View from the publisher – June 2016

Three wonderful industry events took place last month. Five OEMs previewed their drupa booths at the DIA meeting that I attended. Congratulations to Agfa Graphics’ Deborah Hutcheson; Fujifilm’s Mace Hoover, Mike Wildbore and Phil Hampson; Heidelberg’s Ray Fagan; KBA’s Mark Norlock; and Kodak’s Dominic Veroni for their insights. Thanks also to the DIA’s Marg Macleod, Jason Hamilton and Dino Sinnathurai. That same evening, the OPIA honoured the best in print at its Excellence In Print Awards held at the St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Etobicoke, Ontario. Brad Thompson, Chairman of the PIA, was guest speaker. We congratulate the OPIA’s Tracey Preston, Sue Bryant and all the winners. The 34th annual Gutenberg Gala held last month at the Montreal Science Centre celebrated the best printers in Quebec and attracted over 300. The organizing committee and all the winners deserve kudos.

While many publications have gone online (and eliminated printed versions due to rising costs), I’ll always be grateful that we’ve never missed a single printed edition in our 19-year history. Why? This issue, in particular, illustrates both the visual and tactile power of the printed piece – a mastery that simply cannot be experienced online.

Our June cover was printed on an MGI JETVarnish 3DS installed by Konica Minolta Canada at Oakville, Ontario printing boutique Print Panther. It represents a first for our magazine, a first for Konica Minolta Canada, a first for Print Panther and a first for France-based MGI. The cover includes hot foil stamping, spot UV coating and raised 3D effects. What’s significant is that everything was printed in a single pass! Also, the JETVarnish 3DS was manufactured by MGI specifically for Konica Minolta – and was the first-ever installation in Canada. Be sure to read the full story on page 13. I’d like to thank Konica Minolta Canada and Print Panther for their guidance and exceptional hard work in producing this premier cover. Thanks also to Amanda Grey of greyscaledesign.ca and George Dedopoulous who designed it – and also teamed up to give our printed magazine a new look this month.

Our redesigned website (www.graphicartsmag.com) as well as our redesigned digital edition are getting excellent reviews. We’ve also added a new videos section as well as a jobs board to our home page. Another call-out to our webmaster and designer George Dedopoulos, who also re-created our website and our digital edition, along with guidance from our online marketing expert Greg Turner. We’ve also got some new, online marketing packages designed to generate qualified leads. Read about Greg’s strategy on page 32, or call me at (905) 513-3999.

As always, stay positive and stay focused.