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1. Digital Gutenberg? As featured on National Public Radio and
wirednews.com, the first-ever digital copy of Gutenberg’s Bible will be
posted on the Web. Under lock and key and in a temperature-controlled
storage vault, the Library of Congress’ Gutenberg Bible is one of only
three in existence. Due to its fragility, the Library of Congress and
Octavo have joined forces to digitize every page of the Bible for
posterity. Octavo, which specializes in making “the history and beauty
of rare original works available to libraries and their patrons
worldwide,” is posting the pages as they are digitized on its website (www.octavo.com),
along with real-time commentary and translation from Latin to English.
2. Keane Notes. The always smart and provocative Kevin Keane of IAPHC has
written a rousing roundup of industry trends from industry gurus in his
2/02 issue of Tuesday Morning News (www.iaphc.org).
Here are some snapshots: Dr. Joe Webb: “Companies need to position
themselves for more jobs, lower page counts, lower run lengths and longer
reorder cycles.” Dick Gorelick: “The advent of the Internet has
markedly reduced the need for printed price lists and other forms of
informational printing.” Robert Hu: estimates “15% of the average
client company’s revenues are spent on print.” George Alexander of
Seybold: “I, too, feel that printers should be gearing up for smaller
jobs”. GATF’s Howie Fenton: “The short run market (less than 5,000
pages) is predicted to grow at 17% in the next three years vs. 5% growth
in the long run market.” And NAPL’s Greg Van Wert: believes “that
while things are still tough, indications are the second half of 2002
should be strong, and that 2003 could be very strong indeed.” In view of
the earlier statements, though, this rosy prediction may depend on the
print niche you’re in.
3. Washington State Rules. As a small business owner, I’ve found two
State sites particularly useful: The Washington State Labor &
Industries website at www.lni.wa.gov
and the Association of Washington Business site at www.awb.org.
With a searchable database, the L & I site is easy to use and
informative. I’ve found it helpful in researching Workers Compensation
rules. The Washington Business site is a good place to stay posted on the
status of ergonomics issues.
4. Tip of the Week. Scoring and folding may seem simple, but there are
many different types of scoring and folding methods and mechanisms.
There’s litho scoring, of which you’re undoubtedly familiar. Then
there’s letterpress and rotary scoring, both of which we can perform.
Our Rollem Model TR is a double-shaft scoring system, which produces
perfect scores on UV-coated products, the toughest to score and fold. Here
are some general rules to follow: a) The score should be wider and deeper
than the thickness of the paper, and should be made so that the hinge will
be on the inside of the fold. b) The smoothest scores/folds run parallel
to the grain. c)Cross-grain folds are more likely to produce cracking and
buckling, but with the right score can be the strongest and most durable.
d) Most important, many scoring and folding projects require planning
ahead, particularly those with full ink coverage, bleeds and cross-grain
folds. So give a call; we’re here to help.
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