Newsletter
Issue No. 172 August 11, 2006
Bindery
Folding
- Miniature to
Map
- Closed Gate
Presentation Folder Gluing
Stitching
- 10 pockets
- Loop Stitching
Trimming
Rotary Perf & Score
Gathering & Collating
Perfect Binding
Wire-O™
Plastic Spiral
- Autospin 30mm elements
- 2.5:1 Oval Hole Pattern
Transfer
Tape
Drilling
Round Cornering
Shrink Wrapping
Eyeletting
Film Laminating
Tabbing
Custom Index Tabs
Copier Tabs
Tab Reinforcing
Spine Reinforcing
Patch Edge Reinforcing
5 Hole Drilling
Finishing
Autoplaten Diecutting
Diecutting to 41"
Scoring & Perfing
Embossing
Foiling
Numbering
1. Hyping Skype. I don’t usually endorse products in this newsletter,
but I think this one warrants it. With my daughter in Europe on a study
abroad program, we wanted a less expensive way to keep in touch than
paying $.50 per minute on the telephone. Then we heard about Skype, a
freeware program we downloaded that, when installed by both end-users,
allows free instant messaging. The real beauty of the program, though,
is that, for the cost of adding a $15 microphone to my laptop and a $20
headphone for my daughter, we can chat free via speakerphone for as long
as we want. Sweet! I learned about Skype from one of our suppliers who
uses it for tech support calls. If you’ve found creative uses for Skype
or any other freeware, pass it along and I’ll post them on the
Newsletter Response page on our web site.
2. PSI User Group. Programmed Solutions Inc., a program for shop floor
data collection, electronic ticket terminals, raw materials management,
loading and scheduling, estimating, accounting, and report writing, has
started a new push to reinvigorate its Pacific Northwest user group.
They hosted a recent “restart” meeting in Portland, but I was unable to
attend. There is talk, however, of a follow-up meeting in Seattle. If
you are interested, let me know and I’ll pass on your name to the
meeting coordinator.
3. Referral. As long as I’m passing on referrals, I have a business
friend, Doug Hunter, who does consulting on Microsoft Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) software installations. If your sales
force contact management isn’t performing as efficiently as you’d like,
Doug’s expertise can make a significant difference. And just because
I’ve used the word “consultant,” doesn’t mean he’ll break your bank.
There are reasonably priced options available. So, if you’ve recently
wanted to give this issue another look, but haven’t known where to
start, give him a call. Doug Hunter, 206-399-6226,
www.hunterconsulting.us. Also, if you just want to start gathering
information, Doug has a number of white papers you can access on his web
site. Just click on “CRM Central.”
4. Website Update. Websites can serve numerous functions, from ftp job
uploads to simple contact listings. But, as most of you know, we want
our website to be more than a place to read about our equipment and
capabilities. We really want it to function as a reliable source of
information for people in the printing and binding business. That’s why
we post the newsletter and offer a links page. In the interest of
keeping the site as current and helpful as possible, we encourage
suggestions for links that the print community will find useful. Thanks!
5. Gas Attack. The announcement that BP is shutting down its Prudhoe Bay
oil field in Alaska is not good news for small businesses in Washington.
The State’s five refineries receive more than 50% of their crude oil
from Alaska’s North Slope, where the Prudhoe field lies. And, because
the West Coast has no pipeline link to the East Coast, we’re cut off
from immediate relief, even if the government releases oil from the
emergency stockpile on the Gulf Coast. You may want to keep this in mind
if you are budgeting “free” delivery services. Also, this may be a good
time to revisit “telecommuting” options for certain employees to keep
the travel costs down. Carpool anyone? For more,
click here. “
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