Xerox Corp.

Direct mail can be a very rewarding business-generation tool, but it has to be done right. There are things marketing directors should consider before championing a direct response campaign in their organizations. If marketing leaders would ask themselves the following five questions, their meetings with digital printing and mail house partners can be more effective—and mail campaigns more fruitful: 1. What is the plan? Simply starting is often the hardest part, but having a documented plan allows you to begin changing and modifying the plan. The way I learn, is often characterized by behaviorists as “visual spatial” learning; I need to

Xerox, Rochester, N.Y., unveiled the newest addition to its Digital Color Select Gloss product line. Weighing in at a mere 60 lb. text—25 percent lighter than standard coated paper grades—it is the industry’s lightest-weight paper for high-volume digital color printing. Offered in 17x11" and 18x12" sizes, the paper is specifically engineered to deliver top performance in high-speed digital color systems, such as the Xerox iGen3 and DocuColor digital presses. In addition, it features a 90 brightness factor and a blue-white shade, enabling rich, sharp, high-quality color images. It also has an exclusive Xerox coating for superior smoothness and toner adhesion. For more information,

Xerox, Rochester, N.Y., has extended its family of carbonless paper products to include a new stock that works with its flagship Xerox iGen3 digital press. The result is colorful, multi-part bank statements, invoices and claim forms at up to 110-pages-per-minute—faster than any other digital color system in the industry. Pairing Xerox premium digital carbonless paper with the iGen3 makes it possible to economically and efficiently add colorful logos and highlighted content to each sheet of a contract or receipt for improved accuracy and efficiency. In addition, companies can save time and money by printing forms on-demand, rather than using large inventories of offset, pre-printed

Headquartered in Carol Stream, Ill., Team Concept Printing & Thermography is hosting an open house on Friday, Sept. 22. The event will showcase the company’s 42,000 sq. ft. facility located at 540 Tower Blvd., as well as its new additions to facilitate variable imaging and short- run color capabilities, including a Xerox iGen3 digital press. Visitors to the open house will be able to attend training seminars on how to sell a variety of products and the production methods used to manufacture them. For more information, call (866) 653-8326 or visit www.teamconceptprinting.com.

Muller Martini, Hauppauge, N.Y., will feature its SigmaLine system of modular and scaleable digital OnDemand components at Print '05, Sept. 9-15 in Chicago. The system is the world's first commercial-quality, modular, digital book manufacturing solution that brings diverse printing and finishing to shops of all sizes. SigmaLine enables printers, binderies and in-house operations to complement their existing book manufacturing capabilities by adding greater efficiency and diversity to individual areas. It also allows companies to implement a whole new strategy by creating an entire OnDemand platform. Muller Martini will partner with two other graphic arts companies at the show to display SigmaLine's highly agile

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

Manufacturers discuss emerging markets and value-added applications. Spurred by the introduction of laser printers in the 1980s, laser labels continue to be a profitable product for distributors, with new applications and processes spawned regularly to meet end-users' demands. "Lasers are pretty hot right now," noted Melinda Fulton, marketing manager at Continental Datalabel, Elgin, Ill. As pin-fed labels have faded from their former preeminence, laser and thermal labels have taken over. Mike Evans, marketing service manager for Lancer Label, Omaha, Neb., a PrintXcel company, said that he has seen steady growth in stock laser label sales over the past three years. John Strecker, vice

When it comes to self-promotion, individual distributors do it their way. Distributors specialize in helping companies run and grow their businesses. So, it stands to reason that these savvy sales professionals would know a thing or two about promoting their own products and services. Here, three distributors discuss their strategies for increasing customers and profits. Interestingly, all three reported a reluctance to seek outside assistance, the general consensus being that advertising and marketing firms cannot fully comprehend the unique role distributors play in the marketplace. Tenacity with Finesse For David Donnelly, president of Suncoast Forms & Systems, Sarasota, Fla., the most effective

At the Graphic Expo in Chicago last month, The Print Council—a business development alliance dedicated to promoting the greater use of print media—publicly announced its formation. The council's goal is to develop, maintain and increase the printed goods market through education, awareness, market development, advocacy and research. The Print Council also named its founding members, who represent some of the most recognizable names in the printing industry, including Agfa-Gevaert Group; Electronics for Imaging; Franchise Services, Inc.; Heidelberg; IBM; International Paper; Mail-Well; MAN Roland; Pitney Bowes; PressTek; Quad Graphics; Roll Systems; Sandy Alexander; Scitex Digital Printing; The Sheridan Group; Sun Chemical; Williamson Printing Corporation and

Digital printing technology is ready, willing and able, but are the people who make, sell and use the products? Sliced bread's got nothing over digital printing as far as Joe Mehl's concerned. In fact the CEO of Erie, Pennsylvania-based Dispatch (formerly Team Dispatch) called it the most significant development for the industry since the computer. But as with most changes, there are difficulties to overcome before reaping the benefits. The early color-quality issues—blacks, purples, reds and blues that left something to be desired—have been corrected. Said Mehl, "My Xerox DocuColor's quality is as good, and in some cases better, than any offset equipment