What an action packed issue we have for you! Our lead article this month by Christopher Smyth is about 3D printing. This is an exciting topic not only within our industry, but much more broadly. Thanks to all of the media attention and techno-geek-initiated hype it seems that everybody wants to know what 3D printing will do next. Great read by Chris outlining the current technology and market along with some interviews with the pros and a look at future potential. My favourite application of 3D printing is the work of Dr. Anthony Atala in printing human organs. This is of course more than just a bit controversial, but without any judgment on whether we should or shouldn’t, I think it’s an exceptional “out of the box” application of the technology. You can check out the Ted Talk online at http://bit.ly/1jaF2bM
On the topic of forward thinking technology we would also like to congratulate Cober Evolving Solutions for a successful open house, featuring Canada’s first install of the HP 10000. I think much like with 3D printed technology, digital technology in our industry offers the possibility of a unique solution. Of course it is up to the company to create their own amazing “human organ” synonym.
Continuing on the digital theme Michael Kozlowski gives us some insight into the Canadian digital book industry. It’s interesting to think that Kobo, the leading player, had its start as a Toronto-native company. For a little trivia, do you know what grammatical quirk they use in their name?
I expect you are also returning for a read of some of our monthly features. This month’s Software Spotlight covers the topic of Customer Relationship Management systems. Hopefully you have something more than a notebook or Excel file for managing client information at your place of work, although I am a sucker for a good notebook. We also have a beautiful article about packaging honey. It is amazing to see how quickly you can turn a product into a luxury item by using branding. Also this month I had the opportunity to interview Mike Meshkati, president of Sina Printing/SinaLite.com for our For the Record column. Because Sina prints for trade many of you may have had an opportunity to work with Mike. I hope you enjoy reading his thoughts on our contentious questions.
Back to that trivia…Kobo is an anagram for the word book. Clever!