HP PageWide Presses Hit 500 Billion Printed Pages (piworld.com)

Quad/Graphics announced that it has released Marc Jacobs’ newest mascara brand in Quad’s PromoPage™ sampling carrier affixed to a major fashion publication. The publication targeted 50,000 subscribers to receive the full-sized mascara product sample with their home-delivered issue. To see a video of the revolutionary solution, visit http://go.qg.com/publishing-innovation. Product sampling is an important marketing strategy in the United States, accounting for $34 billion in marketing spend in 20161. In addition: • 81% of consumers agreed that experiencing a product increases their comfort level when purchasing2. • 94% of households stated that sampling is a good determining factor of product effectiveness3. • 92% of consumers surveyed reported they bought a product after trying a sample4. Click Read More below for additional information.

PRINT 17’s return to Chicago was a resounding success as 20,000 people from the graphic communications industry gathered at McCormick Place for five days of education, networking and an up-close look at the latest innovations and technologies. Industry professionals from around the world came to see new products from more than 450 exhibitors. PRINT 17 highlights included the new “Distinguished Leader” speaker series, with top marketing experts sharing their unique perspectives on how technology is changing our world and exploring the integration of print and digital. In addition, more than 50 seminars and panels throughout the show demonstrated NPES’ commitment to developing a relevant learning experience based on the pressing topics that can lead to business success for PRINT 17 attendees. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Graphco, one of North America’s leading print & finishing equipment distributors last November delivered a Horizon SmartStacker to Blooming Color’s 30,000-square-foot production plant in Lombard, IL. Operating near-line to keep up with rapidly growing B2-size sheet output, the SmartStacker dynamic cut & stack capabilities eliminate manual sorting and helps the commercial printing firm produce many thousands of shorter-run jobs each workday. Founded as a Minuteman Press franchise in 1988, approximately 85% of Blooming Color’s work now is printed digitally. The firm also offers wide-format printing services (both flatbed and roll-fed) as well as conventional six-color 40-inch sheetfed-offset for larger volumes, such as the 40,000 catalogs recently produced for a local college. “We process thousands of orders every day,” reports Brian Scott, CEO of Blooming Color. This month, the company adds its third B2-size (20x29”), HP Indigo Digital Press -- a second 100K device -- to its fleet of five Indigos.