At Printing United Expo in Orlando, Wayne from INKISH meets with Colin Sinclair McDermott, captain of the Printing United Allstars. Colin explains that this is the first year the Expo has introduced the Allstars program — a group of 15 ambassadors who promote the event, host “Spill the Ink” sessions, and guide students around the show floor. “We’re here to showcase all things Printing United,” Colin says. “It’s about helping new people experience the industry and making sure they get the most from their visit.” He mentions that several universities have sent students to the show, and the Allstars are giving them guided tours. “They’re full of energy,” he smiles. “They’re seeing real technology in action, and we’re helping connect them with exhibitors who can show them how it all works.” Beyond his Allstars duties, Colin has been busy as The Online Print Coach, delivering a packed seminar on “The Top 10 Growth Mistakes Printers Make — and How to Avoid Them.” He says the session was well attended and sparked great conversations. “I love helping PSPs avoid the same mistakes I made and get where they want to be faster,” he explains. Colin is also recording several podcast episodes at the show, featuring guests such as Chris Minn, Lucy Swanston, clients from Nevada, and an AI-focused speaker. “I like to mix PSPs and industry voices,” he says. “The goal is to share different perspectives from across print.” Reflecting on the event, Colin calls Printing United “amazing.” It’s his first time attending, and it exceeded expectations. “The show floor’s been buzzing, the seminars are full, and everyone’s here to learn and grow,” he says. “People have come from all over — even Jamaica — so it really feels like the go-to event in North America.” Wayne notes that exhibitor feedback has been strong and that next year’s Las Vegas edition is already selling out fast. Colin nods: “I can see why. It’s been fantastic. I’m already looking forward to captaining the Allstars again in Vegas next year.”

Dalim Software presents at #HID25 a new solution that will impose way faster than previous versions and also in lanes - two things that Managing Director Colin Price emphasizes. The scope of Dalim software is amazing and you should of course get to their booth and see for yourself :-)

This is our first cherry blossom season here at our new facility. We just moved north of Kyoto onto the shores of Lake Biwa. We opened up the new Horizon Innovation Park. And that's where myself and the Horizon International team are now located. Right now, we can do demonstrations on every Horizon system. Some people would say that the printing industry is declining. We would say that it's changing. It's undergoing an evolution. Or it's more short run, more variable, more digital. The Japanese spirit is all about going from the smallest bit to the largest finished product, all in-house. Everything from the rollers to the circuit boards are produced right here. It was in 2019 when we held the first "Think Smart Factory" in Kyoto, Japan. What we want to show, automated solutions integrated from prepress to your press to your finishing in order to optimize your workflow. And what our workers can do during assembly is they can call those little robots to go to the warehouse, bring the necessary parts that they need. Our customers want to really feel the paper for themselves. They want to see the finished product. Here, the machines operating. As manufacturers, we want to present solutions and hear from our customers. Right now that's not always an option. Since the beginning, we've been adopting the newest technologies to be able to replicate that experience. They never expected that they would get this high quality. It's also opening up new doors. Because we get to take them on tours of our facility. Which you would never get to do when you're just at a trade show. Right now, we have a new training zone. Where we can have people from all over the world come and get hands on training with the machines. But when that's not an option, we have a training team here to help them out when they're in a pinch.

At Printing United 2025 in Orlando, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH meets Colin Flinn from Horizon USA at the Standard Finishing Systems booth for a detailed conversation about digital transformation in print finishing and the growing role of software — particularly Horizon’s IceLink platform. Colin, who has spent his career growing within the Horizon family, explains how the company has evolved far beyond traditional finishing. “What we’re really seeing,” he says, “is that many companies that used to be print companies are now IT companies that happen to print — and the same goes for manufacturing. Horizon has always been in finishing, but now we’re focused on the data. That’s what makes our customers successful, and that’s exactly what IceLink delivers.” He recalls the early days of the platform: “When IceLink first came out, I used to tell people it stood for ‘I can’t explain,’” he laughs. “But today I can. It means Intelligence, Connectivity, and Efficiency — and that’s the foundation of everything we’re doing.” Colin explains how finishing used to lag behind printing in terms of automation, data visibility, and job tracking. “Finishing was always a black box,” he says. “It’s why you never see a smiling bindery manager. But with IceLink, that’s changing. Now you have job tracking, performance analytics, scheduling, and even preventive maintenance tools — all in one connected ecosystem.” The software comes in two tiers: IceLink Basic and IceLink Enterprise. “The basic version is plug-and-play,” Colin says. “It’s included with every installation and gives operators access to job tracking, error notifications, and preventive maintenance tools — things that used to require clipboards and paper logs. Enterprise, on the other hand, grows with you. It supports full automation, JDF/JMF integration, and API connections to MIS systems. It’s ideal for advanced operations that need deep workflow connectivity.” Colin points out how partnerships, such as Horizon’s collaboration with Ultimate Bindery, demonstrate the platform’s flexibility. “If you’re exchanging JDF data and running integrated workflows, that’s where Enterprise shines,” he says. “But even customers just starting their digital journey can see immediate value.” Asked whether software gets overshadowed by the hardware-heavy show floor, Colin smiles. “The machines bring people into the booth, but the real conversations happen around software. Once people see what IceLink can actually do — the automation, the live data, the efficiency — that’s when things get exciting.” As the interview wraps up, Morten jokes about Colin’s perfectly timed on-camera “blink,” and both share a laugh — a fitting end to a conversation that captures the quiet revolution happening inside the print finishing world, where data and connectivity now drive the future.

Cold foil embellishment, what is it, how does it work, and what does it do for print? A few weeks ago, Jacques Michiels and Jan Majnik from INKISH visited the city of Turnhout, aka the “Printvallley of Flanders,” in Belgium. What they found was nonother than a concentration of some of the most innovative printing companies, yes even world leaders in their field like Cartamundi, where printing presses have been running already since 1765 and today has become the largest playing cards – and board game manufacturer in the world. Amazing and all originating from this rather small area in central Belgium. Our interest was drawn to one of the pioneers working with the Coldfoil technology for many years, Grafische Groep Matthys. So what is Coldfoil actually, how does it work, and what does it do for print? In this film, we take a deep dive into COLD FOIL. We show you all the different steps and how conventional cold foil is produced in an industrial environment like those operated at Grafische Groep Matthys. We ask our friends from the VIGC (the Flemish innovation center for graphic communication) - an independent organization also residing in Turnhout - how they see print embellishment evolving and to give some recommendations to printers looking into embellishment solutions and these kinds of work. So let’s meet the passionate folks at Matthys, who were willing to open up and share their story and passion in helping their customers SHINE - literally & vibrant! Great film. Watch it, Learn, Like it and Share it.

In this film, we walk through the BOBST Novacut, a die-cutting machine in several configurations. Area Sales Manager Cody Call shares his vast knowledge with Editor-in-Chief Morten B. Reitoft. The film explains, among other things, how the three paper-handling systems work—all doing a fantastic job but also coming at a price. It's a great walkthrough; we hope you like it!

Established in 1866 and strongly focused on customer satisfaction, investments in new technology, and curiosity driving Kohlhammer Druck into the future. Often CEO Steffen Franzisi says that's not difficult - which gives you great insight and understanding into why we have two ears and one mouth. Kohlhammer Druck is located in Stuttgart and serves a wealth of well-known brands in both offset and digital. Great company with friendly people and a strong belief in the future, and what we like the most - not afraid of investing in technology driving the company forward!

In this film CEO Dayne Nankervis talks about the recent investment in the HP Indigo 100K. CMYKhub is an Australian trade printer working not only with print and binding, but also enhancement and embellishment - enjoy! LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dayne-nankervis-453b647a/

Head of Marketing Kevin O'Donnell from Xerox came to the Sign, Print & Promotion show in Helsinki to support the successful Xerox business in Finland - or did he come to meet with INKISH? Well - we got a chance to spend a good time together and learned a lot of good things about Xerox, CMYK+, XMPie, and, of course, the amazing Xerox Iridesse Digital Printer! Enjoy!

A scanner and built-in defect detection systems sound surreal, but that's exactly what Clyde Tillman from Litech USA shows Mark Vruno. Interesting to see how software, hardware and inspection becomes more and more important :-)

Cloudprinter.com enables their customers to integrate print-services into their IT which in return enables them to deliver in 140+ countries. The "secret" is the set of API's offered by cloudprinter.com that route the jobs to the printer able to deliver where the product is needed. cloudprinter integrates directly into the printer's workflow and therefore is an advantage for both buyers and sellers. But listen to this interview yourself and get much wiser. As usual, please watch, like, and share!

Vice President Business Development, Tim Roloff, explains in this film from eProductivity Software/EFI Connect 2022 the advantages of using dedicated cloud services from ISCorp.

At Printing United in Orlando, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH speaks with Clarence Penge, President of Heidelberg USA, about his long career, the company’s evolving strategy, and the broader challenges and opportunities in the printing industry. Penge, who has spent 31 years with Heidelberg, describes his appointment as president as both “an honor and a humbling experience,” noting that many colleagues celebrated his promotion because he had grown up within the company. “I’m one of them,” he says. “I’m an old printer by trade.” Penge acknowledges that leading Heidelberg in today’s market carries major responsibility, but he’s optimistic about what lies ahead. Despite ongoing issues such as tariffs and unfavorable exchange rates, he sees strong momentum across the U.S. market, particularly in packaging, label production, and digital print. He points to the company’s collaboration with Canon and innovations like the Jetfire and Speedmaster XL 106 as examples of how Heidelberg is positioning itself for the future. While tariffs create short-term hesitation among customers, Penge believes the bigger challenge lies elsewhere. “The real issue isn’t tariffs,” he says. “It’s finding skilled labor. The knowledge base of our industry is aging out, and we need to make print attractive again.” Heidelberg, he explains, has taken that responsibility seriously. Since the pandemic, the company has run a large-scale training initiative at its Kennesaw, Georgia, facility — offering free weekend classes for operators, die cutters, and folder-gluer technicians. “We’ve trained hundreds of people over the past few years,” Penge says. “Our customers are investing in people, and we’re investing alongside them. That’s the partnership the industry needs.” These modular weekend programs make it easier for working printers to attend without leaving their jobs for extended periods, providing hands-on education that strengthens both companies and the wider industry. Penge also sees this as part of Heidelberg’s larger mission to lead through example — not only in technology but in workforce development and business sustainability. “When you’re the leader,” he says, “you have to lead, not follow.” He believes that the company’s technological ecosystem — including the “Push to Stop” manufacturing concept — has fundamentally redefined how printers can maximize productivity and profitability. “Every press requires an operator to push start,” he explains. “But with Push to Stop, the machine takes over until it truly needs human input. It’s a smarter, more efficient way to run production.” Reflecting on his decades with Heidelberg, Penge calls the evolution from manual to fully automated print “an amazing journey,” citing drupa 1995, 2000, and 2016 as milestones that marked true transformation in the industry. Now, as a newly appointed president, he remains focused on collaboration and transparency. “We all still have a lot to learn,” he says. “But if we keep the dialogue open and focus on the positive — the innovation, the partnerships, the people — the industry’s future is bright.”

Hard-working. Dead Serious. Quiet. No lunch. Loads of coffee. Whispering. Mostly males. White-boards, screens, and computers. CIP4 Inter-OP is serious business, or maybe it's even more. Some are friends. Some are competitors. Some are from large companies. Some not. CIP4 is the name of this group of serious people working on making all printers lives easier. It's a matter of defining a common language for offset printers, digital printers, large format printers, binding equipment, software like ERP, M.I.S., etc. CIP4 defines J.D.F., XJDF, and other standards. You may now know them, but your business is depending on them. Watch, Listen, Like, and Share.

Cindy Van Luyck is the CMO at CHILI Publish, and in this, Over the Skype session, we talk about SPICYtalks, CHILI publisher, and how to market complex products and services. As with all our ‘Over the Skype’ interviews, quality is limited to bandwidth, web-cams, and ability to literally LIVE mix the conversations. However, it works, and with Over the Skype, we will bring you more than 20 exciting people, and angles on the industry as it is right now. Enjoy!

Morten from INKISH is at Labelexpo in Barcelona and sits down with Chuck, CEO of Amtech Software. Amtech is well-known in the industry for its Label Traxx solution, serving converters worldwide. Chuck explains that Amtech is a 44-year-old software company operating in 43 countries, supporting over 1,200 plants across four key packaging segments: corrugated, folding carton, flexible packaging, and labels. Two years ago, Amtech acquired Label Traxx to strengthen its presence in the labels market, making Labelexpo a key event for connecting with partners and customers. Chuck shares that Amtech was recently acquired by Vista Equity Partners, one of the world’s largest software-focused private equity firms with over $100 billion in assets. Vista’s investment provides strong financial backing and deep software expertise, enabling Amtech to accelerate growth, migrate its portfolio to cloud-native platforms, and integrate artificial intelligence into its products. Vista evaluates each company with an annual AI maturity score, ensuring continuous innovation and alignment with cutting-edge technologies. Through Vista’s extensive network of software companies, Amtech benefits from shared knowledge, best practices, and access to proven tools—speeding up time-to-market and improving product quality. While Amtech already has a dominant presence in the U.S., the new investment aims to balance its footprint by expanding in Europe. Over the next 12 months, the company will hire around 50 people across EMEA in sales, support, services, and product development, ensuring closer, localized service for customers. Chuck emphasizes the importance of proximity, multilingual support, and local partnerships to meet regional needs effectively. He also notes that Vista’s funding allows Amtech to modernize its user interfaces, enhance mobility, and deliver cloud-first solutions that match the expectations of a new generation of users. The company’s strategy remains tightly focused on packaging, with a vision to be the global leader in technology and software for the packaging industry—backed by continuous product investment and customer trust. Discussing competition, Chuck says Amtech is confident in its product capabilities but differentiates itself through service, support, and long-term relationships. Many of their customers have stayed with them for decades, drawn by the company’s reliability and customer-centric approach. Reflecting on Labelexpo, Chuck describes it as a great success—an opportunity to meet new customers, build partnerships, and reconnect with industry peers. For him, the show feels like a “family reunion” where European and American teams come together to drive the industry forward. A conversation about innovation, global growth, and customer trust from one of the software leaders powering the packaging industry, recorded live at Labelexpo in Barcelona.

In this interview, Christophe Inigo from HEXIS talks to Jacques Michiels from INKISH.BENELUX. Of course, they talk about car wrapping as it has almost become a synonym of Hexis at various trade shows. Enjoy the interview and get insights from the world of foils! [French language with English subtitles]

Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability. In this film, we speak to Christophe Dujardin, who explains how the sustainability agenda is being handled by Kurz. We find it a very interesting story, as it's not only about reducing waste but everything from reducing the impact of the product to recycling the waste - super interesting!

This session "Over The Skype" is the opportunity to discover ImpriClub, one of the most important group of printers in France. Christophe Dudit, its president, describes the profiles of printers within ImpriClub, how new members are recruited, the advantages for a printer to be part of such a group. Christophe Dudit also gives us a summary and a brief review of the actions underway and what companionship within ImpriClub means. This session is also an opportunity to learn how the printers within ImpriClub apprehend the crisis and even the health, economic and social crises following the Covid 19 pandemic which is still raging in France and to understand their primary concerns today. Christophe Dudit concludes by giving us his opinion on the initiatives of certain major clients, ordering parties to repatriate their printing to France and his vision of tomorrow's printing industry in the short and medium term. This interview is very rich in information as the groups are so important today to enable printing companies to meet the challenges of tomorrow. So don't miss this exciting interview! Cette session « Over The Skype » est l’opportunité de découvrir ImpriClub, l’un des groupements d’imprimeurs les plus importants en France. Christophe Dudit, son président, nous décrit les profils des imprimeurs au sein d’ImpriClub, comment se font les recrutements des nouveaux adhérents, les avantages pour un imprimeur à faire partie d’un tel groupement. Christophe Dudit nous présente également un résumé et un bref bilan des actions en cours et ce que ce que signifie le compagnonnage au sein d’ImpriClub. Cette session est aussi l’occasion d’apprendre comment les imprimeurs au sein d’ImpriClub appréhendent la crise voire les crises sanitaire, économique et sociale suite à la pandémie du Covid 19 qui sévit toujours au sein de l’hexagone et d’appréhender aujourd’hui leurs préoccupations premières. Christophe Dudit conclut en nous donnant son avis sur les initiatives de certains grands donneurs d’ordre à rapatrier leurs impression en France et sa vision sur l’imprimerie de demain à court et à moyen terme. Cette interview est très riche d’informations tant les groupements sont aujourd’hui importants pour permettre aux imprimeries de répondre aux défis de demain. Alors ne manquez pas cette interview passionnante !!!

The new President of FESPA, Christophe Aussenac, takes over a well-trimmed machine. Despite the pandemic, FESPA is strong on education innovation, and maximizes its presence with 37 national associations, never leaving anybody without the opportunity to discuss, learn, and take the appropriate actions to make our industry better! A warm welcome to President Aussenac.

At Printing United 2025 in Orlando, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH meets his good friend Christoph Schacht, co-founder of Printess, on the final day of the show. Both laugh about how tired everyone feels after several intense days of meetings and interviews, but the energy returns quickly as they begin talking about how far Printess has come in just a few years. Morten recalls speaking with Christoph during the COVID years, when he and his partner, also named Christoph, were quietly building something new. At that time, he wouldn’t say much, but Morten remembers seeing the name Printess already written on their office staircase. Christoph smiles and says that’s where it all started—an idea, a bit of secrecy, and a lot of hard work. About a year later, at LabelExpo Europe, the industry first saw the now-iconic pink branding and the platform's first working version. Since then, Printess has developed into a full-scale editorial and personalization solution for professional online printing. Christoph explains that they wanted to do one thing and do it right, focusing entirely on editing. Not a simple online editor, but something powerful enough for professionals and built to scale for the largest players in the industry. Unlike typical web-to-print tools that offer only simple business card editors or lightweight design interfaces, Printess is built for complexity. It handles text flow, typography, image manipulation, dynamic layouts, and automated data integration, all inside the browser. Christoph says that this is their seventh editor, and they have learned from every earlier version. This time, they didn’t cut corners—they built their own typography engine, even though it was costly —and now they deliver true Adobe-grade quality. Today, more than fifteen million print products are created annually through the platform. Morten points out that Printess also includes AI-driven template generation, allowing a user to type “barbershop” and receive instantly customized, print-ready marketing materials. Christoph confirms that under the hood, it’s complex technology, but for the end user, it’s as easy as using an iPhone. They combine powerful design tools for professionals with an intuitive buyer-side editor for consumers. That simplicity, he says, is key. Christoph also introduces Printess Make, a new solution for online printers that currently only offer PDF uploads. He explains that Printess Make was built for print providers who risk losing customers to platforms like Canva. Canva moved from being just a design tool to also offering printing, and that changes everything. Printess gives printers the same power—a complete online design experience under their own brand without losing customers to someone else’s platform. Printess operates as a white-label SaaS platform that enables printers to maintain full control of their brand and customer relationships. Christoph explains that the buyer never leaves the printer’s website, and Printess earns per transaction, so printers only pay for what’s actually produced. This year marks Printess’s first official appearance in the United States, and Christoph says the response has been very encouraging. They focused first on Europe to refine the model and support structure, but now, as a pure SaaS platform, scaling globally is easy. They don’t ship servers or need large local teams, just great people willing to stay up a bit later for U.S. time zones. When Morten asks about the company’s next steps, Christoph says they are happy where they are and will stay laser-focused on editing—precise, powerful, and scalable. Partners like Infigo have already integrated Printess into their web-to-print systems. Printess is not a competitor but an enabler, helping partners grow stronger. As they close the interview, Morten smiles and says that the name that once appeared quietly on a staircase is now on everyone’s lips at Printing United. Christoph laughs and says it has been quite a journey and that this is only the beginning for Printess.

Christoph Müller gives convincing examples in this walkthrough of why Müller Martini Connex is valuable software. Connex enables the user to have different numbers of pages in signatures to minimize blanks and waste. It also shifts the images so the paper is according to binding type—all in a super automated and convenient way—but check out here for yourself! And, you will also be able to use your printing equipment more efficiently!

The MPOWER platform enables customers to monitor their Müller Martini equipment, order manuals and spare parts, and get the latest information quickly. Christoph Müller explains how to use the platform - and it seems like a platform all customers would want to use - so if you are not on it - get on it :-)

Durst Group is a company with an amazing 80 years history. Though the company today produces amazing print-technology with inkjet printers for several applications, like ceramic, corrugated cardboard, textile, label, and more - the legacy is deep in the roots. Christoph Gamper several times in this Over the Skype session speaks over the values and the fact that being a privately owned company also in these coronavirus times is a huge advantage. Great session and we are sure you will like. As with all our 'Over the Skype' interviews, quality is limited to bandwidth, web-cams, and ability to literally LIVE mix the conversations. However, it works, and with Over the Skype, we will bring you more than 20 exciting people, and angles on the industry as it is right now. Enjoy!