Adams McClure

Ennis Inc., Midlothian, Texas, recently won the first ever e-Quantum "Best in the West" Exhibitor Challenge during the Fall Client Conference in Reno, Nev. The challenge was to create a visually attractive and engaging display to help drive more distributor traffic.

The new year can represent a clean slate or a do-over of sorts. Ambitious resolutions are made—the kind that involve treadmills and self-reflection. The success rate is uncertain.

It's not just famous for its inner harbor and crab cakes. It's not just the backdrop of HBO's now defunct The Wire. Many know it as "Charm City," but for the printing industry it's the site of PSDA's annual Print Solutions Conference and Expo from May 24 to 26 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

A little change never hurt anyone. With that in mind, this year’s big show promises a change of pace, a change of scenery and a change in demand. The newly revamped PSDA (formerly DMIA) will host its annual Print Solutions Conference and Exposition on Oct. 23-25 at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore. This year’s featured general session keynote speaker will be Charlie Pesko, founder and president of InfoTrends, a leading market research and consulting firm in the digital imaging and document solutions industries. Technological advances and refined marketing strategies are just some of the issues gaining momentum in a slowing economy. To encourage print

DMIA’s annual Print Solutions conference and exposition will be held Oct. 3-5 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The conference will provide three days of educational sessions, including a presentation by this year’s keynote speaker, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and co-author of “Contract with America.” Join Gingrich as he analyzes the current political climate in Washington, DC, and educates attendees on effective leadership. This year’s conference will feature equipment demonstrations, offering distributors better insight into how various applications are produced. In addition, exchange centers will be located on the show floor with more than 34 hours of

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

Acquisitions and consolidations make a shaky year in the print industry remain profitable. Transcontinental Printing Once again Transcontinental Printing, Warminster, Pa., has achieved the top ranking on the BFL&S Top 100 Manufacturers list. Reporting $2 billion in development within the United States for its latest fiscal year completed—$200 million more than last year's figures—the company thrives on nothing less than offering the best. According to Tracy Dennis, director of business, this year the best has meant concentrating on strategic relocation maneuvers and internal growth. "We've undergone consolidation, as well as staff, procedural, manufacturing and program changes that all contribute to Transcontinental's continued success," said

Influencing People Why the Web will never replace face-to-face "To Ben Harris, selling is a way of life!" That's how an article in The Counselor started some 20 years ago. It was Charley Pahl's appraisal of a Selling Seminar Harris conducted for the Rocky Mountain Region's 6th Annual Sales Seminar. Pahl titled the article Ben Harris: The Fine Art Of Selling, and there was no more fitting description of the man or his message. I was privileged to attend a recent Selling Seminar, once again sponsored by the RMR and hosted by Harris. It was a testament to the Fine Art of Selling and Harris' message was

Newsbrief American Buys CST/Star Assets American Tissue, Happauge, N.Y., has purchased the assets of CST/Star Products, Wheeling, Ill., which recently closed. The purchase includes all of CST/ Star's eight plants, presses and other equipment, accounts receivable and all brands, trademarks and copyrights. The new company, operating under the name American Forms, is led by President and CEO Alan Vosper. American has opened three of the purchased plants—Wheeling, Ill.; Plano, Texas; and Leola, Pa.—employing about 100 people. Approximately 85 of those employees formerly worked for CST/Star. No senior management has been retained. In addition to the three plants, American Forms has distribution agreements at several

Distributor-only CSRs and five plants are positioned to handle distributor orders The $2.43 billion direct-selling giant of the forms industry—Moore North America, Bannockburn, Ill.—has launched a business unit geared to the independents and joined the DMIA. The new unit, called Latitudes, is based in Iowa City, Iowa. According to Dick Dennis, vice president of the Resale Channels, Latitudes is completely independent of Moore's direct-selling divisions. Rather than reporting to a vice president of sales, Dennis reports to Patrick Brong, the president of Logistics & Operations for Moore. No stranger to the independent channel, Dennis previously served as vice president of sales for Vallis