BPB Member News
A Monthly E-Newsletter for Members of Boston Print Buyers

Vol 1, Issue 1 Jan 2006

From the Editor

Welcome to the premiere issue of BPB Member News, our free monthly e-newsletter written exclusively for BPB members and provided free of charge as part of your membership. We plan to bring you the latest information about printing and the graphic arts that you can use in your career, and we'll offer regular features like the "10 Q" interview with a BPB member.

We welcome article submissions from members as well as nonmembers. If the information will enlighten (and delight) our readers, it just may get published here. If you want your articles & insights to be considered for inclusion, please write to us at .

Margie Dana, Editor

Announcements

We have just started our second year, and if we match the excitement and response to year #1, well, that would be fine with us. On October 17th, our special BPB event featuring industry expert Frank Romano sold out weeks before the event. This speaks not only to Frank's reputation as an authority in the graphic arts but also to the need among print customers for networking.

BPB members can receive a free copy of Frank's transcript from that night. This e-book is a 51-page PDF filled with his unique insights, data from a print buyer survey Frank conducted, plus his PowerPoint presentation. If you haven't downloaded your copy, log on as a member and get it today.

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Upcoming Events

February 8th BPB Dinner Program
How Do You Pick a Printer? A Moderated Discussion
Sponsored by Alliance Print Group (www.allianceprint.com)
and the George Dean Company (www.ghdean.com)

Register online at www.bostonprintbuyers.com if you haven't already. It will be moderated by me, and I'm bound to say anything. We only have room for 60: don't wait. $20 for BPB members; $50 for general admission.

Hold this date: November 2, 2006
BPB's first-ever full-day conference will be held at the Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center. A day filled with seminars, exhibits and networking, too. Party at night, with cocktails, great food, and live music. Be sure to save the date!

Welcome, New Members!

Each month we'll welcome new members. Since this is the first issue, I will welcome the 5 most recent BPB members:

• Bill Fennell, Analog Devices, Inc.

• Terry Gildred, Analog Devices, Inc.

• Lisa Schoenberg, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce

• Greg Mroczek, Harvard Business School Publishing

• Lori Ranallo, Waters Corporation

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Industry Buzz

• The once privately owned Acme Printing Company in Wilmington, MA, is privately owned once again. It had been acquired by Quebecor World in '98. Recently, Gary Stiffler, who is a former Quebecor executive, along with two private investors, purchased the company as well as four other printing firms. Fran Canzano returns as president of Acme Printing. The firm was founded by his grandfather.

• PIA/GATF (the leading trade association) has issued a report on key projections for printing in '06. the most interesting ones are these:

  1. The number of US printing plants will keep declining, by about 800 - 1000 plants.

  2. Industry employment will decrease as well, by about 20,000.

  3. Printing prices are expected to hold steady this year, with perhaps a very slight increase of less than 1%.

  4. Printers' costs are on the rise - particularly paper (4 -5%) and health care (8 - 10%).

  5. Biggest growth market in printing…..any guesses? Direct marketing printing, followed by labels/wrapper printing and packaging.

  If you want a copy of this report (a PDF), please email me at .

• Webcast by Frank Romano, January 26, 1 pm EST: Electronic Publishing magazine announced that Frank will talk about the Status of Printing in the US during this 1-hour webcast. To register, visit their web site at http://ep.pennnet.com/home.cfm.

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Over Easy: 10 Q's for Diane Dragoff

Diane is the Purchasing Manager for United Way of Massachusetts Bay here in Boston. She oversees the purchasing of everything from pencils to hospitality services. Diane started buying design services, photography, and printing in 1982, and she's currently a board member of BPB.

1. How did you get into this business, anyway?

   I came from a teaching and graphics background with a degree in Education and Fine Arts from Lesley University. Aside from formal education, I have a wide variety of skill sets. I've enjoyed working as an illustrator, draftsperson, teacher, production and operations manager. I began on the buying side with design, photography, copying, signage, ad specialties and media buying. At one point, I decided that I needed/wanted print plant experience and worked in plants producing printing for the financial, commercial, retail and packaging industries. With that learning and experience, I came back on the buying side.

2. What would your dream job be?

   My dream job would include strategizing with designers, writers, account managers and end users. The job would include talks with printers, learning about new techniques, coming up with snappy solutions to communications dilemmas, going to press OK's and buying, buying, buying...Hey, that's what I do at the United Way!

3. What would your printers be shocked to know about you?

   That I miss the smell of ink.

4. What's the easiest way to win your heart?

   Honesty, curiosity and a dry sense of humor. Chocolate helps too!

5. What's your favorite book?

   The one I'm writing...be afraid, be VERY afraid.

6. What do you admire most in a print vendor?

   The ability to partner with me to assist United Way of Massachusetts Bay and its affiliates to spread our messages through print in the most cost effective and productive ways.

7. W hat do you do when you really want to have fun?

   I take a two hour class led by a professor from Berklee School of Music. I've been playing the African djembe drums for about 3 years. This drumming relies on traditional rhythms and includes call-and-response and rounds within the group. Drumming puts a grin on my face, no matter what I had in my head or what kind of week I've had, I start playing and it all falls away. I've had the opportunity to play in groups from local communities and from Mali and Guinea, West Africa. We all have a drumbeat inside us, our hearts' rhythm.

8. What one thing under $50 would make your job easier?

   Under 50 dollars would be tough.... I might step out of the office for a little R&R: a new book to read, a yoga class and a snack and decaf at Starbucks. I'd donate the dollars left over to United Way.

9. Imagine mentoring others entering your field. What advice would you give?

   Ask questions - lots of them! Keep asking until you can "connect the dots" between end use, design, specs and production. Your interest makes others interested in sharing their knowledge with you.

10. Finish this thought: What this industry needs is…

    More people willing to mentor and teach others. Printing, both an art and a craft, is primarily learned on the job. Printing is also a fun, creative line of work. It has its own language and sequencing. Print people are generous and caring. BPB is an ideal organization to meet peers, learn about the craft and art of printing and related graphic arts.

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Guest Column

Ray Kunzmann, The Kunzmann Group, LLC

Pharmaceutical Print Production: How to Structure It for Success

There’s not much that makes pharma (as in pharmaceutical) printing unique compared to print for other industries, except for prescribing information, which is usually produced by the packaging groups. There are a lot of considerations for design due to regulatory requirements but not so for print. However, I do have a philosophy about how the management of print for pharma should be structured and purchased. Here are some thoughts.

What makes managing print production for pharmaceutical marketing unique is the opportunity provided by the fact that pharma print can be boring. Buyers and printers working for cosmetics and car companies are obsessed with obtaining critical color and executing various production techniques. Buyers for pharmaceutical companies generally focus on keeping projects on schedule and securing the print buy.

As far as critical color goes, pharmaceutical print is largely about flesh tones and logos where “pleasing” color is sufficient as long as the logos match well from spread to spread. But before that, saving money is probably the most critical issue. From a project management and purchasing standpoint, pharma companies have the opportunity to apply focus to different areas simultaneously. That’s where I believe the issue resides: in the decision regarding the structure of the print buying group.

Many pharmaceutical companies, just like a lot of companies, have procurement- or purchasing-based buying groups that concern themselves with managing the workflow of the buying process rather than addressing the print purchase and the costs associated with the creative development process. Almost exclusively, the development process and the costs associated with it are managed completely by agencies of record. Rarely do agencies purchase art development, external retouching, etc., at any rate of discount passed on to the client. If they perform those services internally, it is run as a profit center and not a service. Most pharma brand managers don’t have any idea what savings they’re missing.

A Production Management Department with a centralized pre-press operation makes for a better design. Under this structure, the department is staffed with print knowledgeable managers who can save money better than purchasing people since they know where to look for savings opportunities. Additional savings is realized in centralizing pre-press with one of your print partners or a pre-press supplier. A global pre-press supplier allows international offices access to images, services and savings. Computer-generated art, retouching, digital photography, image re-purposing, small design, asset management and more, all at discounted pricing are what’s available under this design.

The best part? It’s the control that’s at the fingertips of the production manager. With this structure in place, the manager has a direct feed to the project development process where he or she can affect decisions involving time-sensitive issues that usually drive up agency costs and slow down schedules. Having more control of the overall development schedule makes it easier to get final specifications faster, which allows printers to be involved earlier in the process if necessary, before disk release lessening threats to delivery schedules that often require overtime charges.

A lot of pharma companies have production departments that they consider effective, and for what they’re responsible for, they probably are. But not understanding the entire opportunity or worse, ignoring it, is just plain inefficient with regard to project control and cost savings/cost avoidance.

Ray Kunzmann is principal of The Kunzmann Group, LLC, a New Jersey—based print production management outsourcing company that helps clients plan and execute best practices in the purchase of print and graphic arts services. Prior to establishing The Kunzmann Group, Ray developed his well-rounded reputation by working in three industries: commercial printing, advertising, and corporate purchasing.

Ray’s an RIT grad, with a degree in Printing Technology and Management. He was Director of Production for two leading pharmaceutical advertising agencies. Following that, Ray was Director of Production & Distribution for Pharmacia, a major pharmaceutical company. You can reach Ray at rkunz61@comcast.net or at 908.268.9430.

Feedback

Tell me what you think! What other information in a monthly enewsletter would be extremely valuable to you as a BPB member? Please send your comments to .

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