Honest to Pete, there's so much information I want to share with you all, that sometimes I have difficulty focusing on one sliver of a topic for a weekly Print Tip.

Today is one of those days. Allow me to present three lists that are significant in their own ways. They aren't related…and yet, they are.

FILL IN THE BLANK WITH ONE WORD.
(Hint: It doesn't rhyme with spindle.)

1. Little Black _______

2. Throw the ______ at him

3. Make ______ on it

4. The Good ______

5. ______ em, Dan-o

6. ______ it

7. Don't judge a ______ by its cover

8. I'm an open ______

9. ______ a hotel reservation

10. The ______ of Job

11. The New York Times ______ Review

12. ______ seller

13. ______ collector

14. If they asked me, I could write a ______

15. Dirty ______s

16. _____s of the Bible

17. Who wrote the ______ of love?

18. ______ ends

19. ______ a room

20. ______ee

21. ______-maker

22. ______ report

23. ______ binder

24. ______ lover

25. ______ case

26. ______ burning

27. Cooking the ______S

28. Double ______ entry

29. Bell, ______ and Candle

30. ______worm

Top 20 US Metropolitan Markets in Terms of Printing Shipments
(from PIA/GATF's Navigating Print Markets in 2007 - 2008)

1. Chicago, Il

2. LA-Long Beach, CA

3. NY, NY

4. Minneapolis-St Paul, MN-WI

5. Philadelphia, PA

6. Boston, MA-NH

7. Dallas, TX

8. Washington, DC

9. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

10. Atlanta, GA

11. Nassau-Suffolk, NY

12. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

13. Kansas City, MO-KS

14. Orange County, CA

15. Newark, NJ

16. Detroit, MI

17. St. Louis, MO-IL

18. Bergen-Passaic, NJ

19. Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria, OH

20. Houston, TX

FOLLOW THE DR's ORDERS!

If you haven't yet picked up a copy of Dr. Joe Webb's new book, Renewing the Printing Industry, what the heck are you waiting for?

For a guy with a Ph.D. and an M.B.A., he writes about our industry with such heart, common sense, and humor, that I'm thinking of recommending him for Oprah's Book Club. Dr. Joe is one of the industry's most-respected consultants and economists. This book should be in the hands of everyone who cares about the printing industry.

Don't have time to read the whole book? No worries. If nothing else, you must follow the 16 Action Items that the good Dr. lists in Chapter 6: Strategies and Strategic Planning.

Here they be:

• Go Where the Decisions Are Made

• Promote Print

• Show that Print Plays Well with Others

• Understand the New World of Graphic Communications

• Work with Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

• Know Your Neighbors

• Get to the Real Media Decision-Makers

• Get Involved in Associations Where Media Buyers Go

• Immerse Yourself in "Offline Media" Ideas and Tactics

• Use New Media in Your Own Business (and Life)

• Become a New Media Resource for Your Clients

• Educate Yourself - and Your Clients - on the Weaknesses of New Media

• If You Don't Already, Go Online!

• Get Involved in Social Networking

• But at the Very Least, Check Your Email

• Subscribe to an Online Newspaper

For printers in these turbulent times, these action items make up a valuable strategy. Every one rings true with me. Print off these suggestions from Dr. Joe and post them on your office wall. I have.

And here's the best news: you can download this book as an ebook for FREE at: www.mindfireincmarketing.lwcdirect.com/wtt_2008/