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    Late this evening, Dan Stephens sent out this
    e-mail (see below) to let friends and associates know about the passing of
    Darris McCord:
    “Everyone,
    I regret to inform you that Darris McCord, passed away
    on Wednesday, October 9th. He was my dear friend and business partner for 28
    years. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends. Darris had
    tremendous influence in the reprographics industry but more
    importantly was just a great person everyone loved. I already miss him.
    I have attached his memoriam.
    Best Regards,
    Dan Stephens
    Danris Development Group LLC”
    Link to the Memoriam:

     – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
    Blog Publisher’s comment:
    My condolences to Darris’ family.   May he rest in peace.
    And, my condolences to Dan as well.
    As Dan pointed out, Darris was a wonderful
    guy.  Personally, I had a deep respect
    for his business acumen and for his character; just an amazing person to
    know.  As Dan also said, Darris will be
    missed by all. 
    I spent my first 18 years in the reprographics
    in the Washington / Baltimore area.  In
    1988, we sold our company to an investor group that included Citi-Corp Venture
    Capital, LTD.  About four years later,
    the investor group, in fire sale, sold the assets of that company to a
    corporation (Franklin Graphics) formed by Darris McCord to purchase and operate
    our former business [originally known as Rowley-Scher Reprographics, later,
    under Citi-Corp and under Darris, known as Reprographics Technologies Inc
    (RTI)].  With Darris’ insight, support,
    and guidance, Rich Heller (as President of RTI) rebuilt RTI’s business, and, a
    few years later, Darris sold the company to ARC.  In my mind, Darris and Rich were responsible
    for resurrecting what was once and awesome operation and, in the process, they
    were responsible for creating hundreds of jobs. 
    Darris was a visionary and a leader.  A very, very, very sad day for all of us who were blessed to have known him.
    Joel

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    Oficio bills itself as…….
    Your home office away
    from home ™
    Well, the other day, I got a day pass and spent the day
    at Oficio’s location on Newbury Street in Boston.  Oficio’s office is in the Back Bay area of
    Boston, but is convenient to every area of downtown Boston, including the
    Financial District, Midtown and the South End.
    Absolutely wonderful day. 
    One of my most productive days this year!
    Basically,
    the Oficio office is a place to work if you don’t want to work at home and if
    you don’t have an office in Boston, but would like one for the day (or for
    several days or even longer.)
      It’s
    one great big room, nicely furnished with comfortable desks and chairs; Oficio
    has free coffee, snacks, copy/print/scan and fax capabilities (all free).  At the prices they charge for daily, weekly
    or monthly use, Oficio is a bargain.
    So, the next time you visit Boston and need a quiet,
    comfortable, fun place to work, one with all of the services you would ever
    need, check out Oficio.

  • Phil Magenheim
    Direct Dimensions/3DMTP 
    |office: (410) 998-0880 ext. 111 | cell: (301) 651-6871
    RAPID SOLUTIONS TO 3D PROBLEMS
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    NAPL Research Center finds interest in M&A up
    significantly in recent years, with most companies experiencing positive
    results from strategic transactions.
    The National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL)
    Research Center’s newly released study, “Mergers & Acquisitions: A Growth
    Strategy for an Industry in Transition,” reports the facts of M&A in the
    graphic communications industry, and whether it is the best path to profitable
    growth or a risk that may not be worth taking.
    Link to full article up on
    myprintresource.com:

    http://www.myprintresource.com/press_release/11188693/napl-releases-new-mergers-acquisitions-report-ma-a-growth-strategy-for-an-industry-in-transition

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    Article by STUART MARGOLIS,
    OCTOBER 1, 2013, appears on myprintresource.com
    “HOW DO YOU STACK UP AFTER THE GREAT RECESSION?”

    “Printing Industries of America has released its annual financial
    benchmarks for the print industry. Participating printing companies produced a
    profit of 2.7 percent on sales before taxes, generating even higher profits for
    the third year in a row.”
    Within the article, the author says….
    “The number of
    printers who reported losses in the current year was 29 percent of printers
    participating in the Ratio Study, down from the 33, 38, and 55 percent who
    reported losses in 2011, 2010, and 2009, respectively.”
    Blog publisher’s comments:
    The information in this article has to be
    interesting to reprographers, for it speaks to the huge difference in
    profitability between reprographics businesses and printing businesses.  In 1981, our company offered reprographics
    services and offset printing services. 
    Early the next year, our senior partner, Gary Rowley, made a very wise
    suggestion to his other partners; let’s exit the offset printing business and
    concentrate our time and energies on the reprographics business.  What a wise decision that proved to be, for
    our reprographics business took off …. and was very, very profitable, far more profitable than the typical/average offset printing business.
    Link to complete article:

  • SOURCE: C2 (Press Release)

    C2

    October 07, 2013 18:21 ET

    Top Imaging Industry Executive Joins C2

    COSTA MESA, CA–(Marketwired – Oct 7, 2013) – C2, Southern California’s largest independent print and business solutions firm, has announced a new executive hire.
    Eric Schmitz, Vice President of Sales, will lead the sales team at C2, with special emphasis on San Diego and Orange counties. Since 2007, he was president of Premier Reprographics in San Diego. Schmitz began his reprographics career in 1995, working for an Orange County firm and eventually presiding over its San Diego division, growing revenue from less than $1 million to more than $12 million.
    “We are excited about Eric’s energy, industry knowledge and most importantly of his passion for the customer. He is a perfect fit for our culture,” commented C2 president and CEO Gary Crisp. “Eric has the ability to create and maintain long-term relationships in this industry. C2 has the ability to execute the service required to fulfill any commitment. It’s a fantastic combination.”
    Schmitz is active in the Building Industry Association in both San Diego and Orange County. A Newport Beach native, he will helm the company’s entire Southern California sales team.
    Founded by Gary and Julie Crisp in 2002, C2 provides printing, imaging, and digital storage services to a variety of business types: legal and courtroom; architecture, engineering and contracting trades, and commercial business-to-business markets. Its divisions include C2 Color Studio, C2 Legal Solutions, C2 Business Solutions and C2 Reprographics divisions. C2 has 10 offices in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, and the Inland Empire. For more information, visit www.c2repro.com.
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    This is the 3rd Quarter-2013 update to the index of
    the U.S.A. A/E/C reprographics industry’s sales revenues of
    “plans-printed-on-paper”.
    The A/E/C
    “Repro PPoP Index” …..
    This index does not attempt to track
    “total sales” of A/E/C reprographers.
    It
    attempts to track only sales ofplans printed on paper”.
    And, by “plans printed on
    paper”, I mean A/E/C “plans”, large-format, b/w and color,
    unbound or bound, full-size, half-size, whatever large-format size.
    Here’s what we’ve been saying, nearly every past quarter:
    There will be a recovery in the A/E/C industry
    and thereby in the A/E/C reprographics industry. However, some are saying that
    even though there will be a recovery in the A/E/C industry, the recovery of
    sales revenues from “plans printed on paper” may not mirror the A/E/C
    industry’s recovery, since some are expecting (I guess I should say, some are
    saying) that revenues from printing plans on paper are being negatively
    impacted by customers distributing CD’s (or distributing / sharing files)
    instead of printing and distributing “hard copy” plans.
    If you want the pdf file that contains the Q3 2013 Repro PPoP
    Index, send an e-mail to
    joel.salus@mac.com.

  • Pitney Bowes Completes Sale of its Management Services Business to Apollo Funds for $400 Million

    Wednesday, October 02, 2013
    Press release from the issuing company
    STAMFORD, Conn. – Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI) today announced the successful completion of the sale of Pitney Bowes Management Services for $400 million in cash to funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE:APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”). Proceeds from the sale of the business will be used principally to pay down debt.
    Pitney Bowes Management Services becomes a standalone company which will operate under a new name to be determined by Apollo.
    The sale of the Pitney Bowes Management Services business to funds affiliated with Apollo, which was announced July 30, 2013, allows Pitney Bowes to focus attention and resources on developing and delivering the highest value technology, innovative software and differentiated services in high value segments of the market, where the Company has distinctive advantage.

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:


    Pitney Bowes Management Services (PBMS) has become Novitex Enterprise Solutions, a stand-alone company. As an independent company, Novitex Enterprise Solutions is committed to serving your business by delivering innovative services and solutions that optimize business processes and drive value. For more information on how Novitex Enterprise Solutions can serve your business, please visit us at www.novitex.com.

    So, you might ask, what did Appolo
    get for the $400 mil it paid to Pitney Bowes for the PBMS business?
    To answer that question, I took a
    quick look at the PBI’s 2012 10K report, filed in early 2013, and, within that
    report, took a look at PBI’s business segment reporting breakdown.  First, you’ll see what PBI says about its
    “business segments.”  Below that, you’ll
    see PMBS’s Revenue and EBIT for 2012, 2011, and 2010. 
    Business Segments
    We conduct our business activities in seven reporting segments within two
    business groups, Small & Medium Business Solutions and Enterprise Business
    Solutions. The following tables show revenue and EBIT by business segment for 2012 , 2011 and 2010 . The IMS business,
    now reported as a discontinued operation, was previously included in our Mail
    Services segment. Segment EBIT, a non-GAAP measure, is determined by deducting
    from segment revenue the related costs and expenses attributable to the
    segment. Segment EBIT excludes interest, taxes, general corporate expenses not
    allocated to a particular business segment, restructuring charges, asset
    impairments and goodwill charges, which are recognized on a consolidated basis.
    Management uses segment EBIT to measure profitability and performance at the
    segment level. Segment EBIT may not be indicative of our overall consolidated
    performance and therefore, should be read in conjunction with our consolidated
    results of operations. Refer to Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial
    Statements for a reconciliation of segment EBIT to income from continuing
    operations before income taxes.
    (BUSINESS SEGMENT): Management
    Services:
    Amounts stated are
    “millions”
    Y/E
    Dec 31
    Y/E
    Dec 31
    Y/E
    Dec 31
    2012
    2011
    2010
    Revenue
     $921
     $949
     $999
    EBIT
     $55
     $76
     $93
    Management Services
    revenue decreased 3% in 2012 to $921 million compared to $949 million in 2011
    and EBIT decreased 28% to $55 million compared to $76 million in 2011 . The
    decline in revenue and EBIT was primarily due to lower document volumes,
    account contractions and reduced pricing on new business and contract renewals.
    Foreign currency translation had an unfavorable impact on revenue of 1%.
    Management Services
    revenue in 2011 decreased 5% to $949 million compared to $999 million in
    2010 . Foreign currency
    translation had a positive impact of 1% on revenue. EBIT decreased 18% to $76
    million compared to $93 million in
    2010 . The decrease in revenue and EBIT was primarily
    due to the full year impact of account contractions and terminations in the
    U.S. during 2010 and pricing pressure on new business and contract renewals.

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    Tesco, a
    major UK-based retailer with a significant market presence in Europe, plans to
    introduce 3D Printing Services at (at least some of) its stores.
    Here’s a
    link to an article about that:
    But, don’t
    look for 3D Printing Services at Tesco’s retail operations in the U.S.  Here’s a related story that talks about what
    looks will be Tesco’s exit from the U.S. market.
    By Tom Hals
    Mon Sep 30, 2013
    3:33pm EDT
    (Reuters) – Britain’s
    Tesco Plc (
    TSCO.L) put its U.S. grocery store chain into bankruptcy on Monday as part of a plan to sell most of the 167 stores
    to a private equity firm led by billionaire Ron Burkle.
    The bankruptcy ends the grand entrance onto the U.S. stage of Britain’s
    biggest supermarket chain. When Tesco launched the chain in Arizona, California
    and Nevada in 2006, many expected the deep-pocketed company to quickly expand
    to challenge the dominant U.S. food retailer,
    Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N).
    But Tesco jumped into
    the U.S. Southwest just as the region’s sizzling real estate market began to
    cool, and the U.S.
    business never generated a profit, according to Bankruptcy Court
    documents.
    Under the proposed
    sale, an affiliate of Tesco will lend Burkle’s private equity firm Yucaipa Cos
    $120 million to help fund the takeover of the chain, Fresh & Easy
    Neighborhood Market Inc. Yucaipa anticipates acquiring and operating 150
    stores.
    Tesco has said the
    stores that are not sold will be closed. It has said about 4,000 jobs will be preserved
    out of 4,187 current employees.
    A unit of Tesco will
    end up with a 22.5 percent stake in the Yucaipa affiliate that acquires the
    grocery store chain, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court
    in Delaware.
    The proposed sale to
    Yucaipa will serve as a leading bid in a court-supervised auction, which Fresh
    & Easy said it plans to hold on November 11. The company asked the court to
    schedule a hearing on November 13 to approve the sale.
    Tesco spent $610
    million in the first two years building the
    business, and sales eventually grew to $1.2 billion annually,
    according to court documents.
    But the business was
    never able to support the top-of-the-market leases, and it was losing $22
    million a month over the past year, according to the documents.
    Bankruptcy will allow
    Fresh & Easy to reject or renegotiate leases that are no longer economical.
    The company’s biggest
    creditor is Tesco, which is owed $738 million. Tesco has taken a 1 billion
    pound (or $1.6 billion) writedown on the U.S. chain.
    Fresh & Easy also
    owes $18.4 million to vendors.
    The Chapter 11
    bankruptcy filing comes as Tesco is in the midst of $1.6 billion turnaround
    plan. Once the envy of British retailers, Tesco has been hurt by falling
    profits, a costly retreat from the U.S. and Japanese
    markets, and revelations that horsemeat had been found in some
    meat products sold by Tesco and other retailers.
    The case is In Re:
    Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Inc, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of
    Delaware, No. 13-12569.
    (Reporting by Tom Hals in
    Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by John Wallace)

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    This comes from the
    popular web-site known as Print4PayHotel.
    Here’s the beginning
    of the article:
    “Over the weekend I took the
    time to finish one of my spreadsheets that enables us (Print4Pay Hotel members) to identify the cost
    per square foot for HP inkjet plotters.  
    Let me tell you this was no
    easy task.  Why in the world is there no information from HP that states
    how many milliliters of black ink is used to print one square foot for a CAD
    drawing?
    Every time I searched the HP
    web site for additional information about cost per page for Design jet plotters
    I was stymied by a notice that stated there was no information.”
    Here’s a link to the
    complete article: