Author Archives: Patrick Henry

Museum of Printing to Expand to a New Home; New Building Also Will House Romano Graphics Arts Library

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071715.museum_of_printingThe Museum of Printing, formerly based in North Andover, MA, has announced that it has secured a new site and will soon begin moving its contents there. After 13 years at its current location the museum is moving to Haverhill, MA, along Route 495, north of Boston in the Merrimack Valley.

The new building better suits the museum’s evolving mission of education, preservation, and exhibition of graphics arts materials and equipment. The new facility is also on a single floor and is fully handicapped accessible, with dedicated areas for workshops and lectures. The Museum will also expand its role of hosting educational events

“The relocated facility will house a world-class printing and graphic arts library and museum,” said Frank Romano, president. “There will be more dedicated space for exhibits, events, and workshops, plus stores for letterpress and related equipment. It will also offer more interactive exhibits.”

Two Libraries in One

A unique feature of the museum will be that it will house two libraries. One, for general reference, includes typographic books, type specimen books, and specialty publications. The second will be the Romano Graphics Arts Library for scholars and researchers. This collection consists of over 5,000 books, many rare, plus extensive graphic arts ephemera. Part of the Museum’s collections includes the original type drawings used to create US Linotype fonts.

“The Museum of Printing has existed for 37 years with no endowment. A passionate group of members and volunteers has made this possible,” said Kim Packard, founder and executive director. “Expanded exhibit space will make the Museum/Library the largest printing and graphics arts museum in the world and the only one with a collection of phototypesetting machines and documentation.”

The museum will remain open at its current location in North Andover throughout the summer and fall of 2015. The new facility will open in the early summer of 2016. Currently on exhibit is the Lance Hidy retrospective, the Anna Hogan wood cuts, and a collection of Mark Fowler prints. A major fundraising program will be inaugurated to upgrade the new facility and tailor it to the Museum’s needs.

About the Museum

The Museum of Printing preserves the past of printing for future generations to understand the impact of printing on today’s world. Showcasing a large collection of letterpress tools and presses, the museum is also the proud home to the only collection of historic phototypesetting systems in the world. The 25,000-sq.-ft. museum is also home to one of the largest collections of print-related books, ephemera, and typeface art.

The museum contains two 90′ galleries, a large lobby, a library, and access to the library’s four floors of archival stacks, making it an ideal educational field-trip destination for local school systems. For more information, visit www.museumofprinting.org.

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GCSF Sets Record with $100,000+ in Scholarships to 31 Deserving Students

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IMG_1260GCSF beneficiaries and benefactors pose as a group at the Hearst Tower on June 18

Higher education is expensive, and as most students discover, finding the money to pay for it can turn into a preoccupation. That’s why scholarship funds exist: to take away some of the financial pressure so that the focal point of students’ lives can be their academic pursuits, not anxiety about tuition bills.

The Graphic Communication Scholarship, Award and Career Advancement Foundation (GCSF) has been providing this kind of philanthropic relief for 13 years, and on June 18, the group disbursed a record amount of it to metro area students enrolled in or about to enter college-level graphic studies programs. The awards ceremony at the Hearst Tower in Manhattan saw the presentation of more than $100,000 worth of stipends to 31 recipients, the largest distribution that GCSF has made since its founding in 2002.

The money consisted of grants from 20 individual scholarship funds coordinated by GCSF, a 501(c)3 corporation that acts as an umbrella organization for the financial support of graphics education in the metro area. Ten of the scholarships were provided by the Advertising Production Club of New York (APC-NY). The rest were grants from industry groups and clubs or funds named in memory of prominent industry figures.

IMG_1200David Luke (at lectern), who served as president of GCSF from 2012 to 2014, officiates with the help of Jerry Mandelbaum, the foundation’s current president

To date, GCSF has presented $526,000 in scholarships to 131 students attaining academic degrees in graphic arts, design, production, and related subjects at some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities for these disciplines. Students in undergraduate and graduate programs can apply for grants, and many have received more than one stipend during their time in school.

Unique among printing industry scholarship funds in being established and operated entirely by uncompensated volunteers, GCSF does all of its own fundraising and manages its business affairs without an external support staff. One hundred percent of the money it collects is given to metro area students—there are no deductions for overhead or administrative expenses.

Its selection committee determines eligibility for scholarships by evaluating applicants’ SAT scores, grade point averages, portfolios, and other criteria. GCSF also offers a student mentoring program and sponsors fundraising social events like the June 4 “Spring Fling” at Ogilvy & Mather.

Besides saluting recipients, GCSF’s annual scholarship awards ceremony celebrates graphic communications as a whole and the aspirations it nurtures. On June 18, student speakers Valerie Buonaiuto and Annie Wong shared their feelings about what being able to enter the field meant to them.

“Graphic arts is my healthy obsession,” said Buonaiuto, a Bayside High School graduate who is on her way to Adelphi University. Wong, who said she was the first member of her immediate family to attend college, sees graphic design as a “visual means of solving problems” that she is tackling in her studies at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Keynote speaker Cheryl Kahanec (EarthColor), a leading expert in digital print production, told the students that printing “is no longer just about putting ink on paper—it’s about delivering messages” in concert with other graphic media. She said that the scholarship recipients were fortunate to be entering the industry at an exciting time, and she thanked the volunteers of GCSF for helping to make this possible.

“They believe in you students and your futures,” Kahanec said.

IMG_1212Keynote speaker Cheryl Kahanec is thanked for her remarks by David Luke, Jerry Mandelbaum, and Mark Darlow

Tributes to absent friends were paid in the form of newly created memorial scholarships in the names of Stephen D. Server and Nina Wintringham. Server was a co-founder of the company that became Applied Graphics Technologies, which at one time was the world’s largest provider of publication prepress services. Wintringham is well remembered as a leader of graphics industry organizations and as an organizer of many of their most important activities.

Diane Romano (HudsonYards), GCSF second vice president, characterized Server as a “disciple of continuous improvement” whose innovations in electronic and digital prepress helped to transform magazine production. “He would be so thrilled to know his name is on a scholarship,” she said.

Strong emotion could be heard in the voice of Katerina Caterisano (Network Design and Communications Inc.) as she recalled working with Wintringham and others to found Women in Production (now part of the P3 network). She told the students that her friend’s advice to them would be, “Live a beautiful life, get educated, and pass your good fortunes along to others.”

IMG_1232_1240_croppedDiane Romano (left) and Katerina Caterisano pay tribute to the memories of industry figures Stephen D. Server and Nina Wintringham

Each year, GCSF bestows its “Champion of Education” award on an industry member who has done exceptional work on behalf of academic study or professional development in graphic communications. Accepting it on June 18 was Patrick Henry, a journalist, an editor, and an educator who is also the creator of this blog. His advice to the students:

“Always be serious about your work.

“Never be content to give less than the best quality you are capable of delivering.

“Respect your deadlines, and stay absolutely focused on making things happen and getting things done.”

Do all of these things, Henry said, “and you have my word—you will succeed in this industry.”

Patrick Henry accepts GCSF’s “Champion of Education” award for 2015

GCSF’s current slate of officers includes Jerry Mandelbaum, president; Ellen Hurwitch, first vice president; Diane Romano, second vice president; Steve Kennedy, treasurer; and Nick Patrissi, secretary.

The foundation’s trustees are John Aaron, Mark Darlow, William Dirzulaitis, Vincent Forgione, David Garcia, Jack Kott, Richard Krassner, David Luke (also GCSF’s immediate past president), Jessie Ann Murphy, Linda Nahum, Jack Powers, Laura Reid, and Howard Weinstein.

GCSF enjoys the support of numerous individual and corporate donors. To become one of them, e-mail Jerry Mandelbaum.

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Printing Industries Alliance Tackles a Member-Centric Agenda at Board of Directors Meeting in NYC

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Dona Snyder-Reardon, incoming chair of the board of directors, Printing Industries Alliance, with Patrick Ryan (right), whom she succeeds in the position, and Timothy Freeman, the association’s president.

An old joke about sausage and law says that nobody should watch either one being made. The punch line doesn’t apply at meetings of well-run trade associations, where watching a slate of business being carried out can be as satisfying as observing a master chef prepare a gourmet meal.

I had the good fortune to be a guest at the June 18 board of directors meeting of Printing Industries Alliance (PIAlliance), the association for the graphic arts industry of New York State, northern New Jersey, and northwestern Pennsylvania. I’m a PIAlliance member myself, but, like most members of most trade associations, I don’t often get to see how the group I belong to operates at the executive management and policymaking levels.

The meeting took place at the Park Avenue headquarters of RR Donnelley in New York City. My notes from the session let me happily report that the association is in the good hands of people who are very serious about making PIAlliance grow in terms of both membership numbers and the range of services it provides to those who belong.

The group, a regional affiliate of Printing Industries of America (PIA), now has 335 companies on its roster. This is down somewhat from 12 months ago, given the contraction of the printing industry in the tristate region that PIAlliance serves. But, the group is readying a drive that will target more than 100 non-member companies deemed eligible to join the ranks. A special effort at recruitment is being made under the direction of Rich Barbaria in Long Island City, Queens, home to an important cluster of metro printing companies.

The mission of PIAlliance is to defend its members’ business interests and to help foster a business climate where their companies can prosper. Past, ongoing, and pending projects reviewed at the June 18 meeting indicated the breadth of the effort being made to achieve these objectives. Some highlights:

  • In August, a “lean manufacturing council” will commence work to help members master the techniques of waste-free production.
  • A program for customer service evaluation and training will be announced.
  • Administered in this region by PIAlliance, PIA’s annual wage and benefit survey, now in progress, lets participating members benchmark their labor costs against industrywide data.
  • PIAlliance members are receiving guidance in marketing from Marty Maloney, an advertising and public relations expert who joined the association’s executive staff last year.
  • A recent conference on human relations management drew 60 people for an overview of trends in employment law, labor standards, and rules governing eligibility for overtime pay.
  • On the public affairs front, PIAlliance is monitoring and responding to activities by New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID), an organization that aggressively seeks exclusive status as the preferred-provider resource for publicly let digital printing contracts in New York State.
  • PIAlliance recently announced that its popular workers compensation insurance program returned a 30% dividend in its 2013-2014 policy year, saving participating members nearly $2 million for the period.

Details about these and other programs can be found at the association’s web site and in the pages of Signature, its member newsletter.

The meeting also featured the passing of the board chair’s gavel from Patrick Ryan (Modern Press, Albany, NY) to Dona Snyder-Reardon (Snyder Printer, Troy, NY). Other officers serving one-year terms from now until next June are Eric Webber (Cohber Press, Rochester, NY), vice chair; Doug Bolling (Veritiv, Depew, NY), second vice chair; Kathleen Hartmans (Quality Bindery, Buffalo, NY), treasurer; and John Williams (Midstate Printing, Syracuse, NY), secretary.

Joining the board of directors for three-year terms are Robert Witko (Fort Orange Press, Albany, NY); Bryan Carr (TBN, Buffalo, NY); Marianne Gaige (Cathedral Envelope, Rome, NY); and Richard Schielke (Envelopes.com, Amityville, NY).

PIAlliance’s tagline words are Engage, Explore, Energize, and Excel. Judging from what I saw and heard on June 18, this member is confident that the group is Easily and Evidently Exceeding its goals in Each.

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Two Late-Spring Events Show That Raising Money for Industry Education Is Good Work for All Seasons

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1.ggk.052815_gcsf_spring_fling.060415Printing Industries Alliance president Timothy Freeman (second from left) accepts the Gamma Gold Key Award from Gamma Chapter, Gamma Epsilon Tau. The presenters are, from left, William Dirzulaitis (Printing Industries Alliance), Jack Powers (International Informatics Institute), and Prof. Frank Adae (New York City College of Technology)

By late May and early June, classes at most metro area schools are over—but the graphics industry’s efforts in support of education are just shifting into high gear. Two recent social events in New York City reaffirmed that the industry’s commitment to students of graphic communications is as strong as ever and that members of the industry enjoy showing their support in one another’s good company.

One event has long been a fixture on the industry’s convivial calendar, and the other is new. On May 28, as it has in nearly every year since 1956, the Gamma Chapter of the Gamma Epsilon Tau graphic arts honor society inducted new student members and presented Gamma Gold Key Awards to industry figures whose careers exemplify the values of education.

June 4 brought several hundred revelers to the New York headquarters of Ogilvy & Mather for a “Spring Fling” on behalf of the Graphic Communications Scholarship, Award and Career Advancement Foundation (GCSF), a group with a track record as imposing as its name in raising money for metro area graphics students preparing for careers in the field. This party, being held for the first time, heralded the upcoming GCSF event on June 18 at which students either attending or bound for colleges with graphic studies programs will receive their stipends for 2015.

2.ggk.052815_gcsf_spring_fling.060415Kathy Sandler, senior manager, content applications and digital workflow development at Penguin Random House, is honored with a Gamma Gold Key Award

The highlight of the May 28 gathering at the 101 Club in midtown Manhattan was the addition of Timothy Freeman and Kathy Sandler to the long and distinguished list of Gamma Gold Key Award recipients.

Freeman, a professional trade association executive, has been connected with the printing industry since 1984. He is the person primarily responsible for preserving and strengthening Printing Industries Alliance, the membership organization that unites printing companies and related businesses in New York State, northern New Jersey, and northwestern Pennsylvania.

Sandler’s 30-year career in magazine and book production technology epitomizes many of the most important advancements in those fields. She has held senior management positions at top publishing houses and has been a leader of most of the publishing industry’s principal trade groups for production professionals.

After the award presentations to Freeman and Sandler, a candlelight induction ceremony brought three more students into Gamma Chapter’s august ranks. This honor society aims to instill values that drive professional success and inspire a career-long commitment to supporting and serving the graphic arts industry.

3.ggk.052815_gcsf_spring_fling.060415First photo: Steve Caputo (left) received an award for his four decades of service as an instructor and a technician of graphic arts at New York City College of Technology. MaryAnn Biehl, chair of the school’s Department of Communication Design, joined in paying tribute. Second photo: the lighting of candles stands for the illuminating power of the graphic arts in the ceremony inducting City Tech students into Gamma Chapter, Gamma Epsilon Tau

Besides saluting students and industry leaders, the Gamma Gold Key Awards program also spotlights the role of New York City College of Technology (City Tech) as a leading center of graphics education for the metro region. Gamma Epsilon Tau’s Chapter’s Gamma Chapter is located there as an activity within the Department of Communication Design (COMD), an undergraduate program that has been training people for careers in graphics for more than 60 years.

The department, formerly focused on advertising design and traditional graphic arts manufacturing, has broadened its academic scope to include curricula in new and emerging forms of visual communications. It now offers associate and bachelor’s degree programs that enable students to specialize in advertising, graphic, web, and broadcast design or gaming, animation, and illustration.

Chaired by MaryAnn Biehl, who gave an update during the Gamma Gold Key Awards program, the department currently enrolls about 1,000 students from throughout the metro area. It recently completed a two-year self-study exercise that will lead to an important academic accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). A new curriculum in communication design management is to be launched in the fall semester. At a later date, the department will relocate to an expanded media center being developed in refurbished space at City Tech’s downtown Brooklyn campus.

Students from City Tech have always been among the recipients of GCSF scholarships, as have students from other, equally prestigious colleges and universities offering undergraduate and graduate programs in graphic communications. The foundation has presented $526,000 to 131 students since it began collecting money in 2002, and on June 18, the value of the stipends will be the richest yet: $110,000 for 31 students who will assemble with their families at the Hearst Tower to become the latest beneficiaries of one of the most exceptional fundraising efforts anywhere in the industry.

4.ggk.052815_gcsf_spring_fling.060415Scenes from the “Chocolate Factory” at 636 11th Avenue in Manhattan, a locale better known as the New York headquarters of Ogilvy & Mather and most recently the site of GCSF’s “Spring Fling”

The June 4 “Spring Fling” at Ogilvy’s space on the far West Side wasn’t entirely without precedent—GCSF held a “holiday bash” along similar fundraising lines at The Art Directors Club last December. Like that festivity, the “Spring Fling” was all about raising awareness of the need for more donations, more involvement, and more activism on behalf of industry education. The foundation, a 501(c)3 corporation that operates entirely through the work of volunteers, has become a focal point for education in the metro region and is actively supported by other industry groups that share its aims.

5.ggk.052815_gcsf_spring_fling.060415Recognized at the “Spring Fling” were four who will be honored at the Franklin Luminaire Awards event on October 1: Veronica H. Simmons (MRM/McCann), Meghan Fitzgerald Milkowski (Prometheus Global Media), Charles Blanchard, Jr. (Blanchard Systems Inc.), and Michael J. Simon (Publishers Press Inc.)

For example, 10 of the grants to be presented on June 18 are funded through a sponsorship donation from the Advertising Production Club of New York (APC-NY). At the “Spring Fling,” GSCF booster Diane Romano announced that proceeds from the October 1 Franklin Luminaire Awards event (a joint production of Printing Industries Alliance and IDEAlliance) would be donated to the scholarship fund.

GCSF also has a growing list of corporate supporters that contribute cash, gifts for scholarship recipients, mentoring assistance, and other kinds of help. On June 4, representatives of these companies mingled with a cross-section of publishers, advertising and media professionals, creatives, print service providers, and industry technologists for what was both a sophisticated cocktail party and a pride-inducing show of the industry’s determination to take good care of its youngest, best, and brightest in the metro area.

The sign says it all about the breadth of industry support for GCSF and the students it serves in the metro area

6.ggk.052815_gcsf_spring_fling.060415

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Patrick Henry To Be Honored as “Champion of Education”
 by Graphic Communications Scholarship Foundation

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PH_headshotThe Graphic Communications Scholarship, Award and Career Advancement Foundation (GCSF) will present its 2015 Champion of Education Award to Patrick Henry, a longtime journalist and educator in the field. Part of GCSF’s 13th Annual Scholarship Awards Celebration on Thursday, June 18, in New York City, the Champion of Education Award honors exceptional individuals who have helped to prepare the industry’s next generation of talent and leadership.

Henry began covering the graphic communications industry during the desktop publishing revolution in 1984, when he became managing editor of Printing News. Since then, as an editor of or a contributor to most of the industry’s leading trade media, he has published many hundreds of articles on business trends and technological developments in graphic communications. He is a co-author of a textbook, The Magazine Publishing Industry. He also wrote the chapter on book manufacturing for Volume 5 of A History of the Book in America.

An adjunct lecturer in graphic communications for master’s degree programs at New York University since 1987, Henry also has taught undergraduates at New York City College of Technology. He is the recipient of numerous honors for industry service and education, including the Florence B. and Leo H. Joachim Award; the Gamma Epsilon Tau Gold Key Award; and the Tom McMillan Award for Journalistic Excellence.

Henry currently is an editorial manager for WhatTheyThink. He also operates Metro Graphics Reporter, a news resource for the graphics industry in the NY-NJ-CT metropolitan region.

The award to Henry will be among the highlights of “The Future of Graphics,” a special program paying tribute to the latest recipients of GCSF scholarship grants. The keynote address will be delivered by Cheryl Kahanec (Earthcolor), a leading authority on digital print production. The event also will feature the inaugural presentations of scholarships in memory of industry figures Steve Server and Nina Wintringham.

GCSF’s 13th Annual Scholarship Awards will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 19 in the 3rd-floor Atrium and Joseph Urban Theatre of the Hearst Tower, 300 W. 57th Street in Manhattan. Admission is free, but all attendees must pre-register by e-mailing a request for entry to Jerry Mandelbaum at jmandelbaum@601west.com.

The Graphic Communications Scholarship, Award and Career Advancement Foundation is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides financial support to New York City metro area students pursuing careers in graphic communications. Since its founding in 2002, GCSF has given more than $500,000 in stipends to 131 students in graphic studies degree programs at leading institutions in the field.

This year, 31 students will receive scholarship awards totaling $110,000, a significant increase in GCSF’s annual awards amount. Of the 31, 10 are being funded through a sponsorship donation from the Advertising Production Club of New York (APC-NY).

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NYC’s Young Graphics Talent To Be Showcased in Citywide Competition on June 5

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On June 5, more than 100 students from 10 New York City high schools will assemble at New York City College of Technology (City Tech) in downtown Brooklyn for the metro area’s most important showcase of young talent in graphic communications: the 14th Annual Citywide Graphic Arts Competition.

The event, held under the auspices of the New York City Department of Education, challenges the contestants to conceive and execute their best work in seven categories on a tight, real-world production deadline. The judges are graphics educators and industry professionals. The awards include trophies, cash, gifts, and, for the first-place winners, a celebratory dinner and a tour of The New York Times plant in College Point, Queens.

The judging categories are for graphic, package, and web site design; photography; student filmmakers; digital video production; and digital illustration. On June 5, the contestants will have just four hours to research, design, and produce their projects on site for evaluation later in the day by the judges. While they work, the teachers who encouraged them to enter will attend briefings on industry trends and career paths for students of graphic communications.

The competition is open to all New York City public high school students participating in a graphic arts program. This year, entrants qualified as first-round and second-round finalists by pre-submitting work on the theme of “My City” for online judging by high school graphics teachers. The teachers used detailed rubrics based on professional standards of the graphics industry to assess the entries.

The finalists will receive new assignments to develop for the prize competition in the Atrium at City Tech, which is located at 300 Jay Street. This year, for the first time, alumni of the competition—graduates who were once finalists themselves— will award the trophies, cash and prizes to the winners.

Organizing and promoting the event is Graphics Industry Advisory Commission, a group of volunteers who work with the Department of Education to improve study programs in graphic communications at city high schools. The commission is one of a number of advisory groups under the umbrella of the department’s Office of Postsecondary Readiness (OSPR), which fosters public-private alliances in support of career-focused education.

Over the years, the competition has won the support of numerous graphics industry companies and organizations that donate prizes and provide other kinds of assistance. Additional contributions, however, are always welcome. Wanted this year, says Annette Bensen, chair of the advisory commission, are “products, publications, promo and collateral material, even fun gifts and tchotkes for the gift bags. The annual competition is one of the hallmarks of graphics education in New York, and it works because it is supported by the industry.”

Donors can call Bensen at 917-359-7569 or e-mail her at angen@comcast.net. The competition also has a PayPal link for those who wish to contribute online.

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Pratt Industries Leads Coalition to Increase School Recycling and Environmental Awareness
On Staten Island

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Pratt Industries Chairman Anthony Pratt (right) is welcomed by Staten Island Borough President James Oddo in announcing the program

Corrugated packaging producer Pratt Industries has announced that it will lead a unique coalition of government, private sector, trade association, and non-profit participants to increase recycling rates and environmental awareness among students and teachers in dozens of New York City schools on Staten Island.

Pratt chairman Anthony Pratt joined local leaders including Staten Island Borough President James S. Oddo in releasing details of the program, which for the first time will introduce a detailed anti-littering, pro-recycling curriculum across schools on Staten Island. The goal is eventually to reach more than 20,000 students in the borough, where Pratt has paper mill, corrugating, and recycling facilities.

Pratt and the Borough President’s office spearheaded the program with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), the national trade association representing the recycling industry. The curriculum was developed by ISRI with JASON Learning, a nonprofit organization and longtime partner of the National Geographic Society. JASON Learning was founded in 1989 by oceanographer Dr. Robert D. Ballard to inspire and educate children through real science and exploration. It also provides lesson plans and development programs for teachers and educators.

“This is a win-win for all those who call Staten Island home,” Pratt told students and educators in announcing the program at a local high school. ”Our company will take all the paper you collect under this initiative to our paper mill right here on Staten Island, where it will be made into new 100% recycled paper and then converted by us into brand new 100% recycled packaging, helping to deliver everything from your computers to tonight’s pizza.”

The syllabus will be introduced on a trial basis at 10 Staten Island schools over the next few weeks and then expanded borough-wide next school year to eventually include more than 35 of Staten Island’s public schools.

Borough President Oddo said that a key part of the curriculum would be an anti-litter component in an “effort to prevent the next generation of litterers, and the best way to do that is through education and increasing recycling rates.”

Staten Island is one of only three municipalities nationwide that ISRI is supporting for JASON Learning. The other pilot programs are being rolled out in Kalamazoo, MI and Baltimore, MD.

Pratt will cover costs and host the professional development of staff from participating schools at its Staten Island paper mill on June 4. The company will host school tours at the facility so that students can see first-hand how the paper recycling process works. The company also is donating recycling bins that have been placed in the participating schools.

Headquartered in Conyers, GA, Pratt Industries is America’s fifth largest corrugated packaging company and the world’s largest, privately-held 100% recycled paper and packaging company. Its other metro area locations are a display division in Totowa, NJ, and a specialty division for retail merchandising in Edison, NJ.

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Connection Between Mailpiece Design and USPS Regulations To Be Explored at Next Week’s ‘Postal Boot Camp’ Sessions

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One-day courses to be offered next week in East Hanover, NJ, and Albany, NY, will show printers and mailers how to cost effectively produce and process direct mail to meet U.S. Postal Service standards.

Printers and mailers are invited to explore the link between mailpiece design and USPS regulations at the one-day Postal Boot Camps in East Hanover on May 5 and Albany on May 6. Co-sponsored by the New York Chapter of Epicomm and Printing Industries Alliance (PIA), both courses will be led by George Heinrich, the “Postal Professor.” He will give attendees a basic overall knowledge of the relationships among postal regulations, mailpiece design, and related postage costs, enabling them to better serve their print and mail customers.

A mailing industry veteran for more than 40 years, Heinrich is a featured speaker, teacher, and trainer who provides on-site mail- and fulfillment-related training and operational evaluations. Among the topics he will cover:

• meet your uncontrollable partner―the United States Postal Service
• speaking postal: BMC, SCF, NCOA, CASS, DPV, and more
• classes of mail
• shape based processing―size does matter
• barcodes and automation
• tracking codes
• tabbing folded self mailers
• how presort works
• data management
• intelligent mail barcode credits
• seamless acceptance
• transportation discounts
• quality addressing

Epicomm and PIA recognize and support the integration of multifunctional services offered by today’s printers and mailers. The Postal Boot Camps will help companies that provide one or both services understand how direct mail can be produced and processed to meet USPS standards and regulations and achieve the most cost-effective results for their customers. Armed with this knowledge, they can offer more comprehensive and competitive services for today’s print and mailing services buyers.

The May programs will be the only Postal Boot Camps to be offered in the metropolitan area this year. The New Jersey session will be held at Paper Mart, 151 Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover, N.J. The New York program will be held at Treviso, 257 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany  N.Y.

Postal Boot Camp registration is $150 for the first attendee and $125 for each additional attendee from the same firm.  For more information or to register, visit www.pialliance.org; or contact Jim Prendergast, (212) 217-6824, jwpdirect@gmail.com; or Kim Tuzzo, (716) 691-3211, ktuzzo@pialliance.org.

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Rich Barbaria Is Member Development Manager for Printing Industries Alliance (Announcement with Commentary)

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rich_barbaria_joins_pialliancePrinting Industries Alliance (PIAlliance) has appointed metro area industry veteran Rich Barbaria to fill the newly created position of Member Development Manager.

Having served as vice president of operations and general manager for several large metro printing operations, Barbaria has an extensive background in all aspects of graphic communications business management. His areas of expertise include strategic and tactical planning; graphics and print technology; production management; workflow optimization and streamlining; continuous improvement and lean manufacturing; customer service development; regulatory compliance; and sustainability.

Working from a home office in Seaford, NY, Barbaria will be available to members across the entire Printing Industries Alliance footprint. PIAlliance President Tim Freeman said, “We are extremely pleased to add someone with Rich’s experience and commitment to our staff. Rich has been a fixture in the metro New York printing industry for many years and has great contacts in the printer and vendor communities.

“The addition of Rich Barbaria, along with the recently announced hiring of Marty Maloney and the opening of an office in Brooklyn, is a continued reminder of the commitment that Printing Industries Alliance has to the metro New York graphic communications community.”

As Member Development Manager, Barbaria will assist current PIA members in optimizing the production and financial success of their companies. He also will be involved with membership sales and several projects relating to his areas of expertise.

Barbaria’s primary focus will be on developing relationships and strengthening the level of support that PIAlliance provides to its membership. “This is a fundamental shift away from the new member marketing activities that have been our focus for the past few years,” Freeman said. “While these activities remain important, our primary focus will be on supporting our members’ success.”

Barbaria can be contacted by phone at (516) 528-4747 and by e-mail at rbarbaria@pialliance.org. His mailing address is 3951 New York Avenue, Seaford, NY 11783.

Commentary: I’ve known Rich Barbaria for many years as a valued editorial source and as an esteemed educational colleague (we both have taught graphic communications at New York City College of Technology). Nobody knows the metro area graphics industry landscape, particularly on Long Island, better than Rich. Like Marty Maloney, he’s an outstanding addition to the PIAlliance professional staff roster. His appointment is further proof of the association’s commitment to the well being of its members throughout the metro area.

—Pat Henry

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2015 Luminaire Award Recipients Will Be Honored on October 1 in New York City

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041315_franklin_luminaireIDEAlliance and Printing Industries Alliance have announced the recipients of the 2015 Luminaire Awards recognizing outstanding professionals in advertising, publishing, printing, and integrated media.

The honorees are Charles Blanchard, Jr., president and CEO, Blanchard Systems, Inc.; Meghan Fitzgerald Milkowski, vice president, production and circulation, Prometheus Global Media; Veronica H. Simmons, vice president, director of print production, MRM/McCann; and Michael J. Simon, executive vice president, Publishers Press, Inc. The presentations will take place during the annual Franklin Luminaire Awards event on October 1, 2015 at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, New York City.

The Luminaire Awards salute outstanding achievements by media production leaders In recognition of their positive influence, creative excellence, and personal dedication  to the graphic communications industry. Biographies of this year’s recipients can be found here.

The Franklin Luminaire Awards event is a yearly showcase of industry solidarity and fellowship throughout the metro region. Also to be honored on October 1 are the as-yet unnamed recipients of the 2015 Franklin Award for Distinguished Service and the 2015 Zenger Community Service Medal.

The Franklin Award for Distinguished Service is the single highest honor conferred by the metro New York graphic communications industry. In recognizing distinguished recipients for their positive roles in American society, the award serves to focus national attention on the depth and breadth of the industry. Past recipients include several U.S. presidents and a high-profile roster of statesmen, diplomats, military figures, and leaders in business and the arts.

A community service award honoring those who give back, the Zenger Medal hails a graphic communications professional for exceptional acts of service, courage, or activism that inspire others to make their communities better places to live.

A registration form for the 2015 Franklin Luminaire Awards event can be downloaded here. For information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Kim Tuzzo at Printing Industries Alliance: 800-777-4PIA (4742); kutzzo@PIAlliance.org.

Printing Industries Alliance is a trade association representing graphic communications firms and related businesses in New York State, northern New Jersey, and northwestern Pennsylvania. IDEAlliance is a not-for-profit association that identifies best practices for efficient end-to-end digital media workflows from content creation through distribution.

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