Printing Industries of America Counters Obama Administration's Executive Order

Joel’s comments:

President Obama was right to sign the Executive Order to put a halt to the printing of the Federal Register. It is a doorstop! It is wasteful!

Printing industries of America has taken President Obama’s comments out of context. President Obama did not say that ALL printing should be eliminated. He took a single step to eliminate the printing of a document that no one reads in its entirety, a document that will be much more cost-effective to distribute as a PDF file.

The letter Mr. Makin wrote and the video Mr. Makin made were, to me, nothing more than an exercise in job-justification. His criticism of President Obama’s action and comments were ridiculous.

Printing Industries of America Counters Obama Administration's Executive Order

Monday, June 27, 2011

Press release from the issuing company (Printing Industries of America)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, – Printing Industries of America has sent a letter to the White House in response to the Obama Administration's Executive Order to cease the printing of the Federal Register. In Obama's announcement, he equates the printing and mailing of the Federal Register as a stack of "expensive doorstops" and "stupid spending" that "doesn't benefit anybody." By dismissing print as "pointless waste" that "no one reads," one may infer a negative perception of a stalwart industry or mistakenly assume that printed material is a dying and irrelevant relic. Printing Industries of America hopes to inform the current presidential administration about the importance of print in this economy.

The letter to the White House explains that the printing and graphic communications industry is eying a vibrant future that embraces and integrates the Internet and new technologies. Digital-based print is expected to grow at an annual rate of three to four percent per year through the year 2020, and printing companies are increasingly transforming to become integrated communications solutions firms--embracing ancillary services such as database management and website development and hosting. 



Within the U.S. manufacturing sector, the industry ranks number two in number of establishments and number nine in value of shipments. The industry is among the most domestic of all manufacturers; almost all print consumed in America is produced in America. To read the letter visit www.printing.org/whitehouseletter.



In addition, Michael Makin recorded a video rebuttal that can be viewed at http://prnt.in/videoreply.

Michael Makin, president and CEO of Printing Industries of America, said, "It's important for printers to stand together and deliver a strong, coherent message about the viability and effectiveness of print. We encourage printers to stand up for their industry and communicate to their members of Congress that print is more than an expensive doorstop and it vital to our economy. What better way than to encourage legislators to visit printing facilities first hand!"