Reprographics 101

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  • Melbourne Beach Man Arrested For Threats Against Police Chief (John Stewart)

    Well, I have to say that this particular story, which appeared in the Brevard Times, knocked me for a loop. Many reprographers have met John Stewart and he is widely known in the “instant printing” industry. Several years ago, John Stewart assisted the IRgA with a benchmarking survey. But, I met John, just once, many, many years ago, when he was the owner (and working at) Rockville Instant Printing, on Rockville, Pike, Rockville, MD. (At the time, back in the 70’s, we owned two different businesses, one called Allied Reproduction Service and the other called Hot Off The Press.) I’m sure I have a number of industry friends who know John. John offers consulting services to firms in the imaging industry. With respect to the article, sounds to me like John was majorly pissed off!

    SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012

    Melbourne Beach Man Arrested For Threats Against Police Chief

    MELBOURNE BEACH and SANFORD, Florida – The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office arrested 68-year-old John Carnduff Stewart of Melbourne Beach, Florida on a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office warrant for one count of written threats to kill or do bodily injury, a second degree felony on Friday.

    The Seminole Sheriff’s Office began investigating Thursday after Stewart sent a threatening email to Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee, who is at the center of controversy in the Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman case, with the subject line “Coming after you.”

    Stewart’s email advised that he had multiple weapons and that Lee and his family should be killed. The email also suggested he would harm local police officers. The email was sent to Chief Lee’s work account at 8:23 a.m. Thursday. It was signed by Stewart and listed his home address and a phone number. Investigators obtained a subpoena for the IP address of the computer from which the email was sent and determined it was Stewart’s home residence.

    Investigators executed a search warrant yesterday morning at Stewart’s residence and uncovered additional threatening emails on Stewart’s computer. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant and arrested Stewart at his residence without incident. Stewart admitted to sending the email to Chief Lee.

    Police say that Stewart is known to authorities in Brevard County for prior instances of threatening communications and was previously investigated by the Penn State University Police Department for making threats against Assistant Football Coach Mike McQueary. Stewart was booked into the Brevard County Jail on a $10,000 bond and was transported to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Seminole County to be placed on electronic monitoring, pursuant to the conditions of his bond.

    His bond conditions also prohibit him from possessing or using a computer, cell phone, or any other device that can be used to send or receive emails. Stewart was also prohibited from having any contact with Chief Lee or his family, or from coming within 1,500 feet of the Sanford Police Department. Police say the actions of John Stewart clearly were both a threat to the Lee family and to the safety of the community.

    Stewart has a website called http://www.quickconsultant.com where he has several You Tube videos about the printing industry. His business address is listed as 2110 South Dairy Rd., Melbourne, FL 32904

    Here’s one of the comments someone posted about the article and John:

    AnonymousMar 25, 2012 09:29 PM

    John Stewart has always stuck his neck out to make a point. If we look at how clearly he identified himself and his location, and how peacefully he allowed himself to be arrested, it should be obvious that his was not a cogent threat. But it did certainly justify his arrest. Just as the killing of Trayvon Martin justifies the arrest of George Zimmerman. That’s certainly the point Stewart was trying to make. I’ve known John and his usually humorous vengeful fantasies for years. Of this carefully worded not-really-a-threat email, and as the above commenter alluded, it’s all bluster. While he may have gone too far this time, I give him credit for the strength and courage of conviction that allowed himself this risky action, as I’ve always given him credit for being an intelligent, well-informed, and well-meaning individual with well-reasoned beliefs. John’s email was an empassioned, angry outcry over an immense injustice, and NOT an act of intended violence. Of this I am as certain as can be.

  • Are you prepared to acquire production inkjet? And, keep an eye and ear open for Benny Landa’s latest invention – the Nanographic Press

    There’s an interesting article …. about “production inkjet” now up on WhatTheyThink.com. Below, you’ll find just the beginning of that article; later, you’ll find a link to the complete article.

    In the introduction below, you’ll find Benny Landa’s name. And, mention that Mr. Landa on May 2nd at “drupa” (the printing industry trade show in Germany), will introduce a “nanographic” printing press. I’m not going to explain what “nano-technology” is (because, while I am familiar with nano-technology, there’s no way I could explain what it is!)

    Benny Landa was the inventor of the Indigo. Indigo presses first appeared back in the early-to-mid 1990’s. (Later on, Indigo was purchased by HP.) Indigo released two (equipment) products back then; one was a small-format “color” press, the other was a large-format, “black & white only”, very-high-speed “plotter” called the Indigo XLT (output up to 36” wide.) The Indigo XLT came out a couple of years before OCE released its revolutionary OCE 9800 system. The release of OCE’s system put a “kibosh” on Indigo’s XLT business, and, around 1996, Indigo discontinued the XLT model. At least two reprographers in North America did very well (meaning, made lots of money) on their Indigo XLT investments – Lellyett & Rogers in Nashville, TN (Pat Brumfield and Bryan Dyer) and Entire Reproductions in Toronto, Canada (Andy Chiodo.)

    It will be VERY INTERESTING to see what Mr. Landa has come up with this time. Nano-technology applied to a printing press. Hmmmm, can’t wait to see what that’s all about.

    Okay, here’s the article I mentioned:

    Commentary & Analysis

    “Are you prepared to acquire production inkjet? Part 1”

    By David Zwang – 
Published: March 26, 2012

    In this series, I have tried to give you a ‘lay of the land’ as it relates to production inkjet technology and products available today… before drupa. While I have covered a wide range of products, in all fairness I haven’t covered everything that is available out there. Why? There are just too many production inkjet products to investigate, review, and detail, and you can expect more to be introduced before, at, and after drupa—including a highly secretive Digital Nanographic Printing Press that will be announced by Indigo founder Benny Landa on May 2nd, the day before drupa officially begins. However, in all honesty, the products covered offered a fairly complete look at the state of the inkjet technology and how it is being utilized in the production inkjet presses available ‘today’.

    So while I have given you lots of facts and figures on feeds and speeds, I thought it was now time to look at how you can assimilate all of that information to figure out how to use it abd to understand what it means to you. This ‘look behind the curtains’ is desgined to help you make purchasing decisions, either before or after drupa.

    I am using a similar structure as I used in the product reviews in order to put it all in context. In Part 1 of 2 in this article, I will review inkjet printhead technology, imaging and what you should be looking at to satisfy your company and customer requirements.

    Here’s a link to the complete article that’s now up on whattheythink.com:

    http://whattheythink.com/articles/56930-are-you-prepared-acquire-production-inkjet-part-1/

  • Further about the lawsuit filed by Kaiser Family Foundation against Memjet development company

    This article comes from an Australian publication:

    Aussie Memjet inventor accused in $million fraud

    Monday, 19 March 2012

    Kia Silverbrook, one of the most prolific patent-holders in the world, is being sued in the US by the non-profit George Kaiser Family Foundation, which backed the development of the inkjet technology company Memjet to the tune of $610 million (A$574.9m).

    The lawsuit lodged in Tulsa last week accuses the founder of Memjet, his partner Janette Faye Lee and their patent-holding company Silverbrook Research, of omissions, false representations and false promises made during the multi-million dollar eight-year investment period.

The foundation filed the suit in local US District Court, asking for actual and punitive damages. Kaiser has referred to the lawsuit as a business dispute involving the control of Memjet’s intellectual property claiming it has played a key role in funding the development of the technology since 2004.

Following representations by Silverbrook and Lee as CEO and CFO of Memjet, the foundation made an initial investment of US$50 million (A$47.2m) in 2004 to help develop and commercialise the inkjet technology. However, when the printer had not made it to market by 2009 the charity requested Silverbrook and Lee step down from their leadership positions as a condition for another US$150 million (A$141.5m) investment.

The management shift saw Kaiser become the majority 61 percent shareholder in the company. After yet another $230 million (A$216.8m) injection of funds the foundation sought an IP agreement on Silverbrook’s rights to the technology, as well as a full company audit, and a $10 million (A$9.4m) settlement to DuPont to settle an outstanding debt.

On getting an agreement Kaiser invested another $155 million (A$141.4m) last year but now claims “the defendants have utterly disregarded all of their promises and surreptitiously drained as much value from memjet as they could, to feather their own nests, Silverbrook Research’s pocketbook and the purses of several related companies.”

It also claims Silverbrook Research was planning to offer the memjet technology to other companies. The suit alleges common law fraud, deceit, and negligent misrepresentation.

When contacted by Print21 the Sydney offices of Silverbrook Research had “no comment” on the law suit.

  • Housing Highs, Lows, and New Normals

    Morningstar’s Bob Johnson puts recent new home, existing home, inventory, and home price data into context. (Morningstar Research is an investment service that I subscribe to; this video/transcript “discussion” about housing is available to the public).

    “Jason Stipp: I’m Jason Stipp for Morningstar.

    We got a boatload of housing data over the last few days, which can make it difficult to pull out some of the bigger themes in the home market. But luckily, we have Morningstar’s Bob Johnson, director of economic research, to give us the rundown and the walkthrough on recent housing numbers.

    Thanks for joining me, Bob.”

    You can watch the video or read the full transcript of the discussion at this link:

    http://www.morningstar.com/Cover/videoCenter.aspx?id=541496

  • Heeding The Digital Signpost Up Ahead

    Article now up on myprintresource.com ….

    BY JEFFREY STEELE, March 1, 2012

    Positioning your company in the emerging digital signage market is about much more than buying some screens and plugging them in. Entering this segment requires careful planning and a wealth of knowledge.

    While some of the visual communication skills required are similar to those you mastered long ago, you’ll likely need to gain greater expertise through industry association-sponsored seminars and other means. You may also have to hire the young technical and design talent familiar with both digital and static signage to lead you into the digital promised land.

    Some argue the chasm between print and digital is steadily shrinking, and there will come a day soon when it will be totally blurred. PSPs must be ready when that day comes.

    Read Jeff’s complete article at this link:

    http://www.myprintresource.com/article/10620346/heeding-the-digital-signpost-up-ahead

  • Under the covers at Memjet – where the money came from (Kaiser foundation alleges fraud in lawsuit after $610M investment)

    If you’ve been following Memjet-related developments, you’ll find this article very interesting, if not stunning.

    “Kaiser foundation alleges fraud in lawsuit after $610M investment”

    By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer (Tulsaworld.com)

    Published: 3/16/2012 2:28 AM

    Last Modified: 3/16/2012 5:32 AM

    The George Kaiser Family Foundation is suing the most prolific patent-holder in the world, claiming he fraudulently took “tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars” from the organization after it contributed more than $610 million to fund his printing company.

    The Tulsa-based foundation filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tulsa against Kia Silverbrook, his common-law wife Janette Faye Lee and their patent-holding company, Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd.

    Silverbrook is an Australian who was named by Business Insider magazine as the most prolific patent-holder in the world with at least 4,394 patents to his name.

    The lawsuit accuses the defendants of alleged omissions, false representations and false promises made during the investment period, which dates to 2004.

    The soured deal centers on Memjet, a printing company that makes color printheads using a “waterfall” technology, in which 70,000 jets per printhead shoot millions of ink drops per second all the way across a sheet at one time – more efficient and eight times faster than other color printers.

    In a written statement released to the Tulsa World, the foundation called the lawsuit a business dispute involving the control of intellectual property surrounding a revolutionary new printing technology.

    The foundation “has played a key role in funding the development of this technology for many years,” the statement said. “The foundation has a diversified investment portfolio, and the lawsuit seeks to safeguard the upside of our original investment. The lawsuit does not affect the foundation’s current charitable activities whatsoever.”

    “Since this matter is now in litigation, we are not able to provide further comment.”

    The potential loss involving Memjet marks at least the second high-profile investment to go bad for the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The group also took a large position in a startup solar panel manufacturer, Solyndra, which filed bankruptcy last year.

    The Kaiser foundation invested $340 million in the Fremont, Calif.-based company and now is awaiting a return of some of the money since the federal government had granted Solyndra a $535 million loan guarantee.

    In the new case, at the time of the initial investment Silverbrook and Lee were CEO and chief financial officer, respectively, of Memjet. The company had exclusive and perpetual licenses to use technology held by Silverbrook Research.

    The lawsuit states that, previous to Kaiser’s involvement, “the Silverbrook and Lee companies were adept at spending cash” and Memjet was nearly out of money, and the defendants traveled to Tulsa in 2003 to make a pitch to the foundation.

    Starting with an initial investment of $50 million in 2004 that grew to $75 million by 2008, the foundation intended to back the development and commercialization of Memjet, the suit says.

    However, foundation officials became wary in 2009, claiming that the technology had not been commercialized by then, and requested that Silverbrook and Lee step down as a condition for further investment.

    Although the two stepped down from Memjet and Kaiser invested an additional $150 million, becoming majority shareholders with 61 percent of the company, the suit alleges that Silverbrook and Lee marked up the cost of Silverbrook Research’s services to Memjet but disguised them so they did not become apparent until recently.

    After a further $230 million investment in 2010 to early 2011, foundation officials were again concerned that Memjet’s product was not ready for market, the suit says.

    The foundation made additional conditions to Silverbrook and Lee for future investment, including an intellectual property facilitation agreement to assure customers of Memjet’s rights to the technology, a full audit, a streamlined holding company structure and a $10 million settlement to DuPont for a failed business deal.

    The suit alleges the two agreed to the conditions, and the foundation invested an additional $155 million.

    However, foundation officials now believe “the defendants have utterly disregarded all of their promises and surreptitiously drained as much value from Memjet as they could, to feather their own nests, Silverbrook Research’s pocketbook and the purses of several related companies,” the suit alleges.

    The foundation also alleges the defendants are planning to offer the print technologies to third parties.

    The foundation is asking for actual and punitive damages, as well as trust over all benefits derived by the defendant’s alleged fraud.

    Founded in 1999, the Kaiser foundation is a nonprofit formed as a supporting organization to other nonprofits. It listed $3.9 billion in net assets or fund balances at the end of 2009.

    Kaiser is a billionaire Tulsa oilman and banker.

  • HP Announces Organizational Realignment

    Thursday, March 22, 2012

    Press release from the issuing company

    PALO ALTO, CA – HP today announced an organizational realignment to improve performance and drive profitable growth across the entire HP portfolio.

    As part of this realignment, HP’s Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) and its Personal Systems Group (PSG) are joining forces to create the Printing and Personal Systems Group. The combined entity will be led by Todd Bradley, who has served as the executive vice president of PSG since 2005.

    Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of IPG, is retiring after a highly accomplished 31-year career at HP. Under Joshi’s leadership, IPG has grown revenue from $19 billion to $26 billion, and doubled its operating profit to approximately $4 billion.

    “VJ embodies the spirit of HP and his impact on the company has been tremendous,” said Meg Whitman, president and chief executive officer, HP. “Under his leadership, IPG accelerated innovation and pioneered solutions that transformed the printing market. We wish him the very best as he embarks on a new chapter in his life.”

    Combining these two entities will rationalize HP’s go-to-market strategy, branding, supply chain and customer support worldwide. This will lead to a better customer experience and drive innovation across personal computing and printing. This realignment is expected to provide opportunities for cost savings and accelerate HP’s ability to pursue profitable growth and reinvest in the business.

    “This combination will bring together two businesses where HP has established global leadership,” said Whitman. “By providing the best in customer-focused innovation and operational efficiency, we believe we will create a winning scenario for customers, partners and shareholders.”

    In addition to combining PSG and IPG, HP also is taking steps to unify and streamline certain key business functions.

    The Global Accounts Sales organization will join the newly named HP Enterprise Group. This group will be led by David Donatelli and includes Enterprise Servers, Storage, Networking and Technology Services.

    The new structure is expected to speed decision making, increase productivity and improve efficiency, while providing a simplified customer experience. A new role for Jan Zadak, executive vice president for Global Sales, will be announced at a later date. Zadak will work with Donatelli to ensure an orderly transition.

    HP also announced that it will unify its Marketing functions across business units under Marty Homlish, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, HP. This will allow for even more effective brand-building and marketing activities, and will create efficiencies across the business units.

    HP’s Communications employees worldwide also will be similarly unified under Henry Gomez, executive vice president and chief communications officer, HP. Together these two moves will create a more powerful voice to demonstrate the power of “One HP.”

    Finally, HP is moving the Global Real Estate function from Finance into Global Technology and Business Processes to address real estate consolidation and improve the workplace experience for HP employees.

    “Ensuring we have the right organizational structure in place is a critical first step in driving improved execution, and increasing effectiveness and efficiency,” added Whitman. “The result will be a faster, more streamlined, performance-driven HP that is customer focused and poised to capitalize on rapidly shifting industry trends.”

  • FASTSIGNS Irving (TX) Wins Blue Ribbon Small Business Award From The US Chamber Of Commerce

    Blog Publisher’s comments:

    Jeff Youngblood, mentioned below as one of the owners of the Irving (TX) FASTSIGNS franchise, is a “heck-of-a” smart guy and a very hardworking person. Prior to getting involved in his own FASTSIGNS franchise, he was involved in a corporate role with FASTSIGNS International. While at the corporate level (FASTSIGNS International, Dallas) he spearheaded corporate’s efforts to introduce and “roll-out” large-format digital printing services (equipment, consumables, media, software and business processes) to the FASTSIGNS franchise network. I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff back in 1995/6, when I worked for Express Color. Prior to joining FASTSIGNS International, Jeff was the General Manager of Express Color’s (EC Technologies’) location in Dallas. Prior to that, Jeff was a “digital services manager” at Thomas Reprographics, Dallas. Jeff had been with Thomas for (I think it was) around 10 years. Short to say, Jeff, prior to getting involved in his own FASTSIGNS franchise, had a ton of experience, both on the technology and software side of the business and on the “let’s get it done” side of the business.

    Hearty congratulations to Jeff and Cory on the selection of their FASTSIGNS franchise as a Blue Ribbon Winner!

    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

    FASTSIGNS Irving (TX) Wins Blue Ribbon Small Business Award From The Us Chamber Of Commerce

    SOURCE: FASTSIGNS OF IRVING / LAS COLINAS, TX

    In time for their 25th anniversary, the Irving FASTSIGNS sign and graphics center, owned by Jeff Youngblood and Cory Merchant, has been named a winner of the Blue Ribbon Small Business Award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

    Nominated by the Irving Chamber of Commerce, FASTSIGNS of Irving is one of only 75 companies in the United States to be named a Blue Ribbon Small Business Award winner. Selected for their innovative business practices and strong contributions to the community, this is the second time that the Irving FASTSIGNS received this honor.

    “This is such a huge honor for us,” said Youngblood. “Owning a small business comes with its own set of challenges and rewards, but receiving recognition of this magnitude is beyond gratifying. Cory and I are so proud of this team and their hard work—in the office and in the community.”

    Sponsored by Sam’s Club, the Blue Ribbon Small Business Award honors businesses that excel in a variety of selection criteria, including financial performance and business history, staff training and motivation, community involvement, customer service, and business planning. The award is part of the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year selection process.

    “The recipients of this year’s Blue Ribbon Award excelled in business amid great uncertainty and thrived despite difficult economic times,” said Thomas J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber president and CEO. “More important than profits, their successes have provided much-needed jobs and hope to the people in their communities.”

    The Blue Ribbon Small Business Award winners will be honored at America’s Small Business Summit 2012, which will be held May 21 – 23, in Washington, D.C. On March 15, seven of the Blue Ribbon recipients will be announced as award finalists, and one will then be named the DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year. That winner will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize, courtesy of the U.S. Chamber.

  • Dean Southee of RPG weighs in with his thoughts about BIM

    The following was posted in the “Reprographics Group” discussion area on LinkedIn, sometime yesterday, and was posted by Dean Southee, who is with RPG. RPG is based in Maryland. If you are a member of the LinkedIn Reprographics Group, you may want to take a couple of minutes to comment on Dean’s post. (Dean and I worked together, many years ago, at Rowley-Scher Reprographics).

    “BIM . . . aka, death of a salesman. On the horizon, in a not so distant world looms a virtual environment that will eliminate the need for the traditional reprographic shop as we know it today.

    High volume printing, planrooms, document management will become a thing of the past as the ultimate collaboration of BIM evolves into the mainstream, uniting Architects, Engineers, GC’s, Subcontractors, Fabricators, Owners and Asset Managers alike. 

What then becomes of the traditional rperographic salesman? Will he/she adjust, or go the way of the typesetting saleman? 

I recently heard a Budweisser regional manager taliing about how they were experiencing losses and made adjustments to become profitable again. The ‘adjustments’ involved technology changes that elininated around 700 jobs in one plant, leaving around 100 jobs. So, what happened to the 700 employees that were let go? You think Yuengling or Shiner might be hiring? Or are they going in the same direction as Budweisser?

    And, did I even spell Budweisser correctly? 

Back to reprographics . . . . . anyone know how to make money hosting and/or managing a BIM model?”

  • AIA ABI Index for February 2012 is 51.0, above 50 for 4th straight month !!!

    Architecture Billings Index Remains Positive for Fourth Straight Month
 – Highest spike in inquiries for new projects since 2007

    For immediate release:
 Washington, D.C. – March 21, 2012 – Led by the commercial sector, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has remained in positive territory four months in a row. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.

    The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the February (2012) ABI score was 51.0, following a mark of 50.9 in January. This score reflects a slight increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 63.4, up from mark of 61.2 the previous month and its highest reading since July 2007.

    
“This is more good news for the design and construction industry that continues to see improving business conditions,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “The factors that are preventing a more accelerated recovery are persistent caution from clients to move ahead with new projects, and a continued difficulty in accessing financing for projects that developers have decided to pursue.”

    
Key February ABI highlights:

    Regional averages: Midwest (56.0), South (51.3), Northeast (51.0), West (45.6)

    Sector index breakdown: commercial / industrial (55.1), multi-family residential (53.3), institutional (50.3), mixed practice (46.3)

    Project inquiries index: 63.4

    The regional and sector categories are calculated as a 3-month moving average, whereas the index and inquiries are monthly numbers.

    Contact: Scott Frank

    
202-626-7467

    sfrank@aia.org