Seattle Bindery Newsletter: Issue #36. We welcome your comments.

1. Book to the Future. How will e-books change the publishing world as we know it today? According to a recent segment on NPR’s Morning Edition, it looks like it’s still up in the air. Until e-publishers establish a competitive pricing structure, boost their selection of titles and offer cheaper, multipurpose devices to download e-books, paper-based books won’t be replaced by e-books anytime soon. In the meantime, however, e-book technology is coexisting nicely with paper-based book publishing, functioning as a marketing tool for writers and publishers. So far, the biggest impact e-book technology is having on our industry is in the on-demand segment. Already, there are ATM-like prototypes that allow customers to send in an order for a book, which then gets printed out at a nearby copy shop and delivered right to your doorstep.

2. E-rights. On a related topic, a brouhaha is brewing a la Napster in the publishing arena. The National Writers Union has sued The New York Times in a trial set for next week, contending the publisher violated their copyrights by “republishing their work electronically without permission or further compensation.” We all may want to review our contracts to make sure we’re indemnified from prosecution if customers bring us material that’s copyrighted by a third party. The Printing Industries of Northern California has some useful language in their Print Buyers Guide. Call Judy, if you’d like a copy of their Suggested Terms and Conditions of Sale. 

3. SpeedyDry feedback. Since the time we mentioned SpeedyDry two newsletters back, several readers have gotten back to us with their comments about the product. So far, they’ve all been positive. The consensus seems to be that SpeedyDry does indeed deliver on its promise of shortening drying times. Bottom line, it appears to be worth checking out.

4. Faxing foibles. The other day I saw a guy at a restaurant trying to read a 12-page fax rolled out on that old thermal paper. Ugly! If your fax machine is outdated, there are some good buys out there. OfficeMax, for instance, is offering a Panasonic KX-FP80 plain paper fax machine for $79.99 if purchased before May 31. We’ve also noticed when we send out our fax newsletters that some of you turn fax machines off at night. While doing so may save some pennies in electricity charges, it could cost you in terms of lost business. We routinely have customers fax us RFQs and job information “after hours.”
 
5. Meet the presses. TechGraphics 2001 is coming to the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on April 5-7. Put on by the Pacific Printing & Imaging Association, it is the tradeshow for the Northwest graphic arts community. It’s a great chance to check out new technologies and equipment. If you’d like to attend, we have some free tickets available, since we’ll have a booth there. You can call Judy, or you can register online by visiting the PPIA website, www.ppi-assoc.org, and clicking on “TechGraphics.” See you there!

Return to Newsletter Archive

If you wish to receive our fax newsletter please contact Judy.
email her at judy@seattlebindery.com
Phone 425-656-8210
Fax 425-656-4400