Well done again to GIS in winning its second Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Of course not all companies can win an accolade like that - what gives it such kudos of course - but any award is worth winning in the PR and marketing stakes, right? So how many awards schemes do you enter each year, roughly? Have you won any this year? Let me know which have been most valuable to you.
It seems that everyone is getting a business development director. What happened to MD’s doing that job? I say that in a somewhat light-hearted fashion as I can see the value in having a dedicated person tasked with looking at new business opportunities, but where do you find these ‘expert’ business developers. Get in touch if you’re happy to discuss.
Should we be looking to the US for leadership? Well, if that means following the SGIA’s lead, maybe. Its members have provided $96,000 in support of print skills competitions as part of a wider student/industry programme to ensure a skilled workforce for the US. Of course the print associations over here in the UK do their bit to promote and back skills development too, but should we be doing more?
OK, the sun is shining on most of us, but bet some of you still have your Monday moans. It’s all very well being positive and upbeat, but sometimes it’s therapeutic to get things off your chest. What bug bears do you have about the large-format print sector? Let me know…along with any suggested remedies.
Have you done a whacky or super-creative large-format print job of late that you want to get in front of creatives? If so - and you’re allowed to share the info - please send me a pic and some words about the job. I’m making a concerted effort to get more imagination-stretching print jobs on our Think Bigger noticeboard and help expand the market for digital large-format print.
Choose which you prefer for your business. With the release of the newest Corporate Sustainability Report from Sun Chemical must come a realisation that businesses – of all types and sizes – need to take environmental measures seriously if they want to remain healthy. At some point customers are going to start turning away from those ignoring the issue. Let me know what you’re doing about greening up your act – I’d be interested in running a series of best practice pieces in the mag. Thank you.
Guessing that’s how a lot of people in the print sector will feel on hearing the news of Ipex’s demise. Last August I interviewed Rob Fisher and asked him whether the 2017 show would even go ahead, and if so, what the likelihood was of another beyond that. He was philosophical – you can read the piece at: http://bit.ly/2yMxNHO. And in the new issue of Image Reports we look at the role of trade shows in general: http://bit.ly/2KelVm6. Do you still want them? The success of Fespa would suggest you do… but in what format?
The announcement that paints, coatings and printing inks bodies BCF and CEPE will continue their working relationship beyond Brexit is prompting me to ask you about the dreaded topic. You’ll remember that Brexit and how you felt it might impact your business, was a question on the Widthwise 2018 survey at the start of the year (you can read the analysis and get the full report at: https://www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/widthwise2018). Now it’s mid year and negotiations are that much further down the line, do you feel any different?
Should we be taking heed of decisions by print companies like Pureprint on greening-up our offering? As the first printing company in the UK to be certified to ISO 14001 in 1993, Pureprint maintains that sustainability is at the heart of its business, and as such it’s now offering clients a way to balance the carbon emissions of their paper-based print. Director Richard Owens - talking of the benefits of Carbon Balanced Paper - said recently: “It is good to see our customers becoming more environmentally conscious. I am sure it is a combination of programmes like Blue Planet and the increasing evidence of climate change through weather events and natural disasters that is persuading more people to care about the environment.” That attitude must be filtering through to non-paper based print - isn’t it? See what the data from the 2018 survey of UK/Ireland large-format PSPs indicates! You can download the newly published report here: https://www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/widthwise2018. It’s free! Find our other environment focused articles at: https://www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/features/environment
Antalis has taken on an ‘innovation and creative consultant’. Have you? I know some PSPs have indeed done something similar in a bid to reach out to creatives and better educate them about the possibilities of large-format digital print. But it’s not a cheap option. So what about somehow pooling resources and employing a number of ‘artistic ambassadors’ who will work on behalf of the whole sector? Just a thought - might seem a naive idea but could it be a workable option?
News that Cawston Press is about to run its first ever outdoor ad. campaign has me wondering how shifts in media spend are impacting large-format PSPs in the UK. Figures on national spend do little to provide any real insight. How are you finding that market?
Well at least have your say - and hope the relevant people listen. I’m talking about the threat that Print Scotland’s Iain Robertson says new procurement measures could have on PSPs. As he says: “It is heartening that Scottish Procurement is going to the trouble of asking the sector for its opinions. It would be even more gratifying if it listened to what the print industry had to say.” Then again, you can’t be heard if you don’t say anything - so perhaps now is the time to do so….
Just wondering how many large-format PSPs have now bought into Web-to-print. If you have, can you please drop me a line – I’d love to talk to you about the pros and cons. If you haven’t, but want to tell me why, I’d be more than happy to get your point of view too. But don’t try and get hold of me next week – I’ll be on my hols – yay! So the next ebulletin from me will be 11 June.
Well we had thunder and lightening here last night, but that’s not what I’m referring to in this blog header – of course I mean the ‘news’ lull after Fespa 2018 last week. And I’m not complaining – it’s good to have a bit of thinking time and to digest what was a torrent of info around showtime! And we have a long weekend in which to do it – hope the sun shines on you.
Image Reports
Supporting the wide-format digital print sector