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The accomplishments and innovations of the printing industry are immeasurable. Printing Industries of America’s year-long celebration of its landmark 125^th anniversary has the industry reflecting on its history, staying up-to-date with current trends, and feeling excitement for its future. The milestone we are celebrating once again reminds the printing industry of all that it has to offer.

Stay Up-to-Date with Current Industry Trends
Not only is Printing Industries of America reflecting on the history of this exciting industry, but we are also looking to keep our members current in some of the top industry trends. The Center for Digital Printing Excellence at Printing Industries provides up-to-date information on digital printing business applications and technologies, cross-media marketing opportunities, emerging innovations, Web and eCommerce, and social media engagement.

The Center for Technology and Research is at the forefront of...

Printing Industries of America has recently released the 2012–2013 Ratios volumes. The Ratios will help you and your company assess your performance compared to industry leaders, determine which aspects of your operations need improvement, and ultimately increase profits.

The Ratios are an important tool for industry leaders. Printers use the Ratios reports to evaluate their performance against industry profit leaders. Specific reports are available for various firm profiles by size of firm, printing process, and print market segments. In all, there are 15 different volumes of the Ratios for you to choose which is best for your business.

Here is a sample of what you can expect to find in the 2012–2013 Ratios:

According to our 2012 survey results (2011 fiscal year-end numbers), materials accounted for the largest single cost category for the typical printer—approximately 35.5% of sales. Total materials...

This guest blog was submitted by Kurt Konow, Production Print Marketing Strategist, Ricoh Americas Corporation, sponsor of the 2012 Integrated Print Forum, October 29-30, 2012.

The world of communicating has changed dramatically. It was less than a decade ago that the primary distribution channel for communications was traditional print. Whether you were in the business of preparing and distributing mission-critical bills and statements, or the more creative world of designing and delivering direct mail, flyers, and brochures, print was king. But then something happened. Tradition was socked with a one-two punch—the E-World—and the methods of communicating changed forever.

Consumers have more communication choices than ever before, including email, SMS text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and traditional print. Depending on the content of the...

The following article is contributed by Jackie Jordan, Color Expert, Director of Color Marketing, The Sherwin-Williams Company. Ms. Jordan is one of the keynote presenters at the 2012 Color Management Conference, December 1–4, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her valuable session, Opposites Attract: The 2013 Sherwin-Williams Colormix™ Forecast, will explore today’s color mood and reveal the dueling influences that are shaping four divergent color directions.

Colormix 2013 is the exploration of extremes and opposites that reflect our diverse mindsets, lifestyles, and design philosophies. We are intrigued by the push and pull of luxury vs. austerity, light vs. dark, textured vs. smooth, fantasy vs. reality, synthetic vs. natural, and so on. We all have our own identities, but we are also influenced and shaped by the divergent energy of the world around us. With influences...