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Serving Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming
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Printers Beat Patent Troll
A patent troll, High Quality Printing Inventions (HQPI), dropped its infringement lawsuits against a group of printers that refused to give in and settle.
The shell company owns a 1996 patent involving template design-to-print that was originally owned by Moore Business Forms and then transferred to R.R. Donnelley. HQPI started filing lawsuits in January against many printers that have eCommerce storefronts. While some defendants did settle, others banded together and refused to, even as the settlement amounts were steadily decreased by HQPI.
The expense of having to litigate without the certainty of winning was apparently too great for HQPI. This should provide motivation for not giving in to the extortionist efforts of patent trolls. HQPI's legal counsel is the same law firm representing CTP Innovations, the troll that Printing Industries of America has battled with over two CTP workflow-related patents.
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Ask The Tech Experts!
Ask The Tech Experts is a resource of PIA's Center for Technology and Research that features the responses to questions covering a wide gamut of topics. If you would like to ask a technical question, simply email Dillon Mooney at dmooney@printing.org or call PIA's toll-free hotline at 1-800-910-4283. What is internal paper sizing?Internal paper sizing occurs in the beating stage of papermaking, where individual fibers are coated to increase their resistance to liquids. Rosin, which comes from softwood trees, is hte most common internal sizing. What are the gloss values for different finishes of coated paper?
Here are the typical values on coated paper: - Gloss finish 55% and higher
- Dull finish 21% to 54%
- Matte finish - less than 20%
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Lessons From Lindgren:
We Need More Sales!
Surely, that's a universal sentiment. So, what's the solution? Try to hire a sales rep, call on more prospects, quote on more jobs? Actually, all of these are good ideas, but it's easy to miss a major opportunity hiding in plain sight - the jobs that we quoted on but didn't get.
Most firms have a hit ratio (orders/quotes) of well below 50 percent. What would happen if we actually sold all of those quotes that we missed? Pick a month and add up all the dollars in all of those quotes. Think about what would have happened if they all had been orders - it's probably almost scary!
Of course, to get them we wouldn't have gotten our estimate, but would we have lost money? Probably not, as the amount that you will spend (materials, buyouts, factory wages, commissions) to do thees jobs is seldom more than 60 to 70 percent of the estimate, so that even at deep discounts there would still be dollars left to pay for the overhead and generate a nice profit.
So what's the action step? First, analyze the jobs that you didn't get and disregard those that really don't fit your capabilities. Then, zero in on those that are a fit and from prospects who have volume potential. After all, you're not a stranger to them as they've already let you quote. Reach out to them for more opportunities and when you get them, make sure that you get the order. If you can get volume at a 10 percent discount from your estimate, that will give you a boost to your bottom line.
Remember also, that just because you had to be aggressive up front, doesn't mean that you can't up the pricing a bit in the future. Printers are custom manufacturers so every job looks different to the user and has a different purpose and value - facts that the estimating software just doesn't understand.
Bob Lindgren is the President and CEO of Printing Industries Association of Southern California, the largest affiliate of PIA. Mr. Lindgren has more than 40 years of experience in the industry and is an expert in the area of print finance.
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Power Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is crucial to motivation and management - but mistakes can undercut your efforts to show praise and appreciation even when you have the best of intentions. Stay away from these forms of reinforcement that may do more harm than good:
Delayed reinforcement. Waiting a week or even a day can rob reinforcement of its power. Even if superior performance merits a financial bonus that the accounting department needs time to process, praise the employee right away while the action is fresh in his or her mind.
Infrequent reinforcement. If you praise employees for exceptional achievement only once or twice a year, you're missing out on opportunities to reinforce the behavior that leads to those achievements - which might make them more frequent. Don't hoard your praise; provide positive reinforcement as often as you can.
Generic reinforcement. When you give everyone the same pre printed certificate for an accomplishment, you're missing out on the opportunity to provide powerful recognition. The more you personalize rewards and praise to fit individual employees' style and preferences, the stronger the impact. Remember, too, that some people enjoy lavish praise in public; shyer employees might respond better to a quiet word in private. Find out what kind of reinforcement each employee will value.
Unearned reinforcement. If you praise or reward an employee for a meaningless accomplishment, or one based merely on luck, you'll only breed cynicism and doubts about your sincerity. Make sure the employee's behavior is something he or she consciously worked for and deserves sincere praise for.
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WSPA Member Benefit - Save On Background Checks
With Employers Choice Online, you can save 20 percent off the cost of both standard and managerial background checks. These legally compliant results help employers reduce workplace violence, theft, fraud, substance abuse and negligent hiring liabilities.
Standard Package Background Checks Include
- Social Security Address trace
- County criminal search
- Nationwide criminal database search
- Driving history search and
- Employment verification (previous 3 employers)
Managerial Package Background Checks Include: - Social Security Address trace
- County criminal search
- Nationwide criminal database search
- Driving history search and
- Employment verification (previous 3 employers)
- Pre-employment credit report.
It is always better to be safe than sorry. To initiate a background check, simply CLICK HERE.
To see what other discount programs are available to you as a WSPA member, visit our website.
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Is Your Company A Best Workplace?
Find out by entering the Best Workplace in the Americas competition now by submitting the entry form by September 20, 2016. Printers across the country consistently rank recruiting and retaining qualified employees as one of their key challenges. Although the problem may seem daunting, the answer is really very simple-maintain a successful workforce by providing them a superior work environment. While all employees have different values when it comes to what they want in a work environment, there is quite a bit of common ground. And, it is not all centered around money. Workers today look for a variety of qualities in a workplace. Eight key human relation areas that employees look at when evaluating a current or prospective workplace are the following: - Management Practices
- Work Environment
- Training and Development Opportunities
- Financial Security
- Work-Life Balance
- Recognition and Rewards
- Health and Wellness Programs
- Workplace Health and Safety
The Best Workplace in the Americas Awards evaluates your company's success in these eight human relations areas. Click Here for more information. |
Lifesize 3D Printer Now In US
Massivit 3D Printing Technologies, headquartered in Lod, Israel, has announced the successful installation of its groundbreaking Massivit 1800 3D printer at Carisma Large Format Printing in Brooklyn, New York.
Massivit 1800, a super-fast super-sized 3D printer is set to transform the way special marketing, advertising & themed environments are created. It can print a figure that is approximately 6ft. high, 4 ft. deep and 5 ft. wide. That size could be a game changer for 3D manufacturing in general and marketing promotions in particular. The company was founded in 2013 and many of its people are familiar veterans of Israel's well known digital companies like Scitex. Carisma specializes in implementing one of a kind advertising campaigns, many of which are on double decker buses across America.
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The human eye literally sees more green than any other color. The hue of foliage, grass, and growing plants; bountiful trees, lush meadows and clinging vines; the shade of forests and jungles; elves and leprechauns; the product of the Irish patriarch and St. Patrick's Day; with a multitude of greens so plentiful in the surrounding world, there are many moods the green family can convey.
One of the new green shades included into the 210 new color additions to PANTONE's Fashion, Home + Interiors color palette is the fertile Forest Biome, a deeply luxuriant blue influenced green so instantly evocative of nature and the comforting feelings the idea of nature engenders.
Lying in the center of the color spectrum between the composure of blue and the activity of yellow, green is known as the great harmonizer. Often described as a restful shade, physiologically green affects the nervous system, causing us to breathe slowly and deeply, helping the heart to relax by slowing the production of stress hormones. Used lavishly whether in open fields or a park in an urban environment, the serenity of nature's greens can quickly bring about a sense of balance and harmony.
Leafy greens connect with newness, youth and growth. Heralded by the annual emergence each spring of tender green shoots, a majority of people see green as symbolic of nature and new beginnings as green refreshes, restores and reaffirms that the seasons repeat in exactly the same sequence each year. An abundance of green indicates that there is available water, a necessary element for human survival and a primary reason why humans respond on a very visceral level to the reassuring presence of this shade.
Source: Laurie Pressman, Vice President Pantone Color Institute
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Take The Triple-A Approach To Expectations
If employees don't know what you expect of them, they won't be able to meet your organization's requirements. When they're hired, and for as long as they work for you, help them focus on these three areas of performance:
Achievement. Spell out what results the employee is expected to achieve and what goals he or she should work toward.
Accountability. What is the employee ultimately responsible for? How will you measure their success?
Accessibility. Employees should be open to feedback and supportive of co-workers, the team, and your organization.
Source: Communication Solutions
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Last Week To Participate In Ratios Study and Receive Free Report
Choosing to participate in the new Dynamic Ratios can lead to the possibility for greater sales and profit growth.
Even if the Dynamic Ratios allow you to increase in profits by a minimum of 1%, this equates to $10,000 for a $1-million-per-year printer.
Financial benchmarking through use of the Dynamic Ratios provides YOU with the business intelligence needed to make YOUR business more profitable. What are you waiting for?
Participants receive a free report volume and access to an online dashboard.
CLICK HERE to participate. Deadline: June 30, 2016.
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Weekly Photo Feature:
Are you Kidding Me?!
Each week, E-Connects shares incredible photos on just how lax individuals can be when it comes to safety. Some pictures showcase carelessness, others plain stupidity. The goal - to keep a safe work environment front and center on the minds of all of your employees. Pictured: I gotcha Dude!If you come across a funny safety pic you think should be featured, email Michael Makin at mmakin@wsprint.org. |
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Refer-A-Member Incentive
WSPA is only as strong as its membership base and wants to continually grow to service its members. You can help by being an ambassador and referring potential members our way!
What's in it for you for spreading the word? If you refer a member and they sign up, we will send you a $50 gift card.
Send your leads toll free to Michael Makin at 1-844-237-1550 (ext. 3) or email mmakin@wsprint.org.
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Quote For The Week
"The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend."
Abraham Lincoln
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