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With September now behind us, we have fully transitioned from summer into fall and the long-awaited return of Hunkeler’s Innovationdays is now just 6 months away. The 14 th annual Innovationdays — originally scheduled for 2021 — will be held in Lucerne, Switzerland from February 27 to March 2, 2023.  For those not familiar, Innovationdays is a biennial international print industry event hosted by Hunkeler, a leading manufacturer of paper handling and print finishing solutions. Innovationdays brings together industry professionals and technology leaders from around the world in an intimate atmosphere to showcase cutting-edge technology in the high-performance digital print space from each stage of the value creation chain — from software to finished product.  Innovationdays 2023 visitors will see an exhaustive range of production inkjet press technology coupled with new advancements in post-press automation. They’ll also see interdisciplinary collaborations on end-to-end solutions from …

In the October Newsletter Have you heard the news? The Designer's Guide to a New Generation of Inkjet is now available. Make sure you have the latest edition of this valuable inkjet resource on your bookshelf!  Plus, we've got more exciting resources for you this month. Scroll down to learn how Pel Hughes is evolving their print offerings with the Canon ProStream, get registered for upcoming thINK Academy live classes, and download the new white paper on using inkjet for premium applications. Also, tell us what you want to see in 2023 - all in the October E-Newsletter …

Meet new thINK Members from Pel Hughes October 11, 2022  — “Don’t screw it up,” Brian Hughes, Pel Hughes president, replied with a laugh when asked about the wise words of wisdom his father Vic left him regarding their family’s print business. Brian is the third generation to lead Pel Hughes, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and he intends to grow the business just as his parents did. “The family business began in 1954 with my grandparents Pel and Alice (pronounced ‘Elise’) Hughes,” Brian explained. “When my parents took over the business in 1969, they grew it from a small commercial print and mail shop with only three employees to one of the largest Gulf South full-service direct mail marketing providers with more than 65 employees today.   This growth came despite many challenges, including the floods from Hurricane Katrina. Brian continued, “My dad didn’t tell me how to run the business; he showed me. I worked alongside him for over 20 years and saw him use obstacles as …

The massive disruption to our printing and digital delivery business in March of 2020 has had lasting effects on many areas of our businesses, especially for print service providers (PSPs) and in-plants. And it hasn’t mattered whether you are in the commercial, transaction, direct mail, book, label, packaging, wide format, or industrial verticals of the print and digital delivery markets. All industries have been impacted over time by variable work requirements (remote and hybrid working methods), the reduction or lack of skilled and unskilled labor, paper and ink shortages, and variable workloads coming through the print and digital delivery production environment. This encompasses risk to those providing goods and services to the market in digital and print output.  The current environmental and supply chain risks create challenges that can be exacerbated by business and operational processes, catapulting an organization into a high-risk zone. Some of these risk accelerators include …

Digital media is here to stay — but there is always an opportunity to include print as part of a marketing plan. As supply chain challenges persist, it’s important to continue to communicate the irreplaceable role that direct mail plays within a successful marketing strategy.  Production inkjet is poised to become the go-to print technology for marketers. With the continuous improvements that are happening within the industry, brands and businesses can better reach the right audience and appeal directly to customers’ needs and interests, while having a direct impact on the bottom line.   Why Use Direct Mail?  Digital fatigue is real, especially after 2+ years of working and living at home. In fact, 75% of consumers report being overwhelmed by the number of digital ads they see daily . This is causing them to tune out important messaging and abandon sites (and brands) altogether.  Direct mail is the perfect solution. Not only does physical mail allow consumers to tangibly engage and …