CPSIA
Update
As a result of the hard
work by the Printing Industries of America, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety
Commission) issued its first in what is hoped will be a series
of exemptions for printed matter from the lead limits. The exemptions are
based on a CPSC determination declaring that a material does not inherently
contain lead or contain lead that does not exceed the lead content limits.
The first determination
by the CPSC
relative to books is that the following materials are now exempt and
do not require testing and certification:
• Paper
• Any product printed with four color process inks (CMYK)
• Any product coated with varnish, water-based, or UV-cured coatings
• Threads used for book binding
• Animal based glues
• Adhesives that are not accessible*
• Binding materials that are not accessible*
*CPSC has ruled that any adhesive that is covered
would not be subject to the lead requirements as it would be considered “inaccessible.”
Currently NOT
exempt (and therefore requiring testing and certification) are:
• Spot or PMS inks
• Saddle stitching wire
• Non-animal based glues that are accessible*
• Metal coils both coated and uncoated for coil bound materials
• Plastic coils for coil bound materials
• Foils used in foil stamping
• Laminates
Equipment
for Sale
Harvest Printing & Graphics has closed
and has equipment for sale. Interested persons are invited
to come by the former office location (9689 Gerwig Lane,
Ste. E in Columbia, MD 21046), to have a look at what is
available. Visits will be accepted by appointment only. Contact
Valda to make arrangements, 301-596-7553 or via email to
valda@harvestprintingandgraphics.com. No
reasonable offer will be refused on items including:
- Various
types and sizes of paper and envelopes
- Miscellaneous stock (items for pre-press work, etc.)
- Light tables
- 1 Repromaster 320 camera
- 1 Nu Arc Plate Burner
- 1 1250 Multi Offset Press with T-51 Swing-Away Unit
- 1 Canon Image Runner C3220 color copier + Toner cartridges
- 1 Xerox Phaser Tektronix 7700 GX Printer + toner cartridges
- 4ft and 8ft counters with shelves
- chrome shelvings
Could
Minimum Wage Increase Again?
Following adoption of the Minimum Wage Act, many states
tied their minimum wage rate to changes in
the federal rate. While no legislation has
been proposed to raise the minimum wage again,
it should not come as a surprise if such a bill appeared
in Congress before the end of the
year. The federal minimum hourly wage increased to $7.25
per hour on July 24, the final of the three scheduled increases
put in place by the Fair
Minimum Wage Act of 2007. As a result, nine states and the
District of columbia currently have a higher minimum wage
rate than the federal, with Oregon (at $8.40 per hour), and
Washington (at $8.55 per hour), having the highest wage rates
in the nation. Note that where a business is subject to both
federal and state minimum wage requirements, employers must
pay employees the higher of the two rates.
Current Minimum Wage Rates for PGAMA
Members:
D.C. |
$8.25 (Increases tied to federal; Minimum
wage in the District is to be $7.00 per hour or the federal
minimum wage rate plus $1, whichever is higher) |
Maryland |
$7.25. Tied to federal rate. |
Pennsylvania |
$7.25. Tied to federal rate. |
Virginia |
$7.25. Tied to federal rate. |
USPS
Asks for Input
Despite aggressive cost cutting, the
USPS is projecting financial losses of $7 billion
this year, and perhaps more for the next several years.
USPS leaders are trying to find solutions to stop the loss
other than price increases, and are asking for input on one
alternative: a transition from a six-day to a five-day delivery
schedule. The Postal Service would like your opinion, as
a business customer, about this plan, and is conducting a
survey for feedback. The survey will take about five minutes
to complete and your responses will be kept confidential.
To begin click
here.
Member
Benefit~FREE MIS Report
PGAMA members have FREE access to Printing
Industries of America’s
2009 Management Information Systems (MIS) Survey report.
Conducted since 2006 and produced by Dillon Mooney and Dr
Mark Bohan, the MIS Survey documents are useful for the investigation
and evaluation of available systems. The fourth edition reviews
56 different MIS applications from vendors. Each of the vendors
of the different systems was asked to participate in this
survey. They were told the survey objectives during telephone
interviews, and these were followed up with a questionnaire
which they were asked to complete. The responses from each
of the vendors have been collated to form this document.
This document is based purely on the information provided
by the vendors. You can download the report in the Members
Only section of pgama.com under "Special
Reports." Member ID and password required.
CSR
Week Is Coming
October 5-9 is Customer Service Representatives
Week. If you have an Employee Recognition Program (ERP), this
is a good time for awards presentations to CSRs.
If you do not yet have an Employee Recognition program, why
not take this opportunity to start one? ERPs helps your employees
feel valued, which keeps them satisfied on the job. That
saves you the cost of recruiting and retraining new workers
AND keeps keeps current staff motivated to
maintain productivity. That ultimately
benefits you, too, as it enhances the workers' value even
further. Printing
Industries of America offers certificates and plaques for
your use, and has cut prices 50% for the rest of the year!
Check out the selection of materials and place your orders
online at http://www.printing.org/page/2942.
Member
News
Welcome to our newest PGAMA
member, Advertising Specialities Institute
(ASI), the largest media and marketing
organization serving the advertising specialty industry.
The company creates award-winning promotional products,
and is offering fellow PGAMA members a dynamic business opportunity
that allows you to become promotional products distributors.
This opportunity is a great way to gain additional revenue
from existing clients and to introduce current services to
an entirely new group of prospects in promotional products
buyers. For more information on the ASI Program and selling
promotional products, please contact your ASI Account
Team at 800.546.6265 or visit www.asicentral.com/08PGAMA09.
Upcoming Events
| September 18 |
Special Event:
GreenTech Conference & Expo, 7:15am-1:30pm
at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (2004 Greenspring
Drive in Timonium, MD 21093). The Regional Manufacturing
Institute is sponsoring this event to help Maryland
manufacturers learn about becoming more sustainable.
More than 60 speakers and exhibitors will be there!
Cost is $60.
Fee includes lunch. Register online at GreenTech
Maryland. |
| September 20-22 |
Conference-Label
Printing Industries of America Fall Management Conference at
the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg,
VA. "Get Back to the Basics of Business" is
the theme of this conference, and educational programs
will show you why and how to become an
expert in your customers’ businesses
and guide the strategic
direction of their enterprise. More info and registration
online, http://www.printing.org/page/5307. |
| September 22 |
Free Webinar: Making
Sense Out of the Forest Initiative Programs-Environment
and the Paper Industry, 2:00-3:00pm.
This webinar will cover the various forest initiative
projects, including Sustainable Forest Initiative
and Forest Stewardship Council. Led by Jim Kohler,
RIT alumnus, and a graphic
arts and printing consultant who has worked for
both the printing and paper industries. He will
discuss the purpose of each organization, what
they do, and the myths and realities of each. To
register, visit www.seminars.cias.rit.edu and click
on the Webinars tab. |
| September 24 |
Free Webinar: The
New Breed of Printer: Success Stories in Cross-Media
and Personalization, 2:00-3:00pm.
Printing companies are re-emerging as marketing
effectiveness and logistics partners with their
customers. If you are also rethinking your business
in light of changing customer needs, this webinar
will shed light on what other firms are doing to
integrate the components of conventional and digital
print, Web technology, automated workflow, personalized
and cross-media campaigns, social networking, and
more. Register online at http://www.printing.org/node/5706. |
| 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.Thanks to our current sponsors:
ASI, EnerNOC, Heidelberg, Kline, Prisco, sappi, Xerox,
& xpedx. |
September 30-
October 2 |
Workshop:
Total Immersion VDP, at Printing Industries
of America in Sewickley, PA. VDP is no longer an
interesting possibility—it
is now a driving force behind marketing campaigns everywhere
and it offers printers higher margins and great opportunities
to differentiate themselves from their competition.
The trick is in the execution. Find out what you need
to succeed in this workshop. Member
cost is $695 per person. Complete details and registration
at http://www.printing.org/vdp. |
| October 1 |
FREE Seminar: 10 Things
Keeping CEO's Up at Night, 10:00am-Noon
at PGAMA (9685 Gerwig Lane, Columbia). If you're
a printing company owner, president or manager
wondering how to increase profits in a down economy,
this is the best two hours you can possibly spend.
Member firm Heidelberg will give concrete answers
to questions like: "How can I reduce make-ready
times and save on labor and material costs with
the equipment I already have?" "Am I
really making money? How do I calculate actual
production costs for specific customers?" "How
do I get G7 certification?" This is a FREE
presentation for PGAMA members! Register
online at http://sso.us.heidelberg.com/pgama. |
| October 13-15 |
Employee Education
Event: Intro to Printing Class, at
PGAMA, 9685 Gerwig Lane, Columbia, MD 21046. Give
your CSRs or managers an understanding
of how the entire printing process works with
this 2-and-a-half day course. A great training
tool for new employees! Cost is $295 per person
for members/$495 for non-members. Includes all
course materials, lunch everyday, and a field trip
to a printing plant. MAGE members get a $100 discount
on fees! Sign up at pgama.com or call the office,
410-319-0900. |
| October 14 |
FREE Seminar: Employers'
Rights in the Age of Social Networking &
Blogging, 6:00-7:00pm at Intelligent
Office (300 E. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.)
This seminar will give employers timely information
about their rights concerning employees online behavior,
policies related to social networking, and more. RSVP
to: coordinator@intelligentoffice.com.
Be sure to mention that you are a PGAMA member and
the $20 attendance fee will be waived. Light refreshments
and parking included. |
| October 22 |
FREE Seminar: Design
Your Pants Off! 8:30 am-Noon at
PGAMA (9685 Gerwig Lane/Columbia, MD 21046.) Attend
this educational workshop, presented by Adobe
Certified trainers, to learn about benefits for
creatives AND printers of Adobe Creative Suite
4 Design Premium. Speakers will go over enhancements
to their traditional print production tools as
well as their web and interactive design products. *Attend
for a chance to win a copy of Adobe 4 Design Premium!* FREE for
members! $50 for non-members. Limited Seating-sign
up by October 15, 410-319-0900 or online at www.pgama.com. |
| October 30 |
Special Event: ASI Advantages
Roadshow, 9:00am-1:00pm
at BWI Marriott (1743 W. Nursery Road, Baltimore,
MD 21090.) The Advantages Roadshow is a sales-building
experience like no other. Enjoy one-on-one conversations
with leading companies, attend FREE educational seminars,
and find hot new items to show your clients. Visit
www.advantagesroadshow.com for more details. |
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