Seattle Bindery Newsletter: Issue No. 44. We welcome your comments.

1. Less is More? If you get the chance, check out the article “The Best Little Grocery Store in America” in the June issue of Inc. magazine (www.inc.com). As I was reading this article, I got to thinking about a couple of issues: With the rising popularity of 1:1 loyalty marketing (corresponding with variable data printing), it’s inevitable that printers will have to offer customization if they want to lock in their customers. At the same time, this illustrates how technology is reducing the amount of printing being sold. A dilemma, yes, but how can we turn this into an opportunity to make ourselves useful to customers? Again, we must redefine ourselves as communications solutions providers--going beyond the scope of putting ink on paper to help customers manage and improve the efficiency of how they reach their customers.

2. CSR Compensation. Here’s a topic that’s generating a lot of controversy these days. As the CSR function becomes more critical in our dealings with customers, it’s imperative to come up with a fair plan for rewarding and encouraging these key employees. Once again, I’d like to refer to our pal Dick Gorelick on the subject. He wrote an article for PINC’s newsletter and the main point he stresses is that, unfortunately, “One size doesn’t fit all.” Differences in company cultures, account mix and other factors rule out the possibility of all businesses following one universal plan for CSR compensation. He does offer some examples, though, of successful plans that different companies have come up with. Call Judy for a copy.

3. Some Shameless Self-Promotion. Yours truly was the speaker at the PPI meeting last Wednesday (7/18). The topic of the seminar was “Outsourcing, What is in it for You?”, so I was asked to share my thoughts on practical and financial matters regarding the usage of trade services in the printing industry. If you weren’t able to attend and you’d like a copy of the points made in my talk, email me or look for them in the Library section on our website.

4. New Threat. Looks like the Internet isn’t the only threat to the future of print media. The latest Trend Letter states: “On top of recent economic uncertainty driving down ad revenues, papers and magazines face a more troublesome and chronic foe: ‘aliteracy,’ or Americans’ growing aversion to reading.” The statistics are troubling: “In 1991, more than half of all Americans read a half-hour or more every day...by 1999, that number dropped to 45%.” What's more “only 7% of Americans read more than one book a week.” Can this growing aversion to reading be reversed? Let’s hope so...not only for the future of print media, but for the future, period.

5. Tip Of the Week. For roll folds, be sure to size the layout so that each succeeding interior panel decreases by 3/32”. The last panel should be 1/16” smaller than the preceding panel. Following this formula ensures that your job won’t fall victim to bend-overs, bad color breaks, jams, waste and certain other kinds of spoilage that can happen during production.
                                                                    

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email her at judy@seattlebindery.com
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