Mark Bonacorso
Hayzlett & Associates
Markb@hayzlett.com
650-697-6671
Chicago, IL, Graphic Expo, September 28, 2003—The Print Council, a business development alliance dedicated to promote the greater use of print media, today announced its formation and founding members at Graph Expo, one of the industry’s most comprehensive trade show and conferences in the Americas.
Formed by leaders across the spectrum of the graphic arts industry, The Print Council’s goal is to influence and promote the greater use of print media through education, awareness, market development, advocacy and research. In addition, the council will work closely with industry associations, ongoing initiatives, and relevant user groups that share common goals. Founding members represent a range of industry interests from commercial and retail printers to print equipment manufacturers and software and services providers.
“The printing industry is the third largest and most
geographically dispersed manufacturing industry in the
The Print Council’s founding members represent some of the largest and best known names in the industry including Agfa-Gevaert Group, Electronics for Imaging (EFI), Franchise Services, Inc. (parent company of PIP Printing, Sir Speedy, and MultiCopy), Heidelberg, IBM, International Paper, Mail-Well, MAN Roland, Pitney Bowes, PressTek, Quad Graphics, Roll Systems, Sandy Alexander, Scitex Digital Printing, The Sheridan Group, Sun Chemical, Williamson Printing Corporation, and Xerox. In addition, many of the leading publishers and consulting firms have partnered with The Print Council including CAP Ventures, Cygnus, NAPCO, Primedia, and Reed Business. With today’s public launch, other industry leaders are expected and invited to join The Print Council to build a strong, well-financed cross-industry platform to promote the increased use of print.
Through education, awareness, market development, advocacy, and research, The Print Council will serve the industry to develop, maintain, and increase the market for printed goods. The council can be contacted at 703-519-8100 or on the Web at www.theprintcouncil.org.
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“At Mail-Well, we applaud The Print Council’s role to influence and promote the greater use of print as a communications medium. The short- and long-term prospects for printing are encouraging. Trends in direct mail, the health of the United States Post Office, and the rebound in the general economy and advertising activity will lift print out of its unprecedented three-year recession.- Paul Reilly, chairman of the board, president, and CEO, Mail-Well, Inc.
“The printing industry faces many challenges from rapidly changing technology to increasing competition from non-print communications. The Print Council brings together some of the industry’s most respected companies to address these challenges and ensure the vitality of our industry,” Monson said. “The Print Council’s mission is to raise awareness within the advertising and communications community that printing is a powerful communications vehicle. Print is personal: you can see it, touch it, feel it, and hold it. Print lasts. Print is the most effective medium at delivering advertising and communications messages. We need to remind marketing and communications decisions makers of print’s importance and effectiveness. PIP Printing, Sir Speedy and MultiCopy are excited to be among the leaders of this initiative.” - Catherine Monson, president of PIP Printing, Inc.
”Since the advent of print, alternative communication vehicles have come along trying to usurp what we do. Radio couldn’t kill print, TV couldn’t kill print. In the early 1980’s, the PC didn’t kill print, and most recently, the Internet hasn’t killed print. Last year Laurence Kirshbaum, the chairman of the book division at AOL Time Warner, was quoted in the New York Times. In announcing the consolidation/termination of AOL Time Warner’s digital book operations due to lacklustre consumer demand and high costs, he said, ‘Perhaps Mr. Guttenberg has had the last laugh here.’ Our industry has a tremendous future in front of us, and I am very proud to be a part of it.” - Roy Grossman, president and CEO, Sandy Alexander, Inc.