Transformational Workflow Infrastructures v2021
Business processes and production workflows cannot be stagnant and need to evolve as the markets and technologies evolve. Understanding the need and creating an infrastructure that supports that is key. The good news is that the options are improving. Before the pandemic, actually way before the pandemic in 2013, I wrote the first in a series…
How to Participate in Industry 4.0—Part 1: State of Readiness
In this new series we look at Industry 4.0. Not as a marketing term, but in an actionable way so that you can begin or continue to prepare your company and participate in the many benefits. In this first article of the series, we start at the beginning and look at the state of readiness.…
How to Participate in Industry 4.0—Part 2: Internal Hardware Systems
In this second article of the series, we take a look at internal hardware systems. Industry 4.0 also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or sometimes also referred to as The Industrial Internet of Things or IoT. The benefits of a connected supply chain are significant, not just in the reduction of production costs, but…
The Next Generation of Variable Data Packaging: PDF Objects and Variables
Background We have all seen the studies and even experienced first-hand the value of personalization in direct mail and other forms of communication. But what about the value of personalization in products and packaging? There are a lot of projections into what the market value ‘could be’. For example, according to a 2017 study the…
The Digital Packaging Evolution
2020 was a transformative year for labels and packaging. Much of that had to do with the pandemic driven shift in consumer behavior, which in combination with new digital press introductions has affected packaging procurement models. This has accelerated the existing trends and now bodes well for the digital packaging evolution. Some Background In the…
The Modern Litho and Kodak Partnership, the Key to Success
Over the years Kodak has developed very strong bonds with their customers. Considering their long history supporting print providers with consumables and digital process solutions to enhance their businesses, it makes perfect sense. A great example is Modern Litho. Modern Litho is an 84-year-old commercial printer with locations in St. Louis, Kansas City, and two…
Selecting imposition software doesn’t need to be hard – Part 2
Preparing files for printing to a plate or directly to a press, is a crucial part of the printing process. It is one of those steps that has remained a high skilled and fairly siloed process. In Part 1, we reviewed what is the best approach to selecting an imposition solution and the main thinking…
Selecting imposition software doesn’t need to be hard – Part 1
Preparing files for printing to a plate or directly to a press, is a crucial part of the printing process. It is one of those steps that has remained a high skilled and fairly siloed process. Today, many companies still manually impose their production files using InDesign or plugins to Adobe Acrobat. Others have an…