Rob van den Braak
Print Process Champions en Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating hebben samen het International Centre for Manufacture by Printing opgericht. icmPrint gaat technisch advies, wetenschappelijk onderzoek, trainingen en ‘best practices’ aanbieden aan grafische bedrijven en hun medewerkers op het gebied van offset, flexo, diepdruk, zeefdruk, inkjet, 3D en aanverwante technieken.
If you manage thousands of files in dozens of data formats in different media and on different online and offline servers and computers, finding the correct file can be time consuming and frustrating. NeoFinder can end this frustration for only 29 Euro. NeoFinder catalogues files from Adobe PDF to png, from RAW to JPEG and numerous other exotic formats. Searching the NeoFile database is simple and fast, and, for Apple users, it works with Spotlite. Companies and organisations such as NASA, BBC, The New York Times and McCann-Erickson used NeoFinder to bring order in their file chaos and what´s more security and peace-of-mind. NeoFinder, previously CDFinder, started nearly 20 years ago as Commodore Amiga. It is available for OSx, iOS and there is even a Windows version. NeoFinder does not have a limit for the number of files, it does have a limit to the number of catalogues, only 400,000,000…………….
More information about this program via this link.
Als je duizenden files beheert in tientallen dataformaten die ook nog op verschillende media staan en zich op verschillende online en offline servers en computers bevinden dan is het zoeken en vinden van de juiste file niet alleen tijdrovend, maar ook frusterend. NeoFinder kan daar voor 29 euro een einde aan maken. Het catalogiseert files van Adobe PDF tot png, van RAW tot JPEG plus nog tientallen exotische formaten. Zoeken in de NeoFile database is simpel en snel, en, voor Apple gebruikers, het werkt ook met Spotlite. Bedrijven en organisaties zoals NASA, BBC, The New York Times en McCann-Erickson brachten met NeoFinder orde in hun file-chaos en vooral rust en zekerheid in hun organisatie. NeoFinder, voorheen CDFinder is nu bijna 20 jaar oud. Het begon als een Commodore Amiga project en is nu beschikbaar voor OSx, iOS en er is zelfs een Windows versie. NeoFinder heeft eigenlijk geen limiet aan het aantal files, wel in het aantal catalogussen, dat mogen er maar 400.000.000 zijn …
Meer info over dit bijzondere programma vind je via deze link.
Lees verder....
Newspapers in Ecuador are sold from street kiosks. The popular newspaper Extra is also sold this way. Every year the rainy season brings its own problems, amongst which soggy newspapers. The solution is laminated front and back pages during the rainy season so that the newspaper is waterproof. The laminated paper can also be used as an umbrella. The result of this is a 12% increase in numbers and a 16% increase in turnover.Lees verder....
In her Verdrigris blog Laurel Brunner talks about a side effect of standardisation which doesn´t always get attention, namely improvement of margins.
She explains how standards force companies to work more efficiently, have a better overview of costs and as such improve margins.
Lees verder....One of the things that standards compliance and process automation helps companies achieve is cost efficiency and improved margins. Too many business owners bleat about the cost of standards compliance or of workflow and process management technologies. The bleaters take what is really a very short term view, mostly based on ignorance. They misguidedly believe that investment in process control and standards compliance yields no financial gain. But concern about the cost and hassle of setting up new workflows and production models misses the point.
Take ISO 14001, the ISO standard for environmental management systems. Most companies who apply ISO 14001 to their businesses do so in order to please either the business owners or important customers. They might also undergo certification in order to be included in requests for quotations. They may go through the process somewhat reluctantly, resenting the cost and the distraction from running the business. There are rare exceptions to this general rule, but these exceptions are the companies that shine. They are mostly organisations whose shareholders or management have the vision and enthusiasm to invest in technology and process management.
This idea of investing in process management and technology is something to take seriously, because it’s about more than just consultant’s yackety yack. It’s about accountability and control and is the way to make a business efficient and profitable. Process efficiency is closely aligned to workflow management, and although in the graphic arts we are fortunate enough to have dedicated workflow management systems, we cannot really address process management with technology alone.
Process management requires a wholesale rethinking of the significant processes affecting the business. This includes stuff that Management Information Systems can help with, such as customer data management or accounting functions. However system optimisation based on the needs of your company cannot be achieved without committed brainpower, often that of an outsider. Applying new thinking to old processes is a bit like rearranging the furniture, so that a room is more convenient and comfortable: more fit for purpose. Or configuring a factory so that production equipment is organised to match the natural flow of a manufacturing process. This is common enough in the printing industry, but the model doesn’t always include the equivalent in process control.
The point about new technology or rejigging processes is to improve production and business efficiency. Allowing the business to change and evolve in this way takes faith. But the willingness to invest in process and technology upgrades sets successful graphics companies apart from the crowd. These are the companies who know exactly how much each job adds to the bottom line, not just the top. They are the organisations that print buyers and publishers turn to because they can be trusted to deliver and keep their businesses alive.
Laurel Brunner
This blog has been made possible by: Agfa Graphics (www.agfa.com), Digital Dots (http://digitaldots.org), drupa (www.drupa.com), EFI (www.efi.com), Fespa (www.fespa.com), Heidelberg (www.uk.heidelberg.com), Kodak (www.kodak.com/go/sustainability), Mondi (www.mondigroup.com/products), Pragati Offset (www.pragati.com), Ricoh (www.ricoh.com), Shimizu Printing (www.shzpp.co.jp), Splash PR (www.splashpr.co.uk), Unity Publishing (http://unity-publishing.co.uk) and Xeikon (www.xeikon.com).
Blokboek.com is the Dutch media partner of Verdrigris, a non-profit initiative which aims to realistically chart the real footprint of printing and which helps companies and organisations to lower that footprint. More information about Verdrigris can be found via this link.
Op haar Verdigris blog op onze artikelen pagina kaart Laurel Brunner een niet zo bekend effect aan van het gebruik van standaards, margeverbetering. Lees in haar blog hoe standaardisatie bedrijven dwingt om efficiënter te werken, een beter kostenoverzicht te krijgen en zo samen marges te verbeteren.
Lees verder....
One of the things that standards compliance and process automation helps companies achieve is cost efficiency and improved margins. Too many business owners bleat about the cost of standards compliance or of workflow and process management technologies. The bleaters take what is really a very short term view, mostly based on ignorance. They misguidedly believe that investment in process control and standards compliance yields no financial gain. But concern about the cost and hassle of setting up new workflows and production models misses the point.
Take ISO 14001, the ISO standard for environmental management systems. Most companies who apply ISO 14001 to their businesses do so in order to please either the business owners or important customers. They might also undergo certification in order to be included in requests for quotations. They may go through the process somewhat reluctantly, resenting the cost and the distraction from running the business. There are rare exceptions to this general rule, but these exceptions are the companies that shine. They are mostly organisations whose shareholders or management have the vision and enthusiasm to invest in technology and process management.
This idea of investing in process management and technology is something to take seriously, because it’s about more than just consultant’s yackety yack. It’s about accountability and control and is the way to make a business efficient and profitable. Process efficiency is closely aligned to workflow management, and although in the graphic arts we are fortunate enough to have dedicated workflow management systems, we cannot really address process management with technology alone.
Process management requires a wholesale rethinking of the significant processes affecting the business. This includes stuff that Management Information Systems can help with, such as customer data management or accounting functions. However system optimisation based on the needs of your company cannot be achieved without committed brainpower, often that of an outsider. Applying new thinking to old processes is a bit like rearranging the furniture, so that a room is more convenient and comfortable: more fit for purpose. Or configuring a factory so that production equipment is organised to match the natural flow of a manufacturing process. This is common enough in the printing industry, but the model doesn’t always include the equivalent in process control.
The point about new technology or rejigging processes is to improve production and business efficiency. Allowing the business to change and evolve in this way takes faith. But the willingness to invest in process and technology upgrades sets successful graphics companies apart from the crowd. These are the companies who know exactly how much each job adds to the bottom line, not just the top. They are the organisations that print buyers and publishers turn to because they can be trusted to deliver and keep their businesses alive.
Laurel Brunner
Dit blog wordt mogelijk gemaakt dankzij de bijdrage van: Agfa Graphics (www.agfa.com), Digital Dots (http://digitaldots.org), drupa (www.drupa.com), EFI (www.efi.com), Fespa (www.fespa.com), Heidelberg (www.uk.heidelberg.com), Kodak (www.kodak.com/go/sustainability), Mondi (www.mondigroup.com/products), Pragati Offset (www.pragati.com), Ricoh (www.ricoh.com), Shimizu Printing (www.shzpp.co.jp), Splash PR (www.splashpr.co.uk), Unity Publishing (http://unity-publishing.co.uk) and Xeikon (www.xeikon.com).
BlokBoek.com is de Nederlandse media-partner van Verdigris, een non-profit initiatief dat de werkelijke voetprint van druk- en printwerk die drukwerk achterlaat eerlijk in kaart wil brengen en dat bedrijven en organisatie steunt om die voetprint te verlagen.
Meer informatie over Verdigris vindt je via deze link.
Just like pigments catch light nano perforations on special surfaces can do this too. Researchers at the Missoury University of Science and Technology have created a way to print without ink. The technology, plasmonic metasurfaces, is still in the first stages, but the results are very promising. Advantages of the technique are high fidelity, lower printing costs and easier recycling because of the absence of ink.
Lees verder....
Zoals pigmenten licht vangen kunnen nanogaatjes op speciale oppervlakken dat ook. Onderzoekers van de Missouri University of Science and Technology hebben aangetoond dat het zo mogelijk is om zonder inkt te printen. De techniek, plasmonic metasurfaces, verkeert nog in een onderzoeksface, maar de resultaten zijn veelbelovend. Voordeel van deze techniek is de superhoge detailweergave die mogelijk is, de lagere printkosten en de eenvoudige wijze waarop afdrukken gerecycled kunnen worden door het ontbreken van inkt.
Lees verder....
Now we´ve seen it all. In Tulsa, USA, two men got into a fight over who had the best smartphone. The owners of an iPhone and a Samsung Galaxy went at each other with glasses and beer bottles to prove their argument. According to the police alcohol played a bigger part in the fight than any argument.Lees verder....
Het moet niet gekker worden, in Tulsa, USA, gingen twee mannen op de vuist over wie de beste smartphone had. De iPhone en Samsung Galaxy eigenaren bewerkten elkaar met glazen en bierflessen om hun gelijk te bewijzen. Volgens de politie speelde alcohol een grotere rol dan goede argumenten in deze strijd.
VIGC BOPE 2025: Redefining print. Success in a digital world. Met o.a. Peter Luit als gesprekleider binnen het panelgesprek ‘Platformeconomie, kansen voor grafimedia bedrijven?’
Kandidaten gezocht
De trainingen voor 2022 staan gereed. Kijk voor het volledige online aanbod van bestaande- en nieuwe trainingen op de website.
BLOKBOEK.COM EN PRINTMEDIANIEUWS: HET OPTIMALE DOELGROEP BEREIK