May 2016
Gearing up for drupa, there are definitely many technological releases up and coming! This month, read about new technology from Scodix, HP, Landa, and Mimaki, just to name a few. We are thrilled to have a team of reporters at drupa this year. They will be able to help highlight some of the show’s key take-aways in issues to come. Certainly there seems to be a lot of action in the digital and hybrid equipment market. Continuing in the digital vein, Jeff Khansis discusses digital signage in the issue this month, giving some dynamic examples of what we will likely see more of in the future. In Toronto, there has been a steady rise of digital screen advertising options. Not only are we seeing more TV displays in bus shelters, but new technology releases such as the TSA Interactive screens by Astral Out Of Home, allow onlookers to actually interact with the advertisement. This is a timely discussion – the Heritage Minister, Mélanie Joly, is reportedly shaking up Canada’s media laws in hopes of strengthening the business model (Globe and Mail, April 23, 2016).
Our columnist, Diana Varma, shares with you some more innovative ideas resulting from the Business Plan Expo hosted by Ryerson. This is a free annual event that allows 4th year students to display their business plan ideas and present them in the form of an elevator pitch to those willing to lend an ear. Every year a handful of students graduate from the program hopeful to pursue their capstone project ideas! This is definitely a great event to attend if you are looking to get inspired about print!
Lastly, I had the pleasure of co-writing this month’s lead story. Our print buyer’s report looks at the big picture from across Canada, and some of the results may surprise you. In addition to reporting survey and interview data, we had the opportunity to interview a print buyer to get his perspective on the findings. The entire project took just under half a year to complete and we are thrilled to share the results with you. A big thank you to all involved in the study! We hope you will enjoy the report.
