Being a trade printer serving thousands of customers requires excellent flexibility. At the BOBST Open House event in Alpharetta, Will Prettyman from WISE explains what they are looking for before investing in new technology. When Will Prettyman says 'capabilities,' it shows how crucial fast setup time, automated setup processes, and the high quality of a hybrid press is - and well, it's always great talking to experienced people!

IGAS is the no. 1 print show in Japan and used to be a more international exhibition. Today the show is still huge, but its influence is more regional, with a strong focus on Japan. In this 'walkthrough,' Yasuo Taketsugu from Horizon International gives editor Morten B. Reitoft a guided tour through the biggest of all booths at IGAS. Enjoy!

Large format output InkJet devices as the technologies of choice are on everyone's radar in the graphics and printing industry. INKISH set out to investigate these pandemic period whisperings and promises that were in full display at the FESPA2021 Global Expo in beautiful Amsterdam. Walking in through the RAI entrance you could not miss one of the biggest booths in show. This is a comprehensive interview with a keen and knowledgeable Koen Steers, Head of Sales, Europe for AGFA’s Sign & Display segment. The excellent atmosphere in and around the Agfa booth and the rest of Expo show is proof that the interviewee, the many visitors and of course INKISH were eager to mingle, explore, have a good time and talk about everything new. Enjoy! LinkedIn Profile:

The very idea about showcasing print on a film may sound crazy, but when you watch Print Sample TV with Pat McGrew, you really get an idea what the print sample is all about. In this 21st episode, Pat McGrew has got her hands on some samples from DUPLO. Most printers may only know as a company making binding equipment, but recently they introduced a LED-UV spot coater. The print samples shown here are not just great, but also explains how they are made. Great inspiration and as usual, Pat McGrew is an amazing host. Watch, like, and remember to share!

Sometimes we forget that INKISH is a prolific publisher with a keen eye for design and readability. In this episode, we look at some of the INKISH MAGS and how they fit into the INKISH mindset. Take these ideas and use them!

In this 'Learn with us' session, Toon Van Rossum from Enfocus gives you an insight on how to see your future automation. This presentation is not about products, but about the process that can lead to any software investment, you are looking into.

Hurricane Katrina influenced thousands of lives in 2005, and Knight Abbey in Biloxi changed everything overnight and became instrumental in developing the new Knight Abbey. In this film, we speak with President Tonya Spiers about how Katrine changed everything for her, her family, and employees and how the company developed into a printing powerhouse focusing on an exceptional niche of customers. Canon sold a Pro Stream to Knight Abbey, and part of that sale introduced Ultimate Tech to Knight Abbey - and Tonya Spiers explains how Ultimate Tech more than delivered. It's a super exciting story, and if you think you recognize Tonya Spiers - yes - she is very involved in Canon think, local PIAs, and more. But start here - great story!

Sr. Director, Marketing Tonya Powers can add Road Warrior to her title as she has been on the road since before drupa till now, PRINTING United. In between drupa and PRINTING United, thINK celebrated its 10th anniversary - and it is amazing to see how much Canon has developed over the years. As Tonya Powers explains, from transactional print to full-color 1200 DPI commercial applications - fantastic, but listen and learn for yourself!

What started as an article on tonernews.com strongly urging their readers to raise their voices against lifting the ban on Ninestar - ended up with a long yet lovely conversation between Herve Milner from tonernews and Editor Morten B. Reitoft about global politics, free trade, democracy, and well - interesting we think. If you have time, listen to the conversation, and feel free to comment :-)  

Jeff Sarringar is Senior Marketing Executive at Canon Solutions America, and we got the chance to talk to him at PRINTING United. We previously filmed Jeff Sarringar in a Project Peacock FIlm we did together with Debora Corn, so we enjoyed seeing him again. Jeff Sarringar works with the cut-sheet printer i300. The machine is one of the first inkjet cut-sheet devices on the market, and according to Sarringar, the i300 has been successful for Canon. Recently the i300 was updated to a "+" version, which prints stunning print. Current i300 customers can get their device upgraded on-site, but why not just hear what Jeff Sarringar has to say himself? Tune in!

Many printing companies were hit by the so-called financial crisis from 2008. People, workers, owners were hit because of how banks were abusing their strength in society and that has influenced a lot of people almost everywhere in the world. Most business owners think back on the crisis with remorse and quite a few also had to go through bankruptcies, mergers, acquisitions, and even things worse. As if this was bad enough, the story about the family-owned Greek company Tsolakas, tell us how bad it is for any company when banks are suddenly not there anymore. Imagine how you will operate your company tomorrow if you know you have money in the bank, but you can't use them. This story is a very open and honest description of​ what happened in 2015 for Fillippos Tsolakos and his company.

EFI display graphics expert Tomer Ohavi shows off vibrant samples from the latest printers in the VUTEk product line. Speed and quality combine for that “wow” factor . . . .

Tomas Van Rossom has just been appointed as General Manager for Enfocus, and though new in the position, Rossom has worked with Enfocus since 2017 as Global Sales Director. In this conversation, we talk about family, Covid, subscription vs. license sales, setting goals, and how Tomas van Rossom will fit the new role after his predecessors. A very open-minded and great conversation that we are sure you will like - so why not just watch? https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasvanrossom/

This walkthrough shows the new Koenig & Bauer Durst VarieJet 106, a digital printer for folding cartons. The product Manager, Tom Sander, brilliantly explains how the machine is built, where the flexo varnish units are positioned, and what advantages these and the VarieJet have. Enjoy!

Interview in Dutch - subtitles in English. Onze grafische industrie in het algemeen en Drupa in het bijzonder is altijd gedreven geweest door technologie. Hoewel hardwareleveranciers vaak software hebben ingezet, en dat vandaag de dag nog steeds doen om zich te onderscheiden van hun concurrenten, ziet de klant, namelijk de drukkerij, dit nog té vaak als een bijzaak. We zien echter meer en meer dat de bedrijven die hun digitale transformatie centraal stellen in hun bedrijfsstrategie, diegene zijn die onze industrie richting geven en transformeren. We hadden dus wel wat vragen voor Tom Peire, CEO Four Pees. -- EN -- Our graphics industry in general and Drupa in particular has always been driven by technology. Although hardware suppliers have often used software, and still do so today, to distinguish themselves from their competitors, the customer, namely the printing company, still too often sees this as an afterthought. However, we are increasingly seeing that the companies that put digital transformation at the center of their business strategy are the ones that guide and transform our industry. So we had some questions for Tom Peire, CEO Four Pees.

At Printing United Expo in Orlando, Wayne from INKISH catches up with his good friend Tom Peire from Four Pees. It’s the last day of the show, and both share a laugh about how often they’ve met recently—first in sunny Barcelona and now in sunny Orlando. Despite the long week, the atmosphere is light, and the air conditioning is appreciated. Tom says the event has been very good overall, with strong attendance and meaningful conversations. “People are starting to recognize us for what we do,” he explains. For Four Pees, it’s not about the number of leads but the quality of the discussions. Wayne smoothly transitions to the main topic—connectivity—and asks what Four Pees has been presenting to print service providers. Tom explains that the company has been talking about Atomyx, their integration platform, which has now matured enough for wider adoption after an initial phase with pilot customers. “Printers are realizing that unifying data is becoming a real challenge,” Tom says. “The traditional way of selling print is gone, and now they have multiple online order sources. Managing and unifying that data has become critical.” He breaks it down in simple terms: Atomyx Manage is an integration platform as a service that connects different data sources and translates them so that each system understands the other. “On the production side, people have tried to solve this through JDF to create interoperability, but it hasn’t been very successful because every OEM has its own variation. On the ordering side, it’s even more complex because there’s no standard at all. You have systems that are SKU-based, others that use product trees, and each requires mapping to create a unified view.” Wayne notes how important this is for automation and reducing touchpoints. Tom agrees, emphasizing that Four Pees enables communication between web-to-print systems, MIS platforms, and production equipment. “We also connect to print APIs like Cloudprinter and Gelato,” he explains, “because many PSPs now act as fulfillment partners for customized products. We make sure their systems talk to one another, and just as importantly, we send information back—because customers today expect real-time updates on where their orders are.” When asked how open OEMs are to connecting their software, Tom says most are improving. “Most of them understand they need open systems and documented APIs. The challenge for PSPs is the knowledge gap—between being told something is open and actually connecting to it successfully. That’s where we help.” Wayne agrees, pointing out that accurate data drives profitability, not just press activity. “You used to think that if the presses were running, you were making money,” he says. “Now you can be losing money even with the press running.” Tom nods, saying that visibility and job costing are vital in modern print production. As they wrap up, Wayne smiles and says they’ll probably see each other again soon. Tom laughs, mentioning the upcoming INKISH NON-EVENT in January. Wayne confirms: “Wonderful. See you there.”

In this interview, we talk to Tom Piere from FourPees and focus on the progress of Atomyx, which we covered in Gent earlier this year. More partners have been unboarded, and even the first paying customers are now onboarded. The company looks pretty confident when listening to Tom Peire in this interview. For those who don't know Atomyx, this is a platform that is built to seamlessly connect web applications and services, so you can have one brand of MIS coupled with a Web-to-Print solution of another brand, coupled with a Workflow system from a third brand and so forth. This is without intense IT investments. This obviously requires that the OEMs enable this functionality, but more and more customers have already done so, and more are on their way. Tom Peire announced a couple of new partners in this interview - enjoy!

Wayne Beckett from Inkish interviews Tom from Four Pees at Label Expo in Barcelona. Tom explains that they are presenting two brands: Four Pees, which focuses on services and systems integration, and Atomyx, which brings print production, artwork processing, and connected automation to the cloud. He says traditional automation in printing has mostly been about moving files through production, while their current focus is on automating data exchange between different platforms like webshops, MIS systems, and production systems, which is a major IT challenge. Four Pees handles large integration projects as a systems integrator, while Atomyx aims to reduce the time and effort needed for these projects by simplifying integration. They work on connecting with front-end systems like Infigo and with marketplace platforms such as Cloudprinter and Gelato, which are expanding from commercial print into labels and packaging. Tom notes that adoption of these kinds of integrations is becoming increasingly important as disruption now happens on the demand side rather than just on the production side. He concludes by saying automation and workflow are rapidly growing areas in the industry, and they expect to meet again at Printing United and hopefully in Denmark early next year.

Pat McGrew talks to Tom Peire from Four Pees about the different "hats" he wears - Tom Peire and Four Pees have a very clear vision, and following his doings is very interesting.

Four Pees has set a course to become one of the leading implementations of printing industry related IT-solutions. With huge knowledge, and as CEO and Founder Tom Peire explain, learning from previous mistakes, the company is now ready to execute ambitious plans. As usual, our 'Conversations' format goes behind the scene and gives you an insight into the human side of the top management in companies in our industry. This one is truly great - so please enjoy it!

30 years ago, Tom Ling, now President and CEO of Advantage Colorgraphics, got into a mailbox company - and as he said, he has lived the American Dream and today operates an 800+ people company. The Mailboxes became Direct Mail, and when we ask him about a defining moment, he talks about the decision to invest in sheet offset. 30 years later, Advantage Colorgraphics has acquired numerous companies, invested in web-offset, Xerox, and HP toner technology, and now Tom Ling has not only one Landa S10P but also an S11P. He is VERY pleased with his Landa's and explains how they are a perfect fit for his diverse production - but listen for yourself :-)

Great having time to get to know the people better when touring - and that is exactly what we had during our Always on Tour with Koenig & Bauer in New Berlin and Bloomington the past two days. Here Editor Morten B. Reitoft has a chat with Tom Fitzgerald :-)

The Mark Andy Low Migration event gives us an amazing opportunity to talk to interesting people. Here Jacques Michels talks to the executive VP of Sales, Tom Cavalco. Another more things Cavalco focuses on is why Hybrid machines are an important area for Mark Andy and how their partner strategy plays a role. Great to learn from!

Tom Baker is responsible for selling MBO post-press equipment in the UK, and he explains in this film that things are pretty OK. The Cobo Stack has also been a success in the UK - but dig in and listen for yourself!