tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.comments2023-05-17T06:24:42.325-07:00Reprographics 101 (more than you ever wanted to know about the reprographics industry)Joel Salushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03201205005216096979noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-11226397967955129122022-03-25T08:35:04.981-07:002022-03-25T08:35:04.981-07:00Having started my career in 1995 seeing these stor...Having started my career in 1995 seeing these stories of the legends in the industry always gets me choked up a bit. I miss the old days. Thanks for sharing this !Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08665174116843571065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-58864911555389408112021-11-22T07:36:51.255-08:002021-11-22T07:36:51.255-08:00Joel,
saddened to hear about Gary. One of my best ...Joel,<br />saddened to hear about Gary. One of my best stops in my repro journey were my years at Rowley Scher/Reprographic Technologies and working for Rich Heller. Made some lifelong friends from that stop. You guys built a better mousetrap in that era.<br /><br />Kevin Howes<br />Kevin Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04407837800164445650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-33136446361154178822020-07-31T11:58:03.078-07:002020-07-31T11:58:03.078-07:00Glad you're back Joel!Glad you're back Joel!Russ Bellhttp://peepsquirrel.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-14665015027105440602020-07-31T07:34:52.558-07:002020-07-31T07:34:52.558-07:00Good to have you back, Joel!Good to have you back, Joel!Mark Kadonoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08930909761539743597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-85239982066166507202017-10-30T06:35:36.907-07:002017-10-30T06:35:36.907-07:00Best wishes to both Blain and Dawn Topel on the mo...Best wishes to both Blain and Dawn Topel on the move out West! Blain needs no luck. ;)<br /><br />Dean Southee<br />VP of Sales RPG Squarefoot SolutionsAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16719357209181955111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-66916171779494646362017-09-13T08:48:17.029-07:002017-09-13T08:48:17.029-07:00Well, hello Gordon! As to what you said, I don...Well, hello Gordon! As to what you said, I don't know where you got that impression. If you took the time to read back through this blog - from the beginning, then forward - you would see that I don't "favor" (or kiss-up-to) ANY company. I do post ARC's financial results (when I have time to do that), but that's only because ARC is the only company in our industry that reports its results. If other companies in our industry reported their numbers publicly, I'd publish their results on this blog (along with my comments.)Joel Salushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03201205005216096979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-12559377061578290732017-09-11T14:06:54.548-07:002017-09-11T14:06:54.548-07:00I sure get the impression that this blog is a kis...I sure get the impression that this blog is a kiss-up to ARC. You have something to say each month about this Monopolizing company. Are you on their payroll? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16081093838186487925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-32502352652675186872017-03-22T14:00:24.382-07:002017-03-22T14:00:24.382-07:00I agree 100% with your statement, We too have batt...I agree 100% with your statement, We too have battled for years, with arc & the likes of the bigger players thinking they can continue to lower print prices, and drive out the smaller shops. SERVICE SELLS, Sell less for more is a great Mantra, that more of the people in this industry should learn. Only been doing this a little while 40 plus years, and have been in this industry now for almost 60 years. We will survive, and continue to prosper, despite these idiots, that think Bigger is always better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-53164723550141072332017-03-17T08:23:24.363-07:002017-03-17T08:23:24.363-07:00Being in that $2 Million-$3 Million market range, ...Being in that $2 Million-$3 Million market range, and being one of those "Mom & Pop" stores, we have been going head to head with the likes of ARC, ABC, NRI, and other large players in the market for decades in our geographical area. The statements by ARC, to aggressively go after market share is no different than the past. It does boil down to loyalty, customer service, and that one on one service smaller shops likes us provide.<br />Having said that, it is disheartening to hear that ARC’S model is to lower the prices to gain market share, when they are already too low, because of the same tactics implored in past years.<br />With the popularity of plan rooms, we have been gradually raising the prices of print to compensate for the lower print volumes. It is crazy to think we are getting the same square foot/sheet cost we were 20 years ago. <br />The advances in technology, and equipment is fantastic, but not at the cost of lower margins, we can all be profitable now, and in the future, but not if we all continue to give up on the revenues that print does provide. <br />It is not a measure of a company to boast the largest revenue numbers, while pushing aside profitability. I would much rather sell less for more, and be profitable, than the flip side. Not sure how long that will last with the intentions of the larger players, stay tuned.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-69629643765460888032016-12-13T12:31:57.956-08:002016-12-13T12:31:57.956-08:00Best wishes to Bill, great profesional.
Francois G...Best wishes to Bill, great profesional.<br />Francois Gouverneur<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06059511968588509897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-81013873997743431522016-08-02T09:14:24.423-07:002016-08-02T09:14:24.423-07:00While I've not known Blain nearly as long, I&#...While I've not known Blain nearly as long, I've had the pleasure of working under his leadership after he successfully recruited me.<br />It's been my position that one is employed by a company, but one works for a leader. As such, it is not the reputation of a company that is the deciding factor for me (you can always fix corporate problems) it is the personal and professional integrity of a leader that I can team with...and in the case of Blain, his integrity (I know...I checked)and industry accomplishments made accepting his offer a no-brainer for me.<br />It's unfortunate we are not now on the same team.<br />Wishing Blain all the best, I know that any business will do well to bring him on board.<br />Al Cerkanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08040711810110546128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-28974999157967445172016-08-02T07:21:09.089-07:002016-08-02T07:21:09.089-07:00Changing the name of a company and rebranding is u...Changing the name of a company and rebranding is usually a very difficult process. The same goes for an organization,<br />especially with a long standing history and serving a very diverse membership. With that being said though this one has me<br />mystified. Reprographics is the foundation of the IRgA. The design and construction industry has changed greatly, more so in the<br />past 10 years primarily relative to emerging technologies and the great recession which force the AEC industry to do more with less<br />or adopt cost saving measures.<br /><br />So trying to be the eternal optimist here, by changing to the Association of Printing and Data Solutions Professionals<br />I would like to think that a business plan has been conceptualized to expand the base well beyond reprographics<br />and to start to target and engage business owners and professionals well beyond that specific marketplace. If this is the direction,<br />then great, they have a lot of hard work ahead but can transform into something with an incredibly broad audience.<br /><br />If not, then I am not sure how the change best serves the existing membership and how values will be established to attract more members.<br />Joel as you mentioned, the use of the word Printing covers a variety of practices but I find that the use of Data Solutions to be even more troubling.<br />Do reprographers think that by offering document management or an online plan room to access design/construction plans that they are providing Data Solutions? Obviously a great question for the clients that they serve. A variety of reprographic companies have utilized the additional services of hyperlinking, mobile access to cloud or static documentation. I look at that as being document solutions.<br /><br />There are many amazing things happening in the AEC industry relative to data solutions, usually revolving around 4 principles – capture, compute, create and manage. Many of the design software companies are working in a world of reality computing today. Collection and Validation are Data Solutions, collection by laser scanning or drones are early stage Data Solutions. Defining and delivering specific owner required data for facilities management usage is Data Solutions. <br /><br />I could go on and on with examples which come from a recent presentation I gave on emerging technologies to a national engineering group.<br />Is this the definition of direction for the meaning of Data Solutions relative to this organization? I would love to learn more.<br /><br />David C Brownellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17079960495751535572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-37214296932732038282015-09-25T05:57:04.671-07:002015-09-25T05:57:04.671-07:00Never worry about charging your tablet again. We ...Never worry about charging your tablet again. We can take the data from your device and create a “hard copy” that requires no program or device to view and read. Amaze your co-workers!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823537513849843021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-64987470836239002502015-03-11T05:09:54.895-07:002015-03-11T05:09:54.895-07:00What are the applications for 3D printing in the R...What are the applications for 3D printing in the Repro Industry? Models?<br />Why a 3D model when “virtual” tours of projects can be easily shared via the internet? Like anything, there is a market, but I don’t see the boom.<br />The only practical and profitable application I can see for 3D is in manufacturing and medicine. And even there it must be better and more efficient than what it replaces. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823537513849843021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-19066420400323931362015-02-23T05:18:09.085-08:002015-02-23T05:18:09.085-08:00Two thoughts on this.
First.
I’ve been growing veg...Two thoughts on this.<br />First.<br />I’ve been growing vegetable gardens for as long as I can remember. One rule of thumb I have is that I tend not to grow things that aren't better than what I can get in the store. Broccoli is a good example.<br />Just because its home grown doesn't mean it will taste better.<br />And just because something is digital doesn't make it more efficient. It may become necessary, but not efficient.<br />Second.<br />And if I were going to implement an online system, I would search out those systems already in place and working well. It always seems to be that people want to reinvent the wheel. And it would also seem to me that “Sierra Systems” listed in this article as the contractor is working hard to reach the “not to exceed” contract amount. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823537513849843021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-25907469710193850132015-02-15T05:14:45.600-08:002015-02-15T05:14:45.600-08:00There are over 500 reprographics firms in the U.S....There are over 500 reprographics firms in the U.S., alone, competing for business from firms in the U.S. A/E/C Industry. Some of the larger reprographics firms in the U.S. (and I know I've pointed this out before) include Thomas Printworks, NRI, ABC Imaging and Gill. Joel Salushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03201205005216096979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-42015012112519407332015-02-14T08:20:50.651-08:002015-02-14T08:20:50.651-08:00Wow, "revenue never dipped by more than 7-8% ...Wow, "revenue never dipped by more than 7-8% during recession years".... I want to see those financials. Joel, is ABC the only reprographer that can truly compete with ARC? How do they match up against?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-16483232628036877782015-01-08T05:35:28.031-08:002015-01-08T05:35:28.031-08:00Society and civilization are what we make of it; n...Society and civilization are what we make of it; nothing more and nothing less. If we do not tend to it, it will be diminished.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823537513849843021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-2059609971496751372014-12-29T04:55:55.170-08:002014-12-29T04:55:55.170-08:00My small contribution to the arts...
http://www.bl...My small contribution to the arts...<br />http://www.bluecanvas.com/ullmerAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823537513849843021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-7024123619062094542014-12-28T07:16:12.250-08:002014-12-28T07:16:12.250-08:00Joel,
This has certainly stirred conversations...Joel, <br /> This has certainly stirred conversations in the repro community. My take is from a repro shop perspective ( I own one) and the true belief of the future of our involvement in the AEC industry.<br /><br />I am not convinced the market is there in everyday printing of AEC information. Printing something faster in color on paper seems to be a shrinking space. The use in poster graphics has a shelf life as well, here's why.<br /><br />The iPad is being adapted at an enormous rate with great success. The use of wide-format monitors is gaining acceptance at a 2x clip and smartphone phablets round out the offerings. <br /><br />The softwares to drive this adaptation started out weak but are coming on very strong and by the end of 2015 will number in the dozens. The same scenario of using printed material is not only slower but much less accurate, your reading yesterdays paper today. This has always created risk, and everyday wrong or outdated information is being printed, distributed and used with performance, financial and schedule impacts.<br /><br />If signage is the savior of high-speed wide format color it too will be dominated by digital signage monitors. This will be especially true as technical users get older and expect this technology.<br /><br />The only thing keeping paper alive in any substantial manner are old habits and fear of new technology. These are not business reasons but personal ones. Larger end users are demanding their employees change and it is working. <br /><br />I first saw Memjet technology over 6 years ago, pre-tablet explosion, it had a market then, I really don't think it does now. It has come late to market in an area that has moved to newer technologies, just like newspapers, magazines and other paper based information delivery vehicles. Your blog is a prime example, ten years ago this is a printed and mailed piece, today it is an instant information provider.<br /><br />Our role as reprographers rests in providing information services and unique viewing workstations. I am not saying this to support our companies products, just the opposite is true, we provide these new solutions as a result of reacting to the clients needs.Kevin Rowehttp://iwww.projectsolutions.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-89866970156325298652014-12-03T12:24:20.180-08:002014-12-03T12:24:20.180-08:00Hi Eric,
If I get a sufficient number of response...Hi Eric,<br /><br />If I get a sufficient number of responses, I will publish the survey results. (If not, I won't bother to.)<br /><br />So far, only 9 people have taken the survey. Over 200 people have viewed the post about the survey, but, as I just said, only 9, so far, have taken it.Joel Salushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03201205005216096979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-37342445665145234922014-10-15T08:36:01.154-07:002014-10-15T08:36:01.154-07:00I recall a comment made by an old acquaintance in ...I recall a comment made by an old acquaintance in the Repro industry maybe 15-20 years ago. He said that the equipment making blueline paper was so old, you couldn't tell where the floor ended and the machine began. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823537513849843021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-80733028494769641672014-08-05T08:44:15.789-07:002014-08-05T08:44:15.789-07:00Although I haven’t done so in a looong time, I use...Although I haven’t done so in a looong time, I used work as a liquor store manager at a few places over the years, and sold a LOT of “EZ Widers”, so, yeah, the name of the site is genius.<br />I will definitely explore this website.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823537513849843021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-31508261004581663632014-07-01T12:49:00.342-07:002014-07-01T12:49:00.342-07:00Hi Kevin,
Thanks for visiting the Blog and for po...Hi Kevin,<br /><br />Thanks for visiting the Blog and for posting a comment. Congrats on the placement you mentioned. And, best wishes for lots of success in your role with RTI Digital.<br /><br />For those of you who do not know Kevin, he's standup guy (a terrific guy) and very, very knowledgeable when it comes to the wide-format imaging arena.Joel Salushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03201205005216096979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5307311097025136686.post-46696833165248392282014-07-01T12:33:15.803-07:002014-07-01T12:33:15.803-07:00Hello Joel,
it's been a while since we've...Hello Joel,<br /><br />it's been a while since we've run into one another so I thought I would give you an update. I recently joined RTI-Digital as Director of Wide Format Solutions after heading up the launching of elan for Delphax Technologies another memjet OEM partner. Thanks for the press regarding our new partner Alpha Imaging. While it we've been slow at completing all of our announcements regarding the Alpha Imaging partnership I can tell you that they have successfully placed their first unit into a high volume POP signage company in the Mid Atlantic. We just finished a two day open house where we showcased the Vortex very successfully. If you have further questions, call me or e-mail directly.<br />Thanks,<br />Kevin.Howes@rti-digital.com<br />630.780.6703<br /><br />Kevin Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04407837800164445650noreply@blogger.com