Quick barcode update

It's not your daddy's barcode anymore.
http://tinyurl.com/2zjoqt

USPS in trouble

It's not new to hear the USPS lost more money in the first part of 2010. As more transactional documents become electronic transfers the USPS mail piece volume drops. Checks, statements and invoices are a few of the transactional documents making up about 1/2 of the postal media currently. The USPS expects a signficant drop The USPS saw a net loss of $592 million for January, according to data released by the PRC earlier this month. The USPS mailed 13.9 billion pieces during January. The USPS has taken a number of steps to rectify its financial situation, unveiling a 10-year plan to stabilize its finances in early March. The plan includes the transition to a five-day-per-week delivery schedule, as well as an exigent price increase that exceeds its inflation-based price cap in 2011.

John Potter, postmaster general and CEO of the USPS, predicted that mail volume could fall by as much as 27 billion pieces in the next decade to an all-time low of 150 billion pieces in 2020. Potter also warned that if the agency did not rectify its financial shortcomings, it would see a cumulative shortfall of $238 billion in the next 10 years.

How will this affect direct mail rates? What will the USPS do to create new revenue streams while cutting cost? Direct mail marketers will be watching.

Movie time? Check out Pop Secret

There are some ways to subliminally promote your product or brand. Occassionally a company comes up with a cool idea that stands out. Enter, Pop Secret! Check out this website they launched to help people select a movie by answering three questions. I wonder if available as a download for smartphnones?
http://tinyurl.com/yzcsg7p

ESN and StrataTac co-host ModuForm presentation

Press Release
3/1/10









PSDA suppliers host equipment presentation for Chicago printers!

Emerging Solutions Now and StrataTac recently hosted a seminar for digital printers to present information on the GIC ModuForm integrated converting unit. The ModuForm unit allows digital and commercially printed documents to be converted into integrated cards, labels, magnets and other applications. Pierre Perdriaud, GIC International Business Development manager (France), attended offering a global view of the overall print market decline as well as insight into the growth of value add promotional printing. “The explosion of digital printing has led to higher competition driving the need to for innovation in color document applications. Adding value creates impact to catch and retain the interest of the customer.”

Following the presentation Tom Yeager, VP of Sales and other StrataTac management escorted attendees as they toured StrataTac’s new St. Charles facility where they are currently installing two additional coating units for creating liners and materials used in creating integrated products on the ModuForm equipment. “This new capacity combined with the wider parent roll configuration will allow us to become more efficient, enter new markets and service clients more effectively,” says Yeager.

The seminar was coordinated by Roger Buck, CDC, President of Emerging Solutions Now and North American distributor for GIC equipment. “We wanted to take advantage of Pierre’s visit to the USA by hosting an educational seminar for printers in the Chicago area. Having the meeting at StrataTac’s new location helped us explain more of the process involved in creating integrated products.”

StrataTac (www.stratatac.com) is a leading manufacturer of adhesive coated, top coated and laminated products. They supply the label converting and business forms markets with the most unique and innovative products available specializing in multi layer constructions, utilizing their latest break-through technology. For more information contact StrataTac at 800-884-9388.

ESN (www.emergingsolutionsnow.com) supplies innovative value add solutions to the digital and commercial print markets including the Moduform (GIC), EasyMailer (Kern), Alpha and Lambda (Edale) equipment. They also provide marketing and business development consulting to clients both in and outside of the print marketplace. For more information contact ESN at 620.308.6775 or email at roger.buck@emergingsolutionsnow.com.





Left to right Pierre Perdriaud, GIC, Eric Roberts, StrataTac,
Ron Garrison, RR Donnelly and Jeff Graham, StrataTac.








Left to right Bruce Treudt, West Chicago Printing and Roger Buck, ESN

ModuForm presentation in Chicago!

Feeling competition in the commercial and digital color market?

As more digital color boxes hit pressroom floors around the country printers are finding they must be able to add more value to their full color offering. But how?

If during a post press converting process you could create integrated magnets within a printed sheet could you find new markets in the promotional mail arena?

If you could create ID cards from digitally printed sheets could you open new sales in membership, insurance and other organizations where ID cards are prevalent?

If during an offline process you created an integrated label within a digitally or commercially printed sheet could you find new markets and sales opportunities?

StrataTac and Emerging Solutions Now would like to invite you to a special presentation by Pierre Perdriaud, International Business Development for GIC-Omegher, France, and Roger Buck, CEO of Emerging Solutions Now on the markets, applications and features of the ModuForm. Following the presentation there will be a tour of the new StrataTac facility with Tom Yeager, VP of Sales, StrataTac.

Date: February 26th Time: 9:00-11:00 AM

Location: StrataTac, Corporate office, 3980 Swenson Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174 (630-879-9388)

RSVP to roger.buck@emergingsolutionsnow.com
Please include your name, company and number of attendees.

Questions: Call Emerging Solutions Now at 620.308.6775


The GIC-Omegher ModuForm

QR code update

Here's a quick post for those interested in new ideas for QR codes. This site allows you to order business cards with a custom QR code on the back which when scanned creates a Vcard so your info gets into the clients Outlook or contact program.
www.B2vCard.com

Colortree adds EasyMailer Unit

Colortree, a full color and digital printer in Richmond, VA, (www.colortree.com) has purchased a Kern EasyMailer which will be installed in the coming months. The EasyMailer is a converting unit which takes a digitally printed 11 x 17 sheet and converts the page to an envelope with an enclosed insert. The envelope can have up to three 8 1/2 x 11 inserts plus a BRE. Since the mailer is created from the digital print process the variable data used for personalization can now be applied to the exterior and interior of the envelope to increase open rate. Full color and personalization has been shown to increase response rates in post cards. Now this same marketing tactic can be used to create high impact mailers with inserts.

During the printing process a 2D dataglyph is printed on each page. This glyph is scanned by the EasyMailer and identifies each page an an envelope or insert so there is never a wasted or blank page. As the sheet enters the unit it is scanned then cut into two 8 1/2 x 11 segments. The envelope portion is routed to a staging area while the inserts are being folded to be placed in a specific location of the envelope page. Next a folding and gluing action occurs sealing the envelope with the now enclosed inserts and dispensing it to the exit tray.

Should a scan of the dataglyph detect any error the process is not interrupted. The detected envelope is dispensed to a second tray and the unit records the scan as an error. The digital printer can then use the scan report to reprint any mailers for processing.

The EasyMailer process has been used in Europe and Australia for several years but is just not making news in the USA. For more information on the converting unit and to view a video visit my website at www.emergingsolutionsnow.com. For samples contact me directly at Roger.Buck@EmergingSolutionsNow.com