Big Picture - June/July 2015 - (Page 2)

insight bigpicture.net Finesse EDITORIAL Robin Donovan Editor-in-Chief robin.donovan@stmediagroup.com N Adrienne Palmer June/July 2015 ormally, I'm not a coﬀee drinker, preferring the gentle lift of tea to the harsher jolt of java, but thick, flavorful European brews always tempt me when I'm abroad. I'm no connoisseur, it's simply that everything about coffee in Spain, Italy, and Germany, so far, just seems better. It could be perception. The tiny cups, the small cafés. Perhaps they're running freezerburnt Folgers through the machines, trusting tourists not to know the difference. And the coffee is not so unlike our stereotypes of Europe itself. We may frown at the more formal dress, high-brow tastes, and a particular manner of handling a fork that seems designed to cause starvation. Then again, something about it hints that maybe, just maybe, life across the pond is better. Heading to FESPA this past spring, I wondered if printing would seem better, too. With many products launching first in the US, I wondered what intangibles the show might offer. Vendors didn't disappoint. I found them more eager to discuss emerging markets, with the assumption that textile and interior décor projects were already backbone jobs for print providers, rather than new frontiers. And if there was a hint of paranoia about the potential banning of mercury arc lamps, there was more acceptance of future environmental standards and regulations that will drive everything from ink formulations to lamp types. There was the usual glut of media companies, and some products I'd seen already. But there was also a slightly different energy. That print providers must be ready to produce, even design, graphics for interiors was a given, and the Printeriors showcase proved that (see pg. 8 for a list of FESPA-inspired interior ideas). What stood out most to me were the opportunities for digital shops. I found myself looking at so many output samples and realizing: Yeah, digital can do that. With that in mind, we've decided to broaden Big Picture's scope. You've seen it already, as we're leaning more into high-tech 3D printing ("It's Alive," May 2015), machines designed for ceramic printing ("Tile Takeover," April 2015), opportunities to partner with designers to create printed interiors ("Inside Job," January/February 2015), and more. But in the coming months, and next year, we're going to help you fi nesse your forays into these sectors. At FESPA, I attended a panel during which industry analyst - and Big Picture contributor - Sophie Matthews-Paul asked print manufacturers if there would be a point at which tiny ink drop sizes would no longer change output quality. And as the panel weighed her words, I could see her point. There will be diminishing returns on output resolutions, ink drop size, and speed soon enough. It will simply be a matter of what you need and can afford. It's one more reason to explore these new sectors - and I hope you'll join us as we do just that. In fact, we've begun that this very month with our second Focus issue of 2015, which delivers supplier-driven analysis of production strategies, workflow challenges, and the innovations tomorrow's print providers will embrace. Associate Editor adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com Kiersten Wones Editorial Assistant kiersten.wones@stmediagroup.com Kathleen DeZarn Art Director kathy.dezarn@stmediagroup.com Marty McGhie, Craig Miller, Beth Osborne, Jared Smith Columnists Rick Bachelder, Kathy Boydstun, Terry Corman, Scott Crosby, Brandon Gabriel, Michael Garcia, Kirk Green, Robert Kissel, Tina McLaughlin, Craig Miller, Carmen Rad, Greg Root, Jared Smith, Mark Taylor Editorial Advisory Board SALES Murray Kasmenn Senior VP/Group Publisher 770/578-2577 murray.kasmenn@stmediagroup.com Lou Arneberg Senior Market Strategist East and Midwest US, E Canada 800/654-5169 lou.arneberg@stmediagroup.com Ben Stauss Senior Market Strategist West and South US, W Canada, Europe, Asia 513/263-9363 ben.stauss@stmediagroup.com Linda Volz Production Supervisor linda.volz@stmediagroup.com Tedd Swormstedt President Steve Duccilli Senior VP of Content Christine Baloga Audience Development Director Kari Freudenberger Director, Online Media BIG PICTURE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES 2 BY ROBIN DONOVAN, editor-in-chief BIG PICTURE (ISSN 1082-9660) is published 9 times annually (Jan/Feb, March, April, May, June/July, August, September, October, Nov/Dec) by ST Media Group International Inc., 11262 Cornell Park Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242-1812. Telephone: (513) 421-2050, Fax: (513) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualiﬁed individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to non-qualiﬁed individuals in the U.S.A.: $46 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions in Canada: $77 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $101 (Int'l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2015, by ST Media Group International Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Cincinnati, OH and at additional mailing oﬃces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Big Picture, P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to Big Picture, P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076. 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - June/July 2015

Big Picture - June/July 2015
Contents
Insight
Upfront
Graphics Down Under
How I Got the Job: Randy Dearborn
R+D
Explorer

Big Picture - June/July 2015