Business - Knowledge

In his latest article, Peter French, a regular contributor to Large Format Review and our' man on the ground', questions whether we can determine the future of technology...

"Some years ago, I remember reading about a demonstration of the first telephone in the USA.  A US Senator, presiding over the event, stated, “This is a great achievement... I can see a time in the future when every city will have one.”  Brilliant!  Not just slightly out in his foresight, but out by a massive degree.

Similarly, I was at a technology event in Washington about 15 years ago listening to a presenter speaking about the mobile revolution.  He declared that the next battleground after the desktop would be the battle for “belt space”.  At this point he peeled back his jacket to reveal a mobile phone, a personal organiser and what was then a piece of emerging technology in the form of mobile computing.  Again, a complete miscalculation on the pace of technological change that would mean in a few years all of these applications would be combined into a single handheld device - namely the mobile phone.

We seem to find it difficult to see the future changes in technology because we base our perception of the future on the ability of technology in use today.  I met Steve Jobs some years ago before his great advances into the ‘i-Something’ devices. A very perceptive gentleman. The one thing I remember about him was that he never took his eyes off you when you spoke to him.  As we conversed, he lifted a glass of water to his mouth and as I looked at him, still talking, I noticed that his eyes were still looking at me through the bottom of the glass. 

Anyway, why, thirty years ago, was he not concentrating on the integration of applications to micro-devices rather than developing desktop technologies?  Again, our perception of the changes in technology is based on what we see available today.  We lack imagination beyond our own experiences and view of the world.  9/11 is another example where, prior to the event, we were unable to comprehend such a dreadful act because it had no precedent nor could it be understood by any normal rational thinker. 

We are great inventors but we need vision which can be manipulated into sales and revenue projections to enable the funding of R&D.  When I started in computing in the early 70s, the industry was lead by engineers who would develop machines for the greater good of commerce and industry with little regard to making hefty profits.  By the mid-late 80s when computers started appearing in homes and on desks - the industry had completely turned on its head and was now driven by salesmen who steered the industry inventors towards the greater revenue streams.  This meant that rather than working to develop a piece of life-saving equipment for hospitals, it was more profitable to develop something for the mass market that would sell in greater numbers and yield greater profit. A sad indictment of humanity perhaps, but it’s hard to blame these businesses.  It is in our character to seek the greatest rewards for our efforts.

Digital signage is a relatively new area of development, but not a completely new technology as we have been bombarded with it in our homes for years in the form of annoying adverts in the middle of Midsummer Murders or whatever programme floats your boat.  Digital signage is everywhere and sometimes we fail to even recognise it as such.  We are hit by it everywhere on the internet in the form of banner adverts or adverts embedded within emails. Subliminal messages for deals or free offers.

Look at most of the major sports grounds where rolling ads surround the pitch.  Do we actually read them in our conscious mind or are they being stored up in our unconscious mind, ready to guide us in our choice of beer in the pub. In Tesco’s, there are screens in the aisles that highlight the latest offers and discounts as you push your trolley along.   How long before your mobile phone pings a message to you that it’s ‘two-for-one’ this week, as you walk past digestive biscuits?  How long before your mobile phone identifies you as a likely purchaser of a product to a “hot spot” in the store aisle, and a “personal” too-good-to-miss offer is immediately pinged back to your phone?

One of the major hotels has built in a transponder built into its loyalty cards - thereby identifying its customers by name to desk clerks before they even reach the front desk.   This enables the clerk to initiate the conversation with “Hello Mr so-and-so and how are you today?” as if by magic.  Very clever and a great marketing tool.  How long before your mobile phone identifies you in this way – or can it already do it?

So, where am I going with all this?  I don’t think any of us can easily see where the printing industry is going.  If we invest in static digital signage expertise, it could all go mobile.  If we go mobile, it could go static.  The one thing that is certain, that the written word or the picture that paints a thousand words, will prevail. 

We can surely state that static printed signage and large format printing will continue for some years yet.  Look at the most technological advanced countries like Japan and the US.  Their cities are awash with print although also splattered with a good amount of digital. In Times Square I calculated one advert to be 7 metres high and a whole city block long.  Enough work in one advert to keep my company busy all month long.  But digital/electronic has always been with us.  Have a look at old pictures of Piccadilly Circus; it’s always had electronic ads.  Not as clever as they are now, I grant you, but based on the same concept.

We don’t, with any certainty, really know where this industry is going and we would be foolish to try and pre-judge it.  In print, if an innovator identifies a new printing method, we may all be looking at replacing our large format machines perhaps with something that electronically changes the colour of the molecules in a sheet of Foamex rather than printing on the surface of it. We may be able to RIP a design on a mobile phone on our way to work and Bluetooth it to any printer by just pointing the device at the machine.

We may find an increase in digital roll-out, but I still feel that printing will have a place.  While someone is trapped in a traffic jam, I would rather like them to have no alternative than to be staring at a huge advert for my products.  Selfish I know, because they should be looking at the beautiful scenery or wildlife and nature’s beauty, but that, unfortunately, won’t earn me shilling.  I can’t control whether a person owns a mobile phone or has it switched on, but one thing is certain, if I make a printed advert big enough – they ain’t gonna miss it!"

About Peter French:  Peter has been working in the sign industry for 9 years having spent a lifetime in IT. Specialising in kick-starting businesses, Peter worked in many diverse business sectors.  For most of the time at Signtec he has been at the forefront of large format printing with both solvent and UV technologies.

Signs Express has commissioned an independent research company to poll more than 1000 businesses across the UK in order to better understand the role that signage plays in overall business marketing and branding strategies. The results will help the company to better anticipate and respond to customer needs and identify their priorities and concerns. 

The results show that the top three choices for marketing a business from scratch are a website (81%), an exterior sign (56%) and printed brochures or leaflets (48%). The least popular choices include an advert in the Yellow Pages (8%) and a two-week billboard poster campaign (6%). Online advertising of products and services is favoured by a quarter (25%) of businesses surveyed.

Looking in more detail at corporate views on traditional signs, graphics and displays; over three quarters (76%) of UK businesses said that these elements play in important role in their marketing activity. Main exterior signs ranked as the most important (43%); while vehicle graphics (36%), exhibition displays (19%) and entrance gate signs (19%) also proved popular.

Craig Brown, Managing Director at Signs Express, says: “In today’s digital age, a company website will always be an essential part of the marketing mix. Our research proves that exterior signs, which have been around for hundreds of years, are however still holding their own; coming second in the top three choices for effectively marketing a business. It is interesting that Yellow Pages advertising, another traditional option, by contrast, was ranked far lower; with support from just 8% of respondents.   Businesses realise that exterior signs play an incredibly important role in brand marketing, not to mention being an essential tool for visitors, customers and staff.”

Craig Brown continues: “Our research also showed that exterior signs, printed brochures and leaflets are far more important to businesses’ marketing activity than online advertising - underlining the strengths of the traditional printing process. Each Signs Express centre is fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment, which enables us to design, print, manufacture or install almost all forms of exterior signage to meet our customers’ briefs and budgets exactly.”

 

The BAPC has announced the panel of specialists selected to speak at its 2011 conference, which will be held on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st October at The Holiday Inn Hotel in Elstree, Hertfordshire.

Award winning printers, Ian Crossley of Greenhouse Graphics, Stuart Mason of The Ink Shop and Andrew Watts of Apple Print will reveal to conference delegates their trials, tribulations and successes in business. This will be a lively and challenging discussion with opportunities for audience participation.  The session will be facilitated by Darryl Danielli.  The print industry specialists will join business gurus and entertainers speaking at this unique event supported and attended by printers, suppliers and key players in the printing industry. 

Sidney Bobb, Chairman of the BAPC comments, “A key objective of the conference is to bring the industry together and I am sure that our panel will inspire, educate and inform.  This is an ideal opportunity for printers to hear and question what their contemporaries are doing and to learn more about business acumen and success. Suppliers present will also learn what it is like for printers at the ‘coal face’.  This year's line-up is perhaps one of the most exciting we have ever had.  At the subsidised cost of £150 per delegate, we hope the conference is well within the reach of businesses both large and small.”

For further information please call the BAPC on 0208 736 5862 or visit www.bapc.co.uk

At LFR, we’ve been thinking of late that far too much news originates from manufacturers and suppliers.  Whilst we need to hear about what is new and exciting in our industry, we also believe it’s important to give end-users a platform to voice their opinions. 

It is for that reason that Peter French, Projects Manager, at SignTec Ltd Sign makers in Chelmsford, Essex, has joined our editorial team as a regular contributor.  He will offer unedited insight into the real issues that ‘the man on the ground’ is facing in today’s testing business environment. 

We hope you enjoy his latest musings on the issue of payment terms.  Whilst not specific to the wide format printing industry, it is certainly something that is having considerable impact on sign making businesses...

Peter French asks...  Are You Being Paid Promptly?

Everyone I speak to these days, across all business areas, reports that one of their biggest concerns is getting paid on time.  With banks squeezing businesses by reducing overdraft limits or rejecting bridging loans, cash flow is a priority.  Certainly, the company or person with cash in their pocket can reap the rewards as the cost of products and services get slashed more and more in an attempt to win business and remain competitive in a depressed market.  In today’s market, cash is king.

The problem is actually getting the money from the customer into your bank account.  My company - as most other companies - asks for a deposit with order on significant projects.  This can be 10 or 20% of the full purchase price but at least should cover the cost of materials or bought in items.  However, we have all heard the excuse “can I pay you at the end of the month?” when the customer comes to collect the goods or, for 30-day accounts, “sorry, your invoice wasn’t processed this month but I’ll make sure it gets processed at the end of next month”.

Here is the dilemma.  Do I upset the pay-on-collection customer by withholding the goods until the money appears or with the 30-day account customer, do I immediately issue a claim to the small claims court for non-payment of debts?  Neither of these two options is viable as, in both cases, you will probably lose the customer for good and, as a theorist once proclaimed, a happy customer will tell four people but an unhappy customer will tell ten! 

The reality is that you can’t win. In this marketplace the supplier will never be able to dominate or dictate to the customer as without customers, we will be all queuing at the job centre.

So what does English law say about contracts?  It seems that the principles were designed with two people haggling to buy a pig in a market in mind, yet they have remained statute law for hundreds of years.  It goes like this:

• A customer approaches a supplier with a request for a product.
• The supplier provides a quotation and terms and conditions which is termed “an offer”
• The customer accepts the quotation.
• You deliver the goods.
• The customer accepts the goods.

In this example the terms and conditions of the transaction are deemed to be the suppliers so if you stated cash on delivery in your T&Cs then the law will find in your favour. 

Now look at this example:

• A customer approaches a supplier with a request for a product.
• The supplier provides a quotation and terms and conditions.
• The customer responds with acceptance but includes their T&Cs, which differ from yours.
• You deliver the goods.
• The customer accepts the goods.

In this example the terms and conditions of the transaction are deemed to be those of the customer as you delivered the goods on the basis of acceptance of their T&Cs.  To enforce your T&Cs on the contract, it is necessary for you to counter their acceptance with another “offer” reiterating that the delivery of the goods will be subject to their acceptance of your T&Cs.  If they respond with acceptance, the contract is governed by your T&Cs if they respond saying that their acceptance is subject to their T&Cs, it will be theirs that govern the contract if you deliver the goods.  This situation must now be settled by negotiation to agree between the parties as to which terms and conditions will govern the contract.

What about if you have sent your quotation, the customer has accepted it, you deliver the goods on your normal 30 day account terms, but the customer doesn’t pay on time?  What do you do now?  You can ask for the goods back, keep pestering accounts payable or you can threaten to issue a claim in the court, all of which is a sure way of losing customers and not really what a small sign business can afford to do.  The supplier can string you along for as long as it suits him and there is precious little you can do – and he knows it.

I have known of companies that arrange for their bank to process payments.  This is normally a way the bank can manage receipts against a loan or overdraft by hauling in your money, taking their share and passing the remainder to you. If you have ever been on the other end of one of these calls from a bank collecting money you will know that it is not a pleasant experience and they can be abrupt - another sure way of losing your customer.

So, is there anything you can do to protect your business? Well, yes and no.  Firstly make sure your T&Cs are enclosed with your quotation and that they state that the quotation and delivery of the goods or services is subject to these T&Cs.  In the unlikely event of a dispute, you must also make sure the paper trail supports your position. 

Secondly, you don’t have to provide anything if the customer doesn’t accept your terms and counters them with his own. You can simply withdraw your quotation bringing attention to the fact that the quote was subject to the customer’s acceptance of your T&Cs.

Thirdly, work in partnership with your customer, understand his business and make sure he understands yours – and in particular, the importance of prompt payment to you and your business. 

However, if you are a small business and a very large business places £100,000 of work with you every year – are you going to try and impose your terms on them or just accept theirs? 
The answer is obvious: the small guy will always have to give way to the big guy – and that’s just business.

A final word of warning though:  A small sign maker had a contract for some health and safety signs for a building site.  He knew the delivery date as it was stated in the quotation request.  The customer accepted the quotation and included their terms in writing, which the sign maker failed to read.  Because of one reason or another, the sign maker was two days late delivering the signs.  In the customers T&Cs it stated that failure to deliver on time could render the supplier liable for penalties.  In this case the penalty was that the building company couldn’t start work on site without the mandatory safety boards and the sign maker was issued with a claim for £30,000 that he could not legally defend and win.  The moral of this story is both the importance of T&Cs in one respect, but the impotence of them in others.

About Peter French
Peter has been working in the sign industry for 9 years having spent a lifetime in IT. Specialising in kick-starting businesses, Peter worked in many diverse business sectors.  For most of the time at Signtec he has been at the forefront of large format printing with both solvent and UV technologies.

HP has relaunched its HP Capture programme with a new easy-to-use online interface and an expanded range of content and training.

Designed for use by HP Indigo and HP large format digital technology users, the Capture programme offers HP's Print Service Providers (PSPs) a comprehensive range of educational aids, tools and communities designed to help them manage and grow their businesses.

"Our new look and feel HP Capture portal is user-friendly and has been designed for easy navigation with each of the key elements of the programme, education, tools and communities broken down via business type for example, general commercial printing, labels and packing converting, large format printing or by application type," said, Julia Cole, UK and Ireland marketing manager, Indigo Digital Press and IHPS, HP Graphics Solutions Business. "The new website has more practical features and interactive material, such as easy to access whitepapers, campaign analysis tools and customer testimonial videos. It should become the first point of call for every HP PSP looking to maximise the digital opportunity."

New updates to Capture business success

Designed to help PSPs achieve their business objectives, HP has expanded its suite of classroom-based educational courses from two to eight. One-day based classroom courses now includes training on 'Building a Strategic Marketing Plan', 'Building a Variable Data Business', 'Vertical Markets - Targeting for Growth' and 'Web-to-Print Planning for Success'.

"Having attended the 'Web-to-Print Planning for success' course, I would suggest that this is a training day which is beneficial for decision makers to be involved with, especially those wanting to drive their printing business forward in the digital marketplace," said John Osborn, sales and services manager, Garnett Dickinson Digital. "The structured course with knowledgeable presenters covered topics which are current and key to future development in the digital printing sector, this was supported by industry background and statistics for open discussion with other delegates in an informative manner.

"This thoroughly enjoyable day helped reaffirm that new products and business opportunities available are increasing as technology evolves. The companies that embrace these changes will be successful in the future and we intend to be one them!"

The tools section has been updated to include HP SmartPlanner 3.5, the newly enhanced job estimator and planning tool, designed for both HP Indigo commercial PSPs and Labels and Packaging converters. It can estimate and compare job costs for both digital and conventional presses, in terms of time, cost of production and profit margins. SmartPlanner 3.5 is automatically updated to ensure that the results are based on current technology, allowing users to make informed decisions when choosing how to produce a job.

Updated tools now available to all users include: customer case studies; how-to-guides, market reports; vertical market guides; self promotion marketing templates and the direct marketing tool kit.

The HP Media Solutions Locator tool, which contains a library of over 3,500 media selections, has been improved for intuitive navigation. The media list is now segmented by country, so that users can find out who to talk to and where to buy substrates through links to local sellers. Application based solutions are now listed by segment, such as general commercial printing, photo and direct mail. For greater accuracy and more refined answers, the search selection has been widened to include a "free text" search and an increased choice of fields including press; segment; media type; grade and supplier.

Sharing information, expertise and user experiences are a central part of HP Capture. New information on the Digital Solutions Cooperative (Dscoop) and Shift, the HP conference for Labels and Packaging converters, as well as information on customer awards and the PSP and HP Graphic Solutions Partners can be found in the communities section.

The new HP Capture portal will be continually updated with new programmes, educational aids, tools and communities to ensure that PSPs have access to the latest information.

To login in to the new Capture business success portal, please follow www.hp.com/go/capture.
 

Océ has released a whitepaper entitled "How to Avoid Wide Format PDF Printing Problems" to help users understand and use the PDF Preflight tool, which can quickly address many common PDF printing problems.  The synopsis and links to further information are detailed below...

More and more firms have adopted portable document files (PDF) because they make it easy to share, view, print and archive large amounts of data and information. As PDF file use increases, so too does the demand for wide format PDF printing. Users must be ready to address common wide format PDF printing problems, including missing fonts or images, colour space or trapping issues and multiple versions of Adobe PDF software.

Using Preflight and Print Production Tools

In most cases, preflighting PDF files will alert the user to potential issues before documents are printed or distributed; often, the problems can be corrected. This reduces paper waste by ensuring the right images and optimum quality level are printed the first time.

A full version of Adobe Acrobat Professional software is the simplest tool to troubleshoot a PDF file. Both Adobe Acrobat 8.0 Professional and Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Software have preflight tools available to detect and correct common errors using "fix ups".  The Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Help feature includes a good explanation of the Preflight and Print Production tools, which provide users with an understanding of the variables that can be checked and corrected.

Understanding PDF/X

One of the easiest ways to avoid a large majority of PDF printing problems is to use the PDF/X standard. PDF files can be easily created in or converted to the PDF/X standard using Adobe Acrobat and many third party applications. PDF/X can also be set as a default during the original generation of PDF Files, providing consistent and reliable output across wide format printers.

PDF/X was designed for the exchange of print-ready pages in the graphic arts and prepress world and requires that all fonts be embedded, appropriate PDF bounding boxes be specified and color be correctly defined.  This eliminates the most common errors in file preparation:  missing fonts, colour space issues, missing images, page box problems and overprinting and trapping issues.

Converting PDF to PDF/X with Adobe Acrobat

First, a backup copy of the original PDF should always be made before it is altered in the Acrobat application as the software will save over the existing file, without warning, during file conversion. Users are alerted to a successful conversion by a green check mark in the Preflight dialog box; likewise a red check mark indicates a failed conversion. Users can also generate reports detailing information about the PDF file and what was changed to make it PDF/X compliant. These reports can be used to track common problems or to explain what issues were fixed.

To access a step-by-step tutorial on how to convert a PDF file to the PDF/X standard, download the Océ whitepaper "How to Avoid Wide Format PDF Print Problems" at www.oceusa.com/PDFprinting.

Batch Processing PDF Files

Droplet options can specify how your Preflight droplet processes PDF files that are dragged or dropped into the droplet icon in order to be immediately processed. Creating a droplet in Acrobat software allows PDF files to be batch processed, which means conversions can be done easily and in less time. Users simply drag and drop multiple PDF files onto the droplet, and Acrobat software will automatically process them (e.g. no need for manual intervention/processing).  Droplets can also be used to inspect files allowing users to separate successful files from problem files and review results in a Preflight Batch Summary Report.

Details on creating and editing a droplet can be found in the Océ whitepaper "How to Avoid Wide Format PDF Print Problems" at www.oceusa.com/PDFprinting.

Previewing Transparencies

Acrobat software also helps users indentify problem areas by previewing transparent objects in a PDF and highlighting them in red. Since the PDF/X standard does not support transparency, the flattening is done when the PDF/X file is created.  The result is that a PDF/X file generally processes more quickly than PDF files that contain transparency.

Conclusion

PDF files include many different variables, any of which can have a negative impact on printing. Unfortunately, these problems are not always addressed before documents arrive at the print firm or printer. With a solid understanding of the PDF Preflight and PDF/X file format, users can help avoid problems in processing or printing content. The earlier issues are detected, the easier it is to fix them before they become costly printing errors.