Welcome to the Learning Center! Here you'll find our Digital Printing Report newsletters, economic studies, Tech Report papers, video tutorials, and white papers. All Printing Industries of America members can access this content. For content marked MEMBERS ONLY, Printing Industries of America members simply need to sign in above with their username and password.
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White Papers |
White Papers
- Mobile-Optimized Websites: A Primer for Printers
MEMBERS ONLY: QR codes—along with the right mobile experience—is another tool that can be offered to marketers as part of an integrated print solution. In this white paper, you'll learn how to get started with building mobile-optimized websites.
- Augmented Reality—Extending the Value of Print
MEMBERS ONLY: Updated for 2013! This white paper by author Joe Marin provides an overview of augmented reality technologies and highlights their relevance to print. New information includes an updated tutorial and additional resources.
- Your Website: Keep It or Start Over?
MEMBERS ONLY: This white paper will help you understand—without all of the technical jargon—how to assess, modify, and enhance your own website so that you're practicing everything that you preach!
- SGIA 2012 Las Vegas
MEMBERS ONLY:The SGIA show remains remains a go-to event for the digital wide format and specialty printing community. The following report by I.T. Strategies contains the latest review of products, companies, and their contextual analysis from this year's SGIA Expo.
- VDP Costing and Pricing: The Fundamentals
MEMBERS ONLY: In this white paper author Joe Marin explains the fundamental aspects of VDP costing and pricing and explains difference between estimating and pricing static printing versus VDP.
- Social Media Investigations of Top Vertical Markets
FREE: This report compiles information related to how different vertical markets use social media.
- QR Codes: A Primer for Printers
FREE: This white paper is a short primer for printers interested in extending the value of the printed page while providing more interactive, engaging information for the customer through the use of QR codes.
- Digital Printing and Survivability in the U.S. Postal System
MEMBERS ONLY: In this white paper author Joe Marin analyzes the results of a research study showing how various digital printing solutions and substrates ared from a variety of mailing locations and distances.
Digital Printing Report
- Image Recognition—Evolution via Integration
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 19, Issue 1 of the Digital Printing Report contains an article on image recognition technologies, a preview of a new DPC Tech Report paper, and short news snippets.
- Integrated Print Forum and web2awards
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 18, Issue 4 of the Digital Printing Report contains a wrap up of the 2011 web2awards, at look at the Integrated Print Forum, and short news snippets.
- Direct-to-Garment Printing: Can it Fit for You?
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 18, Issue 3 of the Digital Printing Report contains an article about digital garment printing, a case study of MMI Solutions, and short news snippets.
- Production Inkjet Update
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 18, Issue 2 of the Digital Printing Report contains a brief update on production inkjet, a story about an innovative mobile-enabled scavenger hunt at the New York Public Library, and short news snippets.
- Changes to the Digital Printing Council
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 18, Issue 1 of the Digital Printing Report contains an article detailing changes to the structure of the Digital Printing Council, a a case study on Automated Graphic Systems of Maryland, and short news snippets.
- Augmented Reality
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 17, Issue 4 of the Digital Printing Report contains an article on augmented reality and short news snippets.
- Marketing4Digital: Health Care Preview
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 17, Issue 3 of the Digital Printing Report contains preview of our updated Marketing4Digital report on the health care industry as well as short news snippets.
- Printing in 3D
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 17, Issue 2 of the Digital Printing Report contains an article on 3D printers and papercraft, a story about transforming printers nad publishers into digital services providers, and short news snippets.
- Digital Printing: The Hot Markets
MEMEBERS ONLY: Volume 17, Issue 1 of the Digital Printing Report contains a special report by Frank Romano on the hot markets for digital printing.
- Wide-format Printing—A Short-term View
FREE: Volume 16, Issue 7 of the Digital Printing Report contains a special report by Frank Romano on the near-term future of the the wide-format printing market.
- Overwhelming Trends Facing Book Markets
FREE: Volume 16, Issue 6 of the Digital Printing Report is a double issue that contains a story about trends in the book publishing markets, an overview of the IPA's 2009 Digital Print Forum, and a special report by Frank Romano on where he sees the digital printing market going by the year 2020.
- Growth Markets for Digital Printing
FREE: Volume 16, Issue 5 of the Digital Printing Report contains an article on a high-speed auto loader device and a special report by Frank Romano on the current state of the digital printing industry.
- Is Social Media Useful for Marketers?
FREE: Volume 16, Issue 4 of the Digital Printing Report contains an article about marketers' use of social media and a story about new USPS standards for letter-sized booklets.
Tech Reports
- Color Correction in Photoshop: A Step-by-Step Guide to Great Images
MEMBERS ONLY: This informative Tech Report provides creatives and prepress professionals with basic, easy-to-follow procedures to assess and color correct digital images for print production.
- Designing for Digital: 5 Don'ts for Creatives
MEMBERS ONLY: In this report author Joe Marin describes five common mistakes that you want to avoid when creating a piece that will be printed digitally.
- Preflight for Success
MEMBERS ONLY: In this report author Joe Marin shows how designers can take advantage of easy-to-use preflighting and diagnostic tools to quickly assess and correct common print related problems before sending jobs off to the printer.
- Printing Consistent Color
MEMBERS ONLY: In this report author Joe Marin guides you through the steps to achieving consistent color balance throughout a pressrun.
- Calibration and Profiling for Soft Proofing
MEMBERS ONLY: This Tech Report paper addresses this subject of using color management for soft proofing.
- Color Management and Rendering Intents
MEMBERS ONLY: Rending intents—saturation, perceptual, and colorimetric—attempt to find replacements for those out-of-gamut colors that cannot be reproduced on an output device. The following Tech Report paper by addresses this subject.
- Gradients and Banding
MEMBERS ONLY: When they're created properly, gradients are a great way to add flair to any design. When created improperly, banding can occur. The following Tech Report explains banding and how to eliminate it.
- Live Preflight with InDesign
MEMBERS ONLY: The following Tech Report paper looks at how common digital file problems can be eliminated more early in the printing process by preflighting live in InDesign.
- RGB or CMYKfor Digital: Which is Best?
MEMBERS ONLY: Most service providers often request that the designer convert images to CMYK before sending them off for print. When designing for digital, this is not the best choice for a very important reason: You'll probably lose valuable color information. The following Tech Report paper explains why.
- RGB Color Correction Tips
MEMBERS ONLY: The following Tech Report paper gives tips on color correcting RGB images.
- Toner and Large Solids
MEMERS ONLY: This Tech Report paper explains the problems with reproducing large solids or tinted areas on a toner-based device and offers some solutions.
- Transparency and Fonts
MEMBERS ONLY: If transparency is not used judiciously in a document, problems can arise when the job is printed on press. One of the most common situations associated with transparency is when it is used in conjunction with fonts. The following Tech Report paper explains more.
- Unsharp Mask Tips and Tricks
MEMBERS ONLY: The following Tech Report paper describes how to use the Unsharp Mask filter in Photoshop to sharpen images that were captured via scanning or digital photography.
- When Not to Use a Font
MEMBERS ONLY: Do you know where all of the fonts you have installed on your computer came from? Were they purchased from a reputable font foundry, or were they acquired from a freeware site? The following Tech Report paper explains when not to use a font.
Economic Studies
- Charting a Path for 2013 and 2014: Executive Summary
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we offer our last 2012 update for the economy and print markets in 2013–2014. We also provide a new perspective on the print market space from Printing Industries of America’s latest Print Market Atlas.
- Checking Your Expense and Productivity Metrics
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we take a deeper look at the findings from the 2012 Ratios by examining some expense and productivity metrics.
- Political Economy 2012: Post Election Scenarios
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we paint three distinct possible stereotypical economic and print market consequences that may or may not materialize after the election. Note that these are not forecasts but rather are simulations to be used for scenario analysis when testing various strategies.
- September 2012 Flash Report: Printing Industry Reports a 1.8% Profit
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we give an overview of the 2012 Ratios, which present information on the 2011 fiscal year for graphic arts companies
- Downgrading the Recovery and Updating Print Markets
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we (once again) downgrade the economic recovery and update the recent track of print markets.
- U.S. Printing Plants: Equilibrium Ahead?
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we update our view on the future direction of the number and size distribution of U.S. printing plants by starting with the question “will the number of U.S. printing plants stabilize in the next decade and, if so, what will be the impact on firms’ size, market focus, profitability, and family run firms?”
- Updating Print's 2011 Economic Footprint and Outlook for 2012 & 2013
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we take a look back at 2011 to update print’s economic footprint and offer our outlook for the economy and print markets for the remainder of 2012 and 2013.
- Up, Down, and Sideways: Profiling Business Cycles in the Economy and Print
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we examine cyclical patterns in the economy and print and place the industry’s recent problems in perspective.
- Print's Financial Performance: Overview of 2011 Ratios Survey Results
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we review the results from the 2011 Ratios survey. We will analyze overall industry profitability, profit by size of firm, trends in major cost items, productivity trends, and profit (losses) by product specialty.
- Updating Print Market Trends and Examining Competing Print Outlooks
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we update current print market trends and explain the big difference between our long-term forecast for print markets and a competing forecast.
- Tracking a Stalled Recovery
MEMBERS ONLY: The economy remains on edge with the outlook bouncing between three scenarios, bad direction-slow growth, no growth, or decline. This Flash offers our perspective on the current economy and print markets and also provides an examination of the contrasting trends for digital and conventional printing.
- The Latest Economic and Print Market Flash Report
MEMBERS ONLY: In this Flash we once again turn our attention to the longer term future of print and print markets. Our purpose is not to provide a specific forecast of the future but rather is offered as educated speculation on a likely path of print's future environment.
- Updated Outlook and Review of Print Market Trends
MEMBERS ONLY: This Flash report presents our updated economic and print market outlook and provides additional analysis of current print market trends.
Augmented Reality
- Augmented Reality Part 1—Installing AR Software
MEMBERS ONLY: This video explains how to download and install the augmented reality software applications.
- Augmented Reality Part 2—3-D Basics
MEMBERS ONLY: In this video, you’ll learn how to use some basic tools to create and navigate around a 3-D object.
- Augmented Reality Part 3—Creating a 3-D Object
MEMBERS ONLY: In this video, you’ll learn how to trace a 2-D object and turn it into a 3-D object for the AR application.
- Augmented Reality Part 4—Previewing an AR Application
MEMBERS ONLY: This video covers how to preview a 3-D object as an AR application.
- Augmented Reality Part 5—Creating an AR Application
MEMBERS ONLY: In this video, you’ll learn all about the final parts that are required to create a finished AR application.
- Augmented Reality Part 6—AR Resources
MEMBERS ONLY: This video discusses some great resources for learning even more about augmented reality.
Color Correction in Photoshop
- Color Correction in Photoshop Part 1—Setting up the Photoshop Workspace
MEMBERS ONLY: This video explains how set up Photoshop properly for image color correction.
- Color Correction in Photoshop 2—Understanding Photoshop Color Settings
MEMBERS ONLY: In this video, you’ll learn how what the Photoshop Color Settings are all about and how they affect image color correction.
- Color Correction in Photoshop Part 3—Setting up the Curves Tool
MEMBERS ONLY: In this video, you’ll learn how to set up the Curves tool for image color correction.
- Color Correction in Photoshop Part 4—Correcting Highlight, Shadow, and Gray Balance
MEMBERS ONLY: This video covers how to use the Curves tool to set the highlight, shadow, and gray balance within an image.
- Color Correction in Photoshop 5—Selective Color Correction
MEMBERS ONLY: In this video, you’ll learn how to use the Selective Color to adjust specific colors in an image.
- Color Correction in Photoshop Part 6—Unsharp Mask
MEMBERS ONLY: This video covers how to use UnSharp Mask to sharpen and enhance detail in an image.
Integrating Print and New Media
- Integrating New Media Technologies Into Your Business
FREE: Sponsored by Ricoh, this webinar shows you how to up the competition with new product offerings and teaches you how to extend printed material to the Internet and rich media while providing marketers with valuable campaign feedback and analytics.
Mobile Web Development
- Previewing Mobile Websites in Safari
MEMBERS ONLY: When developing mobile websites, you can use the Safari Browser website to preview what the website will look like on various Apple devices. In this video, Joe Marin shows you how.
- Previewing Mobile Websites in Firefox
MEMBERS ONLY: Firefox has a nifty little plug-in called User Agent Switcher that allows you to impersonate any one of dozens of mobile devices—a handy tool when developing websites for mobile.
QR Code Creation and Tracking
- Creating and Tracking QR Codes with Google Url Shortener
MEMBERS ONLY: In this short video, Joe Marin discusses how to create and track QR codes using the free Url Shortener service from Google.
- Creating and Tracking QR Codes using the Microsoft Tag Service
MEMBERS ONLY: You've probably seen the Microsoft Tag included in printed material. But, did you know you could create and track QR codes using the free Microsoft Tag service? In this video, Joe Marin explains exactly how to do it!
- Customizing QR Codes
MEMBERS ONLY: A QR code is an amazing technology, but they certainly aren’t the prettiest things to look at. In this video, learn how to turn QR codes into high-resolution graphics so that they can be customized by adding design elements.