Want More? Archives - Marketing, content, & technology to help printers sell more printing

You don’t need a holiday on the calendar to notice it: your team is tired, busy, and still showing up to get the work out the door. Presses keep running, deliveries go out, and customers stay happy, often because your people are quietly going above and beyond. If you’ve been thinking, “I really should do more to show them I notice,” you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t need a huge budget or a giant party to make a real difference. A handful of thoughtful print shop employee appreciation ideas, done consistently, can change the way your whole shop feels. This time of year is a natural moment to pause, look back, and say, “You matter here.” Let’s talk about some practical ways to do that. Now Is a Great Time to Celebrate Your Print Team There’s never a perfect, quiet stretch in a print shop, is there? There’s always another rush job, another “can we move this up?” request, another last-minute file change. It’s easy for appreciation to slip to the bottom of the list behind jobs, proofs, and presses. But your people carried you through a lot this year. They’ve solved problems you may never even see.

In the last installment, Sam Lewis showed how small jobs could lead to big opportunities, turning Print Perfect into more than just a quick-service print shop. With larger projects now coming in, Sam realizes his shop’s operations need an overhaul to handle the increased demand efficiently. In this article, Sam explores how streamlined workflows and automation can help his team stay productive and profitable while maintaining the quality his clients expect. As Print Perfect began taking on more substantial projects, Sam quickly realized the need for a streamlined workflow. While his new strategies for attracting larger jobs were working, the volume was straining his team. “If we’re going to keep up,” he thought, “we need to boost our efficiency—without sacrificing quality.” Identifying Bottlenecks Sam started by observing day-to-day operations closely, noting where time and resources were being lost. He quickly saw patterns: small jobs with multiple adjustments, delays in approvals, and time-consuming communication over project specifications. Realizing he couldn’t ignore these bottlenecks, he gathered the team for input. “I want to hear from everyone,” Sam began at their meeting. “Where do you see us getting slowed down the most?” Laura was first to chime in. “We spend a lot

There’s something powerful that happens when print shop owners from across the country gather under one roof. Ideas are exchanged. Friendships are formed. Inspiration spreads. That was exactly the case at this year’s NPSOA Conference in North Little Rock, Arkansas—and we’re still riding the wave of energy and insights from the event. Whether you joined us for the first time or you’re a returning NPSOA veteran, this year’s conference reminded us all why events like this are more than just good business—they’re good for the soul. A Few Highlights (And Smiles) from the Event From workshops on AI to breakout sessions on streamlining workflows with Odyssey, the conference was packed with hands-on learning and fresh perspectives. We loved sharing our passion for helping print shops run smarter, faster, and more profitably—and just as much, we loved learning from you. Why Conferences Like This Matter Sure, you can read articles, attend webinars, and watch product demos from your desk—but there’s nothing quite like being in a room full of people who face the same daily challenges as you do. At NPSOA, we saw firsthand how powerful it is when printers: Talk shop with peers who have walked in their shoes Discover

Some careers are just jobs. But printing? Printing is a beautiful mix of chaos and craft. There’s a rhythm to a print shop. The hum of machines. The smell of ink. The constant dance between deadlines and design. And then—there’s that moment. The one where a finished piece is held in someone’s hands, and suddenly, everything clicks. Nobody captures that better than a seasoned printer with nearly 50 years in the business. John Henry, owner of Mitchell’s Speedway Press in Oswego, NY, recently shared this heartfelt reflection on Facebook: The Life of a Printer (or, What Can Befuddle Me…) By John Henry, Mitchell’s Speedway Press For almost 50 years, I’ve been in the printing business. You’d think by now, nothing would surprise me. And yet, despite printing being literally in our name, despite our tagline spelling it out—Signs. Direct Mail. Design.—people still walk in or call and ask: “Do you do printing?”“Do you make signs?”“Can you design this?” At this point, I no longer question it. It’s not that they don’t know. It’s that they don’t know what to ask. So, we smile, say, “Of course we do,” and then magically transform their ideas into a finished project, delivered on

Welcome back from the whirlwind adventure that was Printing United in Las Vegas! We trust you had an incredible experience exploring the latest innovations and creating meaningful connections within the vibrant printing industry community. As you settle back into your daily routine, remember that it’s crucial to harness the wealth of knowledge and inspiration you gained at Printing United. Here’s a comprehensive guide to ensure your tradeshow experience fuels continuous growth and innovation in your professional endeavors. Capitalizing on Your Tradeshow Experience Unpack the Knowledge Begin by meticulously reviewing and organizing the wealth of information you gathered. Dive into the brochures, business cards, and session notes you collected. Dedicate ample time to sift through everything, identifying key insights and trends. Consider employing digital tools like a mind map or a project management app to create a comprehensive visual representation of your takeaways. This not only aids in retention but also provides a quick reference for future projects. Share the Wealth Organize a detailed team meeting to present the highlights of your tradeshow experience. Develop a structured presentation or discussion points that cover groundbreaking technologies, innovative strategies, and potential partnerships. Encourage open dialogue, allowing team members to ask questions and offer

Birchbox is a beauty subscription service that revolutionized the way consumers discover and experience cosmetic products. Launched in 2010, Birchbox introduced a unique concept of delivering monthly boxes with a selection of sample-sized beauty products to subscribers for a flat rate of $10. This approach eliminated the need for customers to invest in full-sized products, growing customer confidence in the products and loyalty to the company that delivered them. After realizing its colored outer packaging gets damaged in transit to customers, Birchbox added a pristine internal box with the company name featured in foil print. Recipients loved it, and shared unboxing photos and videos widely on social media. This amplified the Birchbox “experience” of unwrapping luxury, value, and convenience each month. The momentum certainly paid off: Birchbox grew to 850,000 subscribers in just three and a half years. The Undeniable Power of Packaging As tempting as it is to think of ourselves as rational, logical individuals, the truth is that human beings make snap judgments, and quite often, this is due to packaging. Printers know this, but print buyers may need some reminding about why investing extra resources into packaging is worthwhile. Why is this avenue of marketing so important?

Sustainability. It’s a big word communicating a concept that’s sometimes a bit fuzzy. Sustainability, derived from the Latin word sustinere, is to maintain, support, uphold, or endure over a long period of time. Originally, sustainability referred primarily to the environment – to using resources wisely so that people in the future could rely on them long term. Today this word involves the balance of environmental, social, and economic factors. The question every generation must answer is this: How can we meet the needs of the present without compromising the future? And – in a society that’s increasingly aware of our need to care for this physical world – how does the print industry answer that question? How to Highlight Your Commitment to Sustainable Printing Sustainability is a hot topic in many industries, and professional printing is no exception. While traditional printing practices have involved resource-intensive processes, our industry becomes more nimble and environmentally conscious each year. Green printing practices reduce waste and conserve resources while simultaneously minimizing carbon emissions. Want to put some of these options into practice or weave this information into your marketing? Here are four “green” tools at our fingertips and some corresponding statistics you can use

If you were given a magic formula for reducing stress and accelerating future success, would you use it? Many people set future business goals based on something they “wish” would happen instead of giving thought to what caused tension or breakthrough in previous years. As you map a fresh course in the new year, new research from the Harvard Business School shows that taking time to reflect is essential. Productivity Hack For Printers: How Reflection Aids Performance In Learning by Thinking: How Reflection Aids Performance, working paper authors Francesca Gino and Gary Pasino demonstrate how reviewing past performance helps people operate more effectively in the future. Through a series of experiments, researchers tested the theory that work outputs would improve when participants added reflective processing to their workflow. One study, based at a tech support call center, divided workers into three groups: a control group, a reflection group, and a reflection plus sharing group. As groups were trained on a specific customer account, each received the same technical training but with a few key differences. While control group employees worked a standard full day, in the reflection group, workers spent the last 15 minutes of each day writing and reflecting

At its core, selling is all about connecting. Printers are professionals who provide a valuable service to someone in need. But a print customer’s need is not the primary reason a person will buy – or keep buying – from you. Relationships are the spark that fuels one sale after another. When you hope to build beneficial relationships with your print customers, where should you begin? Here are five strategies for creating these connections. Break Down Barriers: 5 Strategies for Getting to Know Your Print Buyers 1. Be as Personable as Possible If you want to overcome apathy, drive engagement, and gain lifelong customers, put human connections first. Award-winning sales trainer Patricia Fripp often reminds people that, when seeking to build a successful enterprise, “you don’t close a sale, you open a relationship.” Always seek to view your clients as people, not prospects. Research confirms what many instinctively know – there is something sweet about hearing your name. When you chat with customers through calls, emails, or face-to-face encounters, push yourself to use their names several times. Call out things unique or impressive about a client’s project or personhood. Adding names or details to your interactions helps you acknowledge your