FTA FORUM 2009

I would like to thank everyone who attened the FTA Forum this year. As always, the Forum provided numerous networking opportunities, great technical content, and recognition for technical, environmental and print quality achievements.

The breakout sessions were filled with good information on flexo process improvements and business practices to help companies ride out the economic turmoil and come through stronger.

While the floor traffic was down a little from last year, there was still a lot of excitement and interest in the products and services presented and many excellent college graphic arts programs were well represented. The keynote address provided reasoned insight into the economy, with bright prospects for the future. The 2009 Forum even featured an international flavor with insight and perspective from FTA affilliates from around the world.

The Flexo 101 session was well attended and the speeches presented excellent information to help printers make their processes more predictable and repeatable. My presentation is available for download off of my LinkedIn account at http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlanska .

Forum 2010 will be held in Las Vegas. Don't miss it !!!

Lean, Mean and Green - Environmental Conference at WPPC - May 19, 2009

Environmental Stewardship; Sustainability; Carbon Footprint; Chain of Custody; Go Lean; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; Plan, Perform, Measure and Improve; Lend a Hand, Save the Land. These are all relatively new terms in our printing and publishing lexicon. While it's human nature to want to reduce our impact on the environment and leave a better world for the next generation, often we can't make the kinds of changes we'd like because of the cost involved. We decided to seek out ways to affect that change and still reduce our costs instead of increasing them. You might be surprised at how much bang you can actually get for your money.

Joining us to share their insights are:
 Peter LaBonte, from ASQ (American Society for Quality). He is a CMQ/OE (Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence), and has agreed to demonstrate how to apply proven and leading edge Lean principles and practices: Using Lean to provide customer value while doing more with less.

 Connie OKeefe, Manager at The John Roberts Company, will tell us about their environmental achievements. They are Charter Members of Printing Industries of Minnesotas Great Printer Environmental Initiative and have achieved carbon neutrality. Among other initiatives, they are committed to the Windsource Program and the use of alternative energy sources.

 Annette Wall, Production Manager at Kalmbach Publishing will discuss Kalmbachs transition to all soft proofing at their domestic and Asian printers. She will outline their hybrid proofing solution and talk about the value of Eizo monitors. Annette will also share some of the small changes at Kalmbach that led to big savings.

 Gregg Aiken, Mill Manager at Neenah Paper will tell the story of Neenah Green, the ecoinitiatives that include Carbon Neutral status, FSC Certification, Green Seal and Green-E certifications. This past March, Neenah won a Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award for its emphasis on environmental stewardship.

 Joe Muehlbach, Director of Facilities and Environmental Policy at Quad/Graphics will outline some of Quad's many environmental initiatives. As you might expect, in the past decade alone, Quad/Graphics has been awarded more than 20 major environmental achievement honors, both on a state and national level.

Agenda
8:00 a.m.
Registration and coffee
8:30 a.m.
Program begins
11:30 a.m.
Networking & refreshments
12:00 p.m.
Lunch (included)
12:45 p.m.
Program continues
2:20 p.m.
Door Prize drawing, including a Waterford Crystal vase
2:30 p.m.
Program concludes

How to Register
Register and pay online at http://direct-to-net.net/cgi-bin/dn_ref.pl?f=h&ei=100129&vi=100127&r=15&ci=100806, or pay at the door with cash or check made payable to WPPC. The cost is still only $40 for members and $60 for non-members AND $15 for students. While walk-ins are always welcome, we encourage you to register no later than Friday, May 15th.

The WPPC is an organization of your peers, dedicated to providing a forum for education and opportunities for networking within the publishing industry. Founded in 1990, WPPC presents timely, pertinent topics and helps its members meet the challenge of rapidly changing technologies that impact our industry and our jobs. Regular membership is open to those responsible for production of magazines, catalogs, books, newsletters, and other printed matter, as well as to designers and ad agencies. Annual dues are $50 for individuals and $150 for corporate membership. Associate (vendor) membership is open to printers, prep houses, service bureaus, paper companies, ink manufacturers, graphic arts vendors, and other suppliers to the publishing industry, at a rate of $75 for individuals or $200 for corporate (vendor) membership.

WPPC and their sponsors invite members, guests and prospective members to attend our annual meetings in September, December, January, March and May. Location varies, please check the meeting notice or www.wppc.org for details. Meeting cost: $15 for students, $40 for members and $60 for guests & prospective members.
Join now or renew your membership online at http://www.wppc.org./

Meet Our Board
Executive Director:Marty OchsA.M. Mailing Services, Inc. Ph: 608-838-9899
mochs@ammailing.com

Executive Director: Kathy ReillyPrint Production Advisory Ph: 262-241-8454
kathyppa@ix.netcom.com

Treasurer: Cathy SchnackenbergASQ Ph: 414-272-8575
cschnackenberg@asq.org

Membership Director: Gretchen Trautman RDA Milwaukee (formerly Reiman Media) Ph: 414-423-0100
gretchen_trautman@rd.com

Director at Large: Dean Flowers Harry V. Quadracci Printing and Graphics Center Waukesha County Technical College Ph: 262-695-3401
dflowers@wctc.edu

Webmaster:Joel BartonGroupE CommunicationsPh: 414-964-6907 joel@groupecommunications.com

Board Member:Erica ConwayC2 Graphics Productivity SolutionsPh: 414-431-0062
erica@c2gps.com

Board Member:Cheryl LeSageJournal-Sentinel DirectPh: 414-223-5284
clesage@journalsentinel.com

Board Member:Dennis RedmanPLUS CompaniesPh: 262-502-1900
dr@ctplus.com

WPPC100 Interstate Blvd.Edgerton, WI 53534-9399
Click hereto update your WPPC mailing list preferences.

Color workshops offered by IGI

The Institute for Graphics and Imaging (IGI) is offering two color workshops in May. David Hunter, a veteran graphic arts industry color expert, will conduct both sessions. Hunter was responsible for the Graphic Arts business segment for Aldus Corporation, and is now the principal of Pilot Marketing, a graphic arts consultancy specializing in high-end color training.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 — Techniques for Color Control with Digital Output DevicesThis session will cover how-to techniques to trouble shoot different color control issues for any color output device. When a file does not render as expected, the problem lies in one of three areas, either the files is bad, the RIP is not configured properly, or the printer/substrate is not performing properly. This session will cover a methodical process to determine not only where the problem is coming from, but also great strategies to solve the problem. There will be hands on lessons in this workshop. For additional information and to register please CLICK HERE.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 — Advanced Color ManagementBy attending this session, attendees will learn how to effectively set up a color management system for their entire workflow. In fact, attendees are encouraged to bring actual scans and proofs with them to create custom profiles for their color devices. Attendees will learn how to use profiles in their workflow so that they can accurately manage colors between devices, increasing the productivity and profitability of your entire workflow, from design and prepress to the pressroom. For additional information and to register please CLICK HERE.

The Institute for Graphics and Imaging provides education and training in the graphic design, printing, and related industries. Supported by a vast network of industry suppliers, printers, publishers, and governmental agencies, IGI operates on the campus of the Waukesha County Technical College in suburban Milwaukee. IGI facilities, which include computer classrooms and access to the latest printing equipment, are available for sales events and corporate training courses. For additional information CLICK HERE or call 262-695-6260.

Pilot Marketing is a national organization specializing in helping dealers and their end-users incorporate ICC (ColorSync) Color Control and Digital Asset Management into their environment.

To complete a short survey on these workshops please select this Link.

Cost per session is $200* for Wisconsin Residents $395 per session for out of state participants
*Wisconsin Department of Commerce Grant subsidized