Features
'Print's too volatile to not understand what you're doing'
Historically the printing industry has relied heavily on gut feeling. Just a decade or so ago some printers were still knocking up an estimate on the back of a cigarette packet and then securing the...
Interview: 'Belief in the vision carried us through'
Real Digital International (RDI) was the archetypal 'field of dreams' business. Its founders, Peter Rivett and Andy Ruddle, had a vision: that the future of transactional and direct mail was...
How the public can pile on the pressure
Would you rather print products that you can charge a few pence for, or products you can charge a few pounds for? Not, most printers would agree, the toughest of questions. Which is why, spurred on by...
Applying a human touch to proofing
Manual proofing has proved a crucial component in Pixartprinting's web-to-print success
Putting together a model manager
For some it might seem the most disastrous start to a CEO-ship possible. Day one and the new head of a large financial services company, let's call them CEO X, calls a board meeting and addresses, as...
Interview: 'No printer wants a Vistaprint customer'
It began life as a catalogue, survived the dotcom boom - and bust - and went on to become the world's biggest web-to-print business. Jo Francis talks to Vistaprint founder and chief executive Robert...
Learning to be a better people person
Say the words 'performance management' to a print boss and chances are you'll be greeted by a detailed account of exactly how they have ensured productivity on their latest treasured printing machine....
Are you prepared for the new tax timetable?
Rather than allowing employers to submit annual PAYE accounts, like they used to, HMRC is about to demand that they upload details every time they pay someone, starting from this month's payday.
Business inspection: Adding extra strings to your bow
The ability to offer a one-stop service to your clients is a powerful incentive to bring new skills in-house, but there are costs to consider
Label novices must learn to roll with it
There's no denying it: one of the biggest stories to emerge from last year's Drupa was that digital and packaging finally seemed serious bedfellows. But what may have surprised some, was the...
Cloud software in print: why blue-sky thinking isn't always best
Cloud-based systems are increasingly popular and can offer benefits in some scenarios, but they are not without concerns and may not suit every business type
Makeready masters race into the lead
Incremental reductions in changeover time may not sound like major efficiency improvements, but with the right people on the shopfloor, they can add up to big savings
Pick the best eco-tricks from other industries
Print, by its nature, has to be outward looking. Its tentacles touch so many different client sectors and its business is so reliant upon knowing those clients intimately, that there can't be many...