At Printing United Expo in Orlando, Wayne from INKISH sits down with German Sacristan, Principal Analyst at Keypoint Intelligence, to discuss global print market trends and the insights Keypoint provides to the industry. German explains that Keypoint Intelligence is a global research and consulting firm primarily focused on the printing industry, headquartered in New Jersey and with offices in the UK and Japan. “We do market research, consulting, and printer testing,” he says. “Our clients range from OEMs and print service providers to paper merchants and finishing companies.” He adds that while many know Keypoint for its market reports, fewer realize the company also performs device testing—mostly on low- and mid-production printers—through its dedicated Cambridge testing facility in the UK. When discussing market conditions, German notes that the U.S. and Western Europe are experiencing print volume consolidation, as more print buyers move online. “That work is shifting away from small copy centers toward high-volume digital production,” he says. “Smaller PSPs are outsourcing more to reduce risk and avoid large capital investments.” By contrast, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East/Africa markets remain more fragmented. “There, smaller PSPs are still thriving,” German explains. “They continue to invest in compact production printers, and online print adoption is slower. The offset crossover point to digital also differs because of lower ink costs in those regions.” Turning to the U.S., German observes that tariffs and rising costs—including materials, shipping, warehousing, and postal rates—are reshaping the landscape. “The price of print is increasing,” he says. “But instead of competing only on cost, printers need to emphasize value. Position print strategically within marketing and communication campaigns, and customers will pay more when they see the return on investment.” He agrees that convergence—printers branching into labels, packaging, or textiles—is real but not new. “Printers have always sought variety,” he says. “If they can expand their portfolio and cross-sell to existing customers, they will.” German concludes on a balanced note: “Print remains sustainable. Offset volumes are declining, but digital print continues to grow. The key is to identify where print fits best in the communication mix and keep demonstrating its value.” Wayne wraps up the conversation by recommending Keypoint Intelligence’s reports. “They’re detailed, data-driven, and honest,” he says. German smiles and replies, “That’s what we do—tell it like it is, and show where the opportunities still exist.”

Gerald Glaas talks to us about innovation in the development, design, and manufacturing of rotary tools, modules, and specialty machines widely used in film, foil, packaging, nonwovens, and paper converting industries.

Before coming to Tilia Labs, I began my career at Esko. Focused on the CAD and CAM side of the Esko business. At the time, one of the biggest challenges that was always prevalent in when we would call on these customers is like: layout creation. Back in 2018, a small startup company started coming up on the radar: Tilia Labs. We started hearing about them from our companies. And something that was really unique about what they were doing is that they were incorporating this cost aspect to lay out an imposition. But once digging into a little bit further, I realized that it's not just throw items onto a sheet or nine up on a carton on a press sheet and go. There's a lot more ways that we can optimize that. And really actually save a converter a lot of money. That was really new and interesting and exciting for me. Back in 2018 I kept following the company. Eventually met Sagen, the CEO. Thought he was a really interesting and exciting kind of younger energy in this industry. From there, it just kind of took off. I joined Tilia Labs in 2019. I joined with my colleague Tyler Thompson. We came over to really establish their sales organization. Their direct sales here in North America. I saw some recent stats that say on average, the prepress person is spending about 15 minutes on imposition per job. I think most people think of it as a necessary evil. Obviously, there's a lot more to it. She walked into my office and I had a glass of ice water sitting on my desk. And she had seen this glass of ice water there like a couple of days in a row. How many times do you refill this water glass? And I looked at her and I was like: I don't know, once a day, maybe. Whenever I'm thirsty. And two days later, I get this very, very large box from Amazon. And she brings it into my office and says, go ahead and open this up, it's for you. Inside is like the world's largest water bottle that I have ever seen in my life.

At the Seiko Open Week 2022, George Boedler from Inkatronic develops unique inkjet printers for very different customers. Since Inkatronic delivers solutions to many different types of customers, they need to have a test device enabling testing of inks, printheads, substrates, etc., before building the actual machine, so Inkatronic developed their own. The test machine raised interest from other machine manufacturers and is today sold as a test device from Inkatronic. In the interview you will learn a lot from George Boedler, who with an engineering background knows what there is to know :-)

Genscom is a young and ambitious communications agency that focuses on personalized publications. With their online B2C and B2B platforms (www.happiedays.com, granniedays.be and krantjesmaken.be...), they offer private individuals and companies both the technology and the support needed for the creation, personalization, print, and the distribution of their publications, both online and offline. Genscom specializes in personalization and offers a free mobile app called “Lettr” (www.lettr.eu). It allows you to create, visualize, print, and distribute a newspaper on the go, together with friends, family, or colleagues. Genscom offers low print runs, from a single copy, and worldwide shipment services.

At the Graphics Canada show, INKISH talked to the Head of Global Product Marketing and Product Life Cycle, Andrew Gunn from Xerox, about something called Genesis. The great thing about Genesis is that it has become part of the XEROX DNA as it's about how Xerox customers and their customers can become more profitable using the Beyond CMYK+ technology and in the interview part in the same film with Global Product Marketing Manager Billy Stojanovski, talk about another theme with Xerox, 'Better Together.' 'Better Together' is very much about utilizing different types of technology, so you, for example, use one type of technology for covers and another for content - to optimize your profit. INKISH believes most PSPs already understand this, but by emphasizing this once again, Xerox is taking the lead in educating customers - that gives an A in our minds :-)

Smart Factories need powerful MIS systems to automate & communicate, where is it going? - By Geert Van Damme, CERM.

Interview in Dutch - subtitles in English. De bekende Apple-verdeler uit het straatbeeld in België en kind aan huis bij vele drukkerijen. Maar wie is de man achter de naam Lab9 en hoe ziet hij onze grafische branche verder evolueren? In deze VIGC-talks ontmoeten en spreken we met haar Ceo Geert Coolman. -- EN -- The well-known Apple distributor in Belgium and a regular at many printing companies. But who is the man behind the name Lab9 and how does he see our graphic industry evolving further? In these VIGC talks we meet and speak with its CEO Geert Coolman.

International Sales Manager Gary Doman from GEW explains the advantages of using LED-UV and how GEW supports OEMs and the replacement market globally. With fast curing time and even higher quality on several substrates, the reason for buying a UV solution should be evident, and Gary Doman shares that the energy-saving cost (from other curing methods) practically pays for the change. This is a great story; dig in!

The media plays an immense role in the printing industry, and the trade-shows often rely on the promotion, marketing, and coverage of the trade-shows. However, the media also benefit from this symbiosis. Has the current situation with postponed and cancelled events influenced the media and the vendors' ability to get the information across to the PSP's? And with the new reality, will this be an opportunity or a threat to the trade media?

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gandhi-babu-59b57216/

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-gomez-291649145/

Oyama Fumiya with K.K. Irisu, a Japanese graphics supplier is in the DURST Demonstration Center for the first time. He explains his excitement as he has just sold his first DURST press and is looking to sell more into a hungry market. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fumiya-oyama-7469aa20b/

Kerry Labatt has been with Prisma Graphic in Phoenix for years but with five different positions/roles and has thrived with the company's growth. Visiting Prisma Graphic is truly interesting - the shielding between the entrance and reception area to the customer service people is one long arc with super nice samples of print done by Prisma Graphic - and they are GOOD. The company excels in several types of print, from offset to web-offset, to various types of digital print from inkjet to toner, and the facility is WELL laid out. We are visiting Prisma Graphic as they use Hunkeler equipment and their Screen 520 Truejet device - and Hunkeler kindly sponsored this film. Super nice company, and great to see a company that keeps investing in technology. In the film, you will learn how Kerry Labatt sees investments and when the time is right to do new ones! Enjoy!

INKISH Editor & CEO Morten B. Reitoft was invited to Stockholm to give a presentation on Why and How to Use Video in your Communication. We filmed everything, and here is the presentation. The presentation takes almost an hour, but hopefully, you will enjoy, and hopefully, you can learn. That was the intention. Great day ahead!

Fujifilm's PR company also visited the Peak Performance Print Experience event, AD Communication - represented by Tom Platt. But what does a PR company do? And can a communications specialist also be passionate about technology? Well, listen to what Tom Platt has to say! LinkedIn Profile.

I don't know if the following is 100% accurate. Still, it seems that after Fujifilm and Xerox terminated their partnership, the Fujifilm engineers have worked harder than ever to bring new and exciting products to the market. In this film, I talk to General Manager Scott P. Mackie about the new Revoria B2 toner press, and the inkjet-based Continues Feed printer 1160CF. Enjoy the story and the others already on INKISH.TV.

In the suburbs of Brussels in Belgium, you find Fujifilm Europes facility for education and demos, and INKISH was invited to go there to talk to Head of Digital Solutions EMEA Taro Aoki. Like always, we love these conversations since the length allows us to discuss in details. In this conversation, this takes us from German cars vs—Japanese cars to why the Fujifilm 720/750 is such a good match for many offset printers. Taro Aoki also talks about some of the things he believes Fujifilm could bring to market in the future. As usual. Enjoy!

Henning Rose from Wegner in Bremen, Germany, recently won the Innovation Print Award at a Fujifilm event for an exceptional book project, securing second place in the brochures category and the Global Award for their book. The award is significant for their digital print shop, which specializes in niche projects and uses advanced digital printing systems, including Fujifilm Jetpress and Revorias. The winning book featured intricate details like a transparent foil cover and a keyhole cutout, showcasing their technical expertise. The project, produced on three digital systems, was completed in about eight weeks. This recognition enhances their reputation and is valuable for marketing and attracting new customers.

Our beloved host Pat McGrew travels the world, and in this episode, she brings you wonderfull print samples from a Fuji-Xerox user event in Japan. Pat McGrew is clearly impressed by the samples that not only showcases the technology used but also plays an important role in engaging the participants at the event.

As part of our California Cruising tour, we visited Lahlouh in San Francisco. That was an interesting visit, not only because of the company's technology - ranging from Xerox over Heidelberg to EFI, Horizon, and tons of other equipment but also because Lahlouh is a truly family-operated and owned printing company. The company has a commitment to its customers is second-to-none. With an ever-optimistic approach and willingness to develop new products and services, Lahlouh is in the hotspot of why print has a long and amazing future. Enjoy! LinkedIn Profiles: Catherine Lahlouh https://www.linkedin.com/in/lahlouh/ Tony Lahlouh https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-lahlouh-49b20535/

We've been with SO many printing companies over the years, and though amiable people meet 99% of the time - this one will be something special. Not just because of the superior technology and the products they produce. Not only because you see a company is investing in technology like the gigantic Massivit 3D printer. Not only because the company also invests in the creative side of events (we get to see how they work while here) but also because of the warm people working with CamAd in Toronto. Dan Deveau is highly genuine, open-minded, and friendly, but he touched me when I met his father. Bob Deveau has undoubtedly been a focused businessman. However, handing over the printing company to his son, and still at a high age, almost daily coming to the office to be around and participate in the business decisions, is lovely. Still, it also shows why CamAd is a company where everybody knows each other and does not just SAY family values but live family values. All the above said, Dan Deveau and his team operate a company where they still (but less) work screen printing (analog) but have taken strategic measures to become a digital company with strong craftsmanship - Dan Deveau is not a believer in automation, and you can see that the manual approach does its advantages - for example in how media is handled, but enough written. Watch the film, listen and learn - absolutely one of the better in my mind!

Horizon presents nothing less than 21 end-to-end solutions; all targeted to different applications and all very real scenarios for the thousands of IGAS attendees. In this film, we talk to Muneki Ban from Horizon International. He shows us a setup that is actually two solutions. The first half is fed with up to B1 sheets, which are folded into typically 16-pages signatures, and where the signatures are moved to the pallet using a robot solution. The second half of the setup in this film is where the signatures are placed in a machine gathering the signatures into book blocks, moved on a conveyor to the BQ500 binding solution, and finally, using a three-knife trimmer delivering finished books - and all handled with only one operator. The solution can even be extended with AGVs that can drive the pallets from a printing press to the feeder and the folded signatures to the gatherer - simply amazing and extremely productive!

To establish a smart factory a digital mindset and 360-degree business solutions are needed. We present our interpretation of a smart factory with the goal of full automation of repetitive task and a self-optimizing production. The scope is not limited to the digitalization of production and print data workflows or to automate production lines with smart and connected machines but includes the sales process, customer communication and enterprise resource planning. To make it tangible, we discuss a potential end-2-end business solution using the example of a personalized face mask and cookie box from the creation of a business idea to the shipped product – from Pixel to Output.