Seattle Bindery Newsletter: Issue No. 58. We welcome your comments.


1. Prepare for a slow recovery. That’s the advice in WSJ.com’s Small Business Suite on 1/22/02. Staff reporter Jeff Bailey’s piece “As Small Firms Prepare for a Recovery, Cautious Expansion Will Prove Crucial” advises those with expansion plans to go slow. Here are his rules: Don’t go out and hire new workers when new orders arrive. Don’t count on faster receivables collection. Don’t overpromise customers on delivery times. And, keep a cost-cutting plan handy because “a recovery in 2002 isn’t a sure thing.” More cautious news comes from NAPL’s Papparozi, who sees “weakness continuing through the first half of 2002, with a meaningful upturn beginning after midyear and accelerating rapidly in 2003” and PIA's Davis, who says to “look for print sales to stabilize by mid-year and begin growing in the third quarter.” Printers themselves are even less optimistic. According to the most recent Printer Index from WhatTheyThink.com and Cap Ventures, “In January 2002, 52.9% of printers indicated that demand for print in their local market is either starting to slip or continues to decline.”

2. Speaking of receivables collections. We heard an excerpt from a presentation given in San Francisco by Bob Lindgren, Executive Director of Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California. He believes a business owner’s all-important goal is to maintain and increase working capital. To do that, here are his suggestions: Bill promptly. Bill correctly and completely, with all change orders documented. If there’s been a problem with the job, call no later than one day after the invoice went out, asking if the customer got the invoice and confirming that everything is in order. That way, you’ll get the jump on any issues before the 30 days has expired.

3. Tip of the Week. Those ubiquitous presentation folders can have dynamic impact with a few “extra” embellishments. While they may add a little extra to your customer’s cost, the effect may be well worth it. If there are design elements that can benefit from multi-level embossed nuances, ask your customer to consider a hand-tooled die, and stick with an uncoated stock to achieve ultimate dimensionality. But remember, uncoated stocks often take longer to dry because of their porosity, so allow at least an extra day in the schedule. Also, stock that’s too lightweight can cause problems, as can improperly prepared glue tabs. Consult your finishing pros for help regarding these issues.

4. Reminders: Yes, we do LOTS of mechanical binding. In fact, we just finished several big Wire-O and plastic coil jobs over the past weeks. If you have a mechanical binding project, be sure to determine the wire or coil size, or use the exact paper and sheet count in the sample you send us, so the caliper of the element we order will fit the book thickness. One last reminder; want to impress customers? For a mere $75, enter your best work in the Craftsmen Club’s “Gallery of Superb Printing” competition. We are preparing our entries now.

 
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