|
1. Going Steady. For the second month in a row, the NAPL Printing Business
Index stayed over the 50.0 mark, rising to 53.4 in April from 53.0 in
March. (A PBI reading over 50.0 means more printers saw business pick up,
whereas a PBI below 50.0 would have meant more printers experienced a
slowdown in business.) Looking ahead, NAPL chief economist Andrew
Paparozzi sees business picking up for the rest of the year. In contrast
to the overall
3.7% decline in printing sales last year, Paparozzi expects sales to climb
as much as 5.0% from July to December and 7.5% next year. If it happens,
the party is at Seattle Bindery!
2. Industry Pricing Update. How have printing prices changed over the last
decade? Data from the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate
that, overall, commercial printing prices rose 18.8% between 1992 and
2001. That averages out to about a 2% rise each year. But during the
period between January 01 and February 02, the recession caused commercial
printing prices to stay put, with 0% change. For comparison, the consumer
price index rose
1.5% during that same time period, while all manufacturing producer prices
dropped 2.1%.
3. The Perfect Paper for Perfect Binding. When a job calls for perfect
binding, stick to uncoated stock if possible. Because they’re porous and
have low density, they create a more durable bind. Coated stocks could
wreak havoc on a job; textured stocks are also tricky. However, if a
project requires a coated stock, a PUR adhesive may do the trick. And make
sure the
text is printed so the book is bound with the grain, meaning that the
grain of the cover and text stock is parallel to the spine. Binding
against the grain also contributes to books coming unglued over time.
4. Accounting 101. Dick Gorelick wants to make sure you’re calculating
spoilage correctly. Spoilage, as some may already know, is defined as
unanticipated, unproductive use of time and materials. (Makeready, on the
other hand, is anticipated, unproductive use of time and materials.)
According to Gorelick, most graphic arts companies make the mistake of
focusing only on cost of materials when calculating spoilage, not
realizing that non-productive time is spoilage, too. Non-productive time
includes waiting to put plates on presses, as well as production delays.
Be sure to monitor these aspects of spoilage, just as you would monitor
your cost of
materials. Your bottom line may depend on it.
5. More Options. Get an estimate, schedule a job or send a purchase order
with our new online request form. It’s a quick and easy way to get
quotes from us. You’ll see the link on our homepage at www.seattlebindery.com.
(Or if you prefer to fax your request, you can print out a faxable work
form from our site and fax it back to us.)
|
