Congress
Brushes Aside Industry Concerns on Clean Energy Act
The
House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security
Act (H.R. 2454) last week, paving the way for the Senate to review this
legislation that has the potential to negatively impact the printing
industry. The Bill contained the controversial cap and trade provision
that a Printing Industries of America analysis shows could:
* Reduce industry shipments by approximately $670 million/year
* Reduce industry payrolls by approximately $300–400 million/year—or
6,000–7,000 jobs/year and
* Increase industry utility costs by approximately $1.25 billion/year
Prior to the vote Printing Industries of America sent all 435 U.S. Representatives
a "Key Vote" notice asking they vote no to the Bill, but it passed
in a close vote: 219-212. The Senate is likely to review the bill this fall.
And in other Legislative News...
The arrival of the newest U.S. Senator, Al Franken (D-MN), brings a 60-vote
majority to the Democrats and adds a new dynamic to the Employee Free Choice
Act debate. Franken supports the EFCA as introduced and was feted at a
welcome reception this week hosted by the AFL-CIO's headquarters. However,
there is not yet a solid 60 votes in support of the EFCA and no official
compromise legislation has been introduced. Printing Industries of America
continues its work as part of a Coalition for a Democratic Workplace to
block the EFCA and any legislation built upon its flawed concepts.
A
Whole New Ballgame for Collections
With business bankruptcies
on the rise (up 41.6% compared to 2007), collecting accounts
requires different practices. Nowadays, companies
must have more frequent contact with slow paying customers,
and must not put off placing accounts for collection.
A few warning signs to look for: ignored phone calls, defaulted
payments, a suddenly raised dispute, and bounced checks
are all red flags that your client is having financial
difficulty, and you may need outside help to collect on
the account. Don't delay! In today's business environment,
time is not on your side. Fortunately, as a PGAMA member
you have access to CMI-Credit Mediators Inc-to help
resolve slow-pay situations. CMI is an established commercial
collection agency and a PGAMA partner.
The firm will negotiate with any client that appears to
be a problem, and work out payment plans to your benefit.
They offer No Risk Collections-if they don't collect, you
don't pay. To use this service, go to www.cmiweb.com and
click on the "Associations" tab.
In the PGAMA section, enter the user name "PGAMA" and
the password "663454."
The
Wisdom of Kellogg's
A recent New Yorker magazine article
chronicled the competition between Kellogg's and
Post cereal companies. The companies dominated the market
for packaged cereal in the late 1920's, but then the Depression
hit. Post did the predictable thing, curtailing expenses
by cutting back on advertising. But Kellogg's doubled its
ad budget, moving aggressively into radio and print advertising,
and heavily promoting its new cereal, Rice Krispies. By 1933,
even as the economy cratered, Kellogg's profits had risen
almost 30% and it had become what it remains today: the industry's
dominant player. Are you a Kellogg's or a Post? Ask your
customers the same thing!
Paper
Myths Revealed
As the "Do Not Mail" campaign
continues to threaten the printing industry, it
is a good opportunity to refresh yourself and your clients
on some true facts about paper and the environment. These
"myth-busting" facts are provided by the Technical
Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI). Get
more great paper info at their website, www.tappi.org/paperu.
Myth #1: Cutting Down Trees Leads
to Deforestation.
Fact: Deforestation is the permanent clearing of trees
for creating farmland and/or residential/commercial
development. Most deforestation is actually caused by population
pressure, and the wood is burned for domestic fuel (heating
and cooking). Unfortunately, deforestation is occurring
in some parts of the world, but the trees that grow in
the tropical rain forests are rarely harvested to make
paper.
Myth #2: Paper production is the
main reason trees are cut down. Fact: Only about 17%
of the 3.3 billion cubic meters of wood consumed worldwide
each year is for papermaking. One third of the raw material
used to make paper comes from wood chips and other residue
left behind from sawmill operations. Another third
of all paper is made from recovered paper, and the rest
is made from trees grown specifically to make paper.
Myth #3: In the U.S. most trees
are cut down to make paper.
Fact: Most of the raw material used in manufacturing paper
in the U.S. does not come from whole trees, which the industry
calls round wood. It is not considered economical to
use large logs for paper when they could instead be used
for lumber, so only trees smaller than 8
inches in diameter, or larger trees not suitable for solid
wood products, are harvested for papermaking.
Expect
Inflation to Return
The national debt is expected to approach 100% of Gross
Domestic Product in three or four years--a level not reached
since WWII. The Administration says that their economic policies
will reduce the deficit shortly, but this seems quite inconsistent
with other plans, including health care reform, cap and trade,
etc. While in theory the Federal Reserve could keep this
in check with rising interest rates and reductions in the
money supply, its track record on the subject isn't very
good. The good news in an inflationary run-up is that it
is easier to raise prices since clients accept higher prices
as the norm. But in the long term, inflation and monetary
instability is inconsistent with real growth, and is bad
for us all.
See what else awaits your business in the next 12-24
months in the FREE report from
Printing Industries of America,
"Profiling the Economy and Print
Markets 2009-2010." This
report is a targeted analysis of economic and market trends
focused on print and printers. It offers distinct scenarios
on the projected recession path, and guidance for printers
in dealing with the challenges and opportunities ahead. Download
your copy from www.pgama.com in
the Members Only section under "Other Economic Reports."
Tech
Tip of the Week: Matching Fonts
Jessica Meyers, Digital Imaging Specialist
at Printing Industries of America, has a hint to help match
fonts-the website WhatTheFont:
My Fonts. WhatTheFont
allows you to upload a scanned image and run it through their
database of fonts. In doing so, the database will find the
name of the font or closest possible matches for FREE. It works
by asking you about the shapes and attributes of certain unique
letters, and then connects that info with the fonts that match
those qualities. They even have "font experts" you
can email if your font is not in the database. This is a great
way to match text on old documents.
Member
News
Congratulations to Bobby
Firestein of Svec
Conway Printing, Inc. for being the first respondent
to the PGAMA Environmental survey. Bobby received a $25 gift
card from Starbucks in appreciation for offering his opinion
on environmental and sustainability matters.
Haven't filled
out your survey yet? The survey was sent to the key contact
at each member company. Additional $25 gift cards will be
given for each subsequent 50th response. As of today there
have been 28 respondents to the survey so check your e-mail
and fill your survey out today! You may be the next lucky
winner!
Upcoming Events
| July 20-21 |
Workshop: Total Immersion-Digital
Color, at Printing Industries of
America headquarters in Sewickley, PA. This brand
new workshop is designed to give you a comprehensive
look at what it takes to produce reliable, high-quality
digital output. Two intense days of hands-on training
will get you totally immersed, and totally knowledgeable,
in digital color and press optimization. Cost is
$595 for members. Full details and registration
link on www.printing.org. |
| July 22 |
Special Event:
The History of Printing in Baltimore with Bill Schneidereith.
7:00-9:00pm at the Maryland Institute College of
Art in the Bunting Center, Room 410. Plan to attend
this unique event featuring one of PGAMA's own, member
Bill Schneidereith, who will give a brief history
on the evolution of Baltimore’s
Printing Industry, from the early days of setting
type by hand to today's fast paced transfer of electronic
files. Schneidereith & Sons was a fixture in
the Baltimore printing industry for over 150 years.
Event presented
by SHAG- the Society for History and Graphics. |
| July 29 |
FREE Webinar:
Selling During A Recession-The Daring Adventure
9:30-10:30am. Join host (and PGAMA member!) Joe
Becker of MargolisBecker and Mark Potter,
Publisher of CANVAS magazine for this
informative discussion that will touch on the opportunities
that can be found despite the economy; how to define
yourself by who you serve, not what you make; and
more. Pre-registration is required. Sign up with
Bonnie
Pfaff at MargolisBecker, 888-577-1717. |
| July 29 |
Webinar: Quality that
Counts: The State of Digital Printing, 2:00-3:00pm.
Digital print quality has improved by leaps and
bounds over the last decade. Today, we’re
seeing an abundance of print volume that is short-run
in nature or needs to be turned around quickly, but still requires a high degree
of color control and quality. During this Webinar, participants will discuss
end customer perspectives on quality, improvements in digital presses as well
as some of the tools utilized to achieve high fidelity quality and various applications
where quality is a critical factor in print production. This is a FREE presentation.
Register on WhatTheyThink.com. |
| August 13-16 |
Special Event: Summer
Management Conference, at Great Wolf
Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. Come for the family
time. Come for the classes. Come for the networking.
Whatever your reason, be sure to attend this year's
event. Featured speakers include Lisbeth Lyons
of Printing Industries of America who will weigh
in on the EFCA; sales consultant Linda Bishop who
will give three talks on sales techniques; and
Ray Prince who will share ideas on implementing
LEAN manufacturing at your plant, plus a Recession
Checklist. Room rate is
just $219 if booked by July 13~call the hotel at 800-551-9653. Call PGAMA
to register for the seminars, 410-319-0900. |
| September 24 |
MAGE
Crab Feast, 6:00-10:00pm at Ten Oaks
Ballroom in Clarksville, MD. Come to the biggest
MAGE event of the year and enjoy LARGE crabs all
night, plus a dinner buffet. By popular demand there
will once again be Blackjack 21 gaming tables--play
for prizes! New this year: your ticket stub enters
you into a drawing for a Garmin
GPS system. Tickets are the same cost as last year: just
$60 per person for ALL YOU CAN EAT LARGE CRABS!
($575 for a table of 10.) Reserve your seats by 9/18.
Call PGAMA, 410-319-0900.***Sponsorship Opportunities
Available. Contact Paul at PGAMA for more info. |
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