which one should I buy?’” He also reported that print buyers are increasingly specifying digital output for many applications where offset once dominated. “Even though offset printing is evolving to provide more economical and more competitive approaches,

Margins are high and the future is bright for this market niche MOST DISTRIBUTORS KNOW commercial printing is not the typical sale. It involves greater interaction with manufacturers and end-users. Most orders are not simple reorders of the exact same product. There are a lot of colors and shapes and innovative designs and, for some distributors, that is a lot of work compared to a basic form sale. But, for those wondering whether or not commercial printing is worth the effort, a pep talk from John Andersen, sales manager for Admore, a division of Ennis, Macomb, Mich., just might change things. To him, commercial

Understanding file, font and color separation issues is essential for successful commercial printing projects COMMERCIAL printing used to be a scary term for many distributors, who shied away from learning its intricacies as long as margins on business forms were good. But, according to a BFL&S survey conducted in 2004, distributors now report that 21.5 percent of their sales are in commercial printing, and that they have begun to learn the argot of bleeds, trapping, fonts, graphics, tiff, eps, pict, RGB and CMYK. With computers now handling the job of traditional typsetters and graphic artists, "Putting ink on paper is still

Distributors of forms and labels can profit by taking on a colorful challenge. Just what is commercial printing, and how hard is it for distributors of printed business products interested in increasing profits to offer this service to their customers? At Apex Color, Jacksonville, Fla., any printed product that is not a traditional business form is considered commercial printing. "This includes all of our four-color process and spot-color work that runs on our sheet-fed presses," explained Richard Ghelerter, president. "The projects consist of booklets, brochures, postcards, presentation folders, posters, rack cards, manuals, flyers, door hangers, table tents, menus, direct mail pieces, newsletters and

Short-run products with pop make up a large percentage of the current demand. Things keep getting brighter for commercial printing. A little more than 10 years since the first high-speed digital color presses were launched, commercial printing has managed to cross over a major hump. No longer is digital color an immature technology viable only in controlled market niches; it is now a robust, economical process qualified for the production of many different products. As a result, everyone is ordering commercial printing products—from mom-and-pop pizza shops looking for a new menu to major universities looking to distribute a high-quality course catalog. These days, "short-run"

Well thought-out marketing strategies can boost commercial print sales. With all of the ongoing challenges in the print world, manufacturers of commercial print products have found themselves at the helm of aggressive marketing efforts in order to stay on top. "Establishing credibility with distributors is our top marketing strategy," said Richard Ghelerter, president of Jacksonville, Florida-based Apex Color. "One way that we have done this is by participating in the Printing Association of Florida's annual awards, and we have received the association's Best of Category award in commercial printing for four consecutive years." Ghelerter added that receiving such awards looks great on a

Short runs get to market faster than ever, thanks to efficient workflows and knowledgeable distributors. Which came first—the customer demand for quick turnaround times or the equipment technology that makes it possible? While the question is debatable, the upshot is clear. Short runs of process color work are a dominant trend in commercial printing. From a few days to as few as 24 hours after proof approval, orders for brochures, postcards, marketing collateral, rack cards, books and booklets in quantities of between 250 and 20,000 pieces are being printed, packed and shipped. Columbus, Kansas-based Midwest Color Graphics advertises typical production schedules of

Commercial print distributors offer a full line of print management services to create a profitable edge. When it comes to commercial print, distributors say that substantial profitable margins are not found simply in the print production of four-color materials. Rather, providing customers with complete print management solutions—from ideation and design to logistics and warehousing—will give distributors the winning edge. Faisal Ahmad, president and CEO of Dallas-based USFI, said that the company was founded in 1984 as a traditional forms distributorship, but eventually evolved into a full-service marketing communications company. "We are in a changing market. Industries are looking for much broader solutions than forms

Online ordering, online proofing and variable data bring newness to commercial printing products. Identifying what is new in the commercial printing arena can be a difficult task. As a product niche that covers everything from splashy marketing brochures and booklets to image-heavy point-of-purchase displays and postcards, commercial printing is typically versatile and often looks new with every application. But, there is a significant change occurring in commercial printing that brings newness to high-quality product production. Quick and Easy According to Terry Richards, president of Victor Printing, Sharon, Pa., the newest trends in commercial printing products are how they're ordered, how they're proofed