Fujifilm Energy Winter 2014

A MAGAZINE OF NEW IDEAS, DEVELOPMENTS AND SOLUTIONS

VOL. 4, ISSUE 1

REDEFINING HOW YOU CONNECT

IN THIS ISSUE

TIPPING THE SCALES

10 ways to improve sales

SOCIALLY SPEAKING Five simple ideas for 2014

VOL. 4, ISSUE 1 • WINTER 2014

4 8 Changing directions

Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow makes it easy to switch things up at Brown Industries

10 Tipping the scales 10 ways to improve sales

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With all sincerity

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Profitable package proofing Introducing the ORIS Flex Pack // Web

The total package

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Tips & tricks

Socially speaking Five simple ideas for 2014

Kristi Hubert Editor > khubert@ prairiefirecommunications.com

A letter from Todd Zimmerman

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Fujifilm introduces new Clarity flexo plate for packaging market

ENERGY is published quarterly by FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division Copyright 2014 All rights reserved www.fujifilmgraphics.com

Prepping a package file for finishing

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Press: Komori LS 840 Plates: Fujifilm LH-PJ thermal plates Screening: Fujifilm Co-Res Screening Inks: Toyo inks Coatings: Coatings & Adhesives’ 5296D Gloss UV Coating and 9017 Reticulation Texture Effect UV Varnish

A LETTER FROM TODD ZIMMERMAN

With all sincerity

O

ver the course of time, it has been proven that the basis of any good business is communication. In turn, many issues or challenges can often be traced back to some flaw in the communication process. Considering the pace and influx of information modern life forces us all to manage daily, and the fact that we have so many vehicles with which to communicate, the challenge can often become daunting.

As we embark on a new year, clear and effective communication will be central to our goals. We must be explicitly clear with our direction and our path to market. More importantly, we need to listen more closely to our clients, their business needs and objectives and how we can meet their expectations. We believe investing our efforts in these areas will be very important to our success and, most importantly, they will gain your recognition.

We have the sincerest intentions to serve our customers in the most effective way possible. You will find these changes in our day-to-day contact with you, our customers, and, in the same respect, you will see us continue to use Energy as an important communication tool.

You will see us improve our ability to listen more intently in order to avoid missteps along the way to improving the level of support you can expect from Fujifilm as a valued partner.

As we embark on a new year, clear and effective communication will be central to our mutual goals.

We will be consistently and constantly seeking to gain a better understanding of your business, fully understand your priorities and how we will play a key role in helping you achieve your goals.

The cover article, “The Lost Art of Communication,” makes our inaugural issue of 2014 a special one.

We feel strongly about this piece because of the implications communication has on all of our lives.

While the way we connect will continue to evolve, its importance will not change.

Our second feature, “Tipping The Scales,” offers an easy-to-digest recipe for success. We don’t ignore what is at the top of your mind. Selling is a dynamic subject and a key focus of everyone’s operation, and we are happy to provide a few experts to share their ideas on how they view the subject.

We are finishing 2013 on a high note in terms of accomplishing some important tasks and also in terms of making an effort to establish a deeper connection with all of you. Energy has been about a dedication to our relationships in the marketplace and continually staying connected with our customers. It is with all sincerity that we say, “Happy New Year and all the best in the coming year.”

Sincerely,

Todd Zimmerman Vice President and General Manager Fujifilm Graphic Systems Division ENERGY

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Profitable Package Proofing Introducing the ORIS Flex Pack // Web

In its new report, “The Future of Packaging in North America to 2017,” global authority on supply chain in the packaging, paper and print industry Smithers Pira estimates that the North American packaging market is expected to grow from $169.1 billion to $186 billion by 2017. For package printers, or those contemplating adding those capabilities to their arsenal, that’s good news. The next step is to ensure you’ve got the right equipment.

Key features:

• Cost-effective • Easy to use; no dedicated operator required • Significantly larger color space • Accurate PANTONE® and spot color reproduction • Full support for all PANTONE metallic libraries • Iterative special color optimization • High ink density simulates flexo printing • Advanced contour and perforation cutting controls • White and silver inks printed separately or with multiple passes • Flexible naming capability in white and silver channels

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As with any printed piece, proofing is a critical component and, despite advances in printing technologies, many printers are proofing with a press proof, a process that’s both expensive and inefficient.

ORIS has recently introduced its Flex Pack // Web system. Aimed at those who offer package proofing or mock-up production, the Flex Pack // Web system moves proofing away from the press and replaces slower and more expensive legacy systems.

The Flex Pack // Web system is driven by ORIS’ patented four-dimensional interactive Color Tuner // Web color management software, which offers production flexibility for both halftone and continuous tone proofing. The Flex Pack // Web system is available in three width sizes ranging from 30″ to 64″, and all boast multi-pass and print-and-cut features with the ability to do kiss cuts inline.

The Flex Pack // Web prints on a variety of substrates, including film (silver, foil and shrink), aluminum foil, white vinyl, glossy paper as well as transfer material, allowing users to laminate to other substrates, further expanding the proofing capabilities.

Additionally, each device in the series includes CMYK, orange and green, and white and metallic inks, as well as the PANTONE® color libraries, enabling the proofing of special colors and the ability to define custom colors.

The package

Extended color gamut

The Flex Pack // Web system features XG inks, which, unlike standard inks, have been specifically formulated for proofing applications. The light inks (Lc, Lm) have been replaced with orange and green, and the CMYK set has been completely redefined.

The result is a significantly larger color gamut, enabling nearly all PANTONE colors to be reproduced accurately.

is in the proof

Proofing for color is critical, and never has that been truer than it is in the packaging industry, where brands compete on store shelves for shoppers’ dollars.

Gamut Comparison

And, with the new ORIS Flex Pack // Web solution, Memphis-based Cyber Graphics is giving their customers a good look at the printed piece prior to going on press. “We have to give our customers a predictable preview before they go on press,” explains Kevin Bourquin, Cyber Graphics’ prepress manager. “And that includes top-notch color management as well as the ability to hit an extended color gamut that allows us to proof a much larger range of colors.”

XG Inks

Cyber Graphics is a prepress house – specializing in packaging for salty foods and snacks, sweets and pet food – and has had an ORIS Flex Pack // Web device for nearly six months. Prior to the new device, Bourquin said he was proofing on paper and, when necessary, overprinting on a light black (10-20 percent) to simulate metallic inks. “We’d also rely on printers to provide us with draw downs to show color,” he explains. “But, with where the industry has shifted recently and the increase in the use of process colors, there are no draw downs available.”

That’s where the extended color gamut capabilities of the Flex Pack // Web come in.

“The orange and green allow us to enhance the color capabilities of the device and we’re able to proof a much wider range of colors, as well as metallics,” he says.

Standard Inks Fujifilm Graphic Systems Division offers the Flex Pack // Web as part of its full portfolio of products and solutions for the packaging segment, which also includes the new Clarity flexo plate, flexo inks and the new Graphium label printer.

Now, rather than asking customers to imagine the piece while looking at a proof as well as draw downs, Bouquin and his team can give customers a contract color proof. “They’re pleased it’s a ‘one look’ approach and they’re able to have a better idea of the final product prior to going on press.”

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ommercial printers are known for being fiercely independent and opinionated when it comes to their craft, but when it comes to building healthy client relationships, there is surprising unanimity.

When asked in a recent survey to identify which of five factors presented the biggest obstacle to healthy client relationships, 61 percent chose “communication issues” over price (15 percent), lack of a visible solution (7 percent), personality (6 percent) and other (10 percent).

When asked, “What is the easiest way to communicate today?” 80 percent chose email. When asked, “What is the most effective way to communicate today?” 68 percent chose in-person.

The consensus of the 114 respondents to the study, conducted by Energy, was clearly that communicating has become much easier over the last five years, but not necessarily more effective. The survey indicates a widely held perception that email, voice mail and text messaging have had the perverse effect of making it more difficult to reach clients on the phone and nearly impossible to meet with them face-to-face.

“Most communication is issue-oriented and done electronically,” wrote one respondent, expressing a common workplace lament. “That limits the opportunities to understand clients’ strategic issues and to be a true partner in helping them solve problems or move their businesses forward.”

If I can respond in two minutes or less to an email, I respond. Otherwise, I wait until later.

– Andy Shulman, President, Standard Press

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THE LOST ART OF COMMUNICATION

Respondents’ written remarks exhibited profound ambivalence toward electronic messaging. On the one hand, they indicated that it enables them to exchange information with clients much more quickly than in the past. On the other hand, many complained it had become much more difficult to get timely or complete responses, as their clients struggle to keep up with the torrent of email, instant messages and text messages rifling across their computers and smartphones.

“They do not completely read an email message,” wrote one respondent. “If it is below the ‘fold,’ it does not get read more than 50 percent of the time.”

In 2009, the average corporate worker spent a quarter of his workday on various emailrelated tasks, compared to spending just 14 percent in personal meetings at their place of employment and 9 percent on telephone calls, according to Radicati Group Inc. While the firm estimates that the average corporate worker’s email load has since declined from 167 to 115 a day, that’s only because the messaging traffic has shifted to instant messaging and texting, which can make tracking conversations much more difficult.

Research by the Pew Research Center indicates this trend is unlikely to reverse.

In 2011, Pew found that 63 percent of kids ages 12 to 17 exchanged text messages every day compared to 39 percent who made mobile phone calls, 35 percent who socialized outside of school, 29 percent who used social network messaging, 22 percent who used instant messaging, 19 percent who talked on a land line and 6 percent who used email.

To adapt to the influx of messages, many workers now use their email and voice mail inboxes to screen, rather than read, me s sage s. People born since the mid-1990s may consider a telephone call an intrusion and – as many frustrated parents have learned – rarely listen to voice mails, opting instead to simply tap the “Call Back” icon on their smartphones.

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The new media environment does not erode the quality of business communication. It just changes it.

– John Carey, Professor, Fordham Business School “There is definitely a generational divide, but it is not so much that older folks don’t text (most do) but the volume is way different,” says John Carey, professor of communications and media management at Fordham Business School. “The average American teenager sends or receives 3,500 texts a month. People in their 40s, 50s and even 60s do text, but the volume is a fraction of what it is for teens.”

Marketers are well aware of these behavioral changes and have adjusted their marketing budgets accordingly. When it comes to communicating one-on-one with clients, many in the commercial printing industry perceive that electronic messaging has impoverished rather than enriched their client communications. After all, they point out, experts have long maintained that 80 to 90 percent of human communication is visual.

“There is a significant amount of communication that is nonverbal and missed completely in email and often missed in a phone conversation,” wrote one Energy survey respondent.

“I’m an old school guy,” wrote another. “I feel more effective face-to-face than trying to construct an effectively worded email.”

At Standard Press in Atlanta, President Andy Shulman tries to counter this effect by getting in front of customers as often as he can. “I’m not worrying about reading their body language as I am trying to make sure customers really understand that everyone at Standard Press cares about them and being sure I convey that through my body language as well as with my words,” says Shulman, who notes his company routinely sends handwritten thank you notes to customers to add a personal touch.

10 TIPS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION For Shulman, however, the big challenge revolves more around time management than changing communication habits. To avoid constant interruption, he and many others have simply learned to block time to focus on important tasks. Shulman also follows productivity guru David Allen’s two-minute rule. “If I can respond in two minutes or less to an email, I respond. Otherwise, I wait until later,” he says.

The bottom line is while nothing beats a dinner, golf outing or trade show for building a relationship, salespeople, customer service reps and other clientfacing professionals must adapt just as their colleagues in marketing have. While Skype has dramatically reduced or eliminated the cost of teleconferencing, it requires scheduling and planning. For the foreseeable future, that means people who become adept at crafting concise messages and adapting them to the communication preferences of individual clients will continue to have an edge in building and sustaining client relationships.

Fordham’s Professor Carey adds, “The new media environment does not erode the quality of business communication. It just changes it.”

One of the biggest communication challenges facing commercial printers is getting clients to provide information they need to prepare a proposal in a timely manner. “Most want to communicate via email, however they do not read the replies carefully and do not answer the questions required to assist them,” wrote one commercial printer in a response to a survey Fujifilm conducted. With that in mind, Energy offers the following tips:

Network – Seek out professional gatherings where you can establish an informal relationship with someone over dinner or a beverage. Focus on establishing your expertise and building trust – don’t sell. Most people you meet this way will be eager to respond to your next email.

Do your research – Don’t ask clients for information that’s available on their website or via public records such as SEC filings.

Don’t promise solutions your company cannot deliver. A single mistake can cost you not just the job, but also a relationship.

Propose a plan – Write down exactly what information you need from your client in the order you need it. To avoid overwhelming the client, break the discovery process into phases, explain the logic of the phasing and get them to explicitly buy into the process and/or suggest improvements. This saves them the time of having to formulate a plan of their own and establishes you as the reliable expert.

Limit your ask – Avoid asking too many questions at once, but also resist spreading your queries across too many separate emails. Always include the string of the conversation in each response for easy referral.

Designate a subject header for each project – To help you and the client quickly spot and search for your emails, agree to insert the same header at the front of each subject line, such as “Joe’s Retail – POS Signage.”

Avoid “Reply to All” to email – An enormous amount of time and storage space is wasted by this annoying email practice. Don’t clog up a colleague’s inbox unless the message is essential to the conversation.

Be brief – Nothing will prompt an overworked client to skip your email like a page full of gray text. Limit your emails to 250 words if at all possible.

Use bullet points – Open your email by explicitly stating you require a response on a specific number of items. Then, list each under bullet points with bold headlines as in this list for easy reference.

Specify a deadline – The best place to do this is near the top of the email, so it appears above the fold in the client’s inbox. If there are multiple deadlines, boldface them at the end of each bullet point.

Be judicious – Use the “Urgent” or “High Priority” buttons judiciously or risk training your client to ignore your emails. After all, if it’s truly urgent, it may make more sense to just pick up the phone.

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Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow makes it easy to switch things up at Brown Industries

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or many printers today, the key to being successful – and efficient – is being flexible.

And that couldn’t be more true for Dalton, Ga.based Brown Industries and Prepress Manager Bill Kregel, who needed a workflow that could keep up with the changes.

“We have three presses and, as a result, a lot of shuffling of work between them,” explained Kregel, “and we needed a workflow that could keep up with that.

“For the past six years, we’ve been using a workflow that required we also use another program to build impositions, and that made it really cumbersome,” he said. “We would have a job set up for press number one and be ready to plate and, at the last minute scheduling makes the change to print on press number two, and we would have to go all the way back within FlatWorker, reconstruct everything and then bring it back into the workflow software before we could produce the plates. The ripping was slow and getting files to the platesetter sometimes took more than an hour.”

Tired of the inefficiencies this created, Kregel decided it was time for a change in the company’s workflow.

“We received a demo of Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow and we liked what we saw. Additionally, we’ve had a great relationship with Fujifilm for some time, not to mention the cost for XMF was about the same as the upgrade to our previous solution…. It really was a no-brainer,” explained Kregel.

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Built around PDF and JDF technologies, and with more than 4,500 customers worldwide, Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow provides a rich set of capabilities in preflighting, color management, imposition and screening for a number of output devices. It integrates the latest Adobe technology APPE and is JDF compliant, while also offering intelligent automation, flow and color control, flexibility and improved communication as well as direct communication to XMF Remote, an extremely powerful Job Submission/Job Approval solution.

“The history of our relationship with Fujifilm played a big part and the support has been great,” he said. “We also looked at the soft proofing option of our previous workflow solution, and it just wasn’t there for us. XMF Remote was a lot better for us and for what we need.

“XMF Workflow is much more flexible. We really like the imposition built right in, you don’t have to go to another program,” added Kregel. “It’s so much quicker and, again, more flexible. When we looked at updating our former workflow, and with respect to the total cost of ownership, there was just no comparison.

This is a major move for us. With XMF, Fujifilm has introduced a great product into the market. I can see the David and Goliath story coming to fruition in the marketplace of production workflows; I wanted to be a part of it.”

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10 ways to improve sales

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ike Borne remembers the days when the printing services landscape was growing at every turn. Back then, it was important to

have a solid relationship with your customer and the ability to deliver product. In addition, if people liked you and you had what they

It’s about building a deep, trusting relationship with your customers. Customers will buy from those they trust. – Mike Borne, Director, Pressroom Sales, Fujifilm

needed, you made the sale.

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TIPPING THE SCALES

In today’s business environment, there is increased competition, complex sales cycles, more price pressure, more information available and less time to take in that information. Today, you must have the selling skills to differentiate yourself from your competition by seeking out and refining your ability to understand your customers’ needs.

As director of pressroom sales at Fujifilm Graphic Systems Division, Borne has seen the challenges this new landscape has created. It is unlike anything he has experienced in his more than 35 years in the sales game. Today, selling is a professional endeavor. It’s not just about you; it’s about being able to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and truly understand their needs.

“Even if you don’t have a product or service that can fill those needs that day, fully understanding and advising your customer puts you in a position to get an inside track when new opportunities present themselves,” Borne says. “It can’t be an act. You have to truly place the customers’ best interest before your own. You must thoroughly understand your customers’ needs before recommending a solution, otherwise you will be seen as just another salesperson more interested in a sales commission than in helping the prospect’s business. It’s about building a deep, trusting relationship with your customers. Customers will buy from those they trust.”

This you know: The printing services market is changing and will continue to change. Not that long ago, print customers had continual and developing needs, in many cases, due to growth and market expansion. They were printing catalogs, spec sheets, brochures and mailers. Marketers were using print to get their messages out.

Today, the landscape is more complex and printers exist in a new environment where marketers make significant investments in social media, SEO, marketing automation systems and email; they are not only focusing on print. Being successful means you must be able to understand how print fits into the landscape of today and talk compellingly about the benefits of print as an effective form of media while understanding the impact each form may have on the other.

“Today, you need to understand the customer’s entire business, rather than just their production environment,” Borne says. “You need to understand the customer’s goals and mission as a business and, through a consultative selling approach, be able to recommend ways for the customer to reach his goals, be it ideas for increasing revenue by investing in other markets, reducing production costs, improving image, etc. You need to be skilled at asking the right questions at the right time to enable the customer to identify their needs – many times, needs the customer doesn’t even know exist.

This can be a powerful and profound experience that pays dividends for your relationship.”

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Linda Bishop knows what the power of print means to marketers.

She also believes printers truly have an upper hand if they can strategically show how print fits into the grand marketing strategy.

“When print is hired to do the right job, it is a powerful tool,” says Bishop, founder of Thought Transformation, an Atlanta-based sales training company that’s trained thousands of salespeople on critical selling skills such as prospecting, cold calling, account qualification, closing sales and penetrating accounts.

“Print provides a tactile experience,” Bishop says. “Engaging more senses can help a marketer create stronger memories. Print has shelf life. People still save postcards, brochures and catalogs because they aren’t ready to buy today. Printed materials can engage people at a deeper level. When someone devotes more attention to considering marketing materials, they are more likely to understand the benefits and make a purchase.”

Have a clear and measurable objective before every sales call that’s based on the expectation that a customer will do or say something that will take you closer to gaining a sale.

– Sales coach, author and business consultant Brian Sullivan

Educate yourself

Just like any profession, you must continually improve your skills, Borne says. “Attend sales seminars, study technical bulletins and sales literature, attend product demonstrations, stay on top of industry trends, understand your competition and your marketplace.

The more knowledge you acquire the more successful you will become.”

Work your big opportunities

“Recognize when you have a major opportunity in front of you and work it hard,” Bishop says.

Tasks are endless. They are in front of you every day. Big opportunities are rare. When you get one, make it a priority.

Know your ‘two-minute drill’

Ask the right questions Be prepared

Make sure everyone is happy

Don’t focus on price

Sure, the elevator pitch is one of the premises that successful sales training strategies can be built upon. It is an important method of developing a concentrated benefit statement that captures the value of your solution.

Borne says the two-minute drill is not only critical to selling your wares, but helps salespeople truly understand the value of what you are selling.

Ask customers if they’re happy more often, Bishop says. Ask them what you can do to be better. It is imperative you recognize that only 20 percent of your customers are loyal. The other 80 percent are satisfied. Just remember this: satisfied customers will shop for something better.

Attitude is everything

Don’t ever discount the power of your attitude – it’s paramount to your success. You can learn new selling skills, but without a positive attitude, your new skills may be useless, Borne says. Attitude cannot be learned. It is a choice you must make. Choose your words carefully. Many times it’s not only what you say, but how you say it. Don’t underestimate your body language.

Planning a strategy and skillfully using intelligent, thoughtprovoking questions enables you to uncover needs your customer may have or may not be aware they have, Borne says.

Asking the right questions at the right time enables you to have a mutually beneficial conversation, one that will help develop a long-term relationship, where both parties achieve their goals and win.

It’s not about price – it’s about the total cost of ownership and what your product or service would mean to your customer’s business, Borne says. Focusing on price often ignores other needs and reinforces the perception of your product or services as commodities.

Have a clear and measurable objective before every sales call that’s based on the expectation that a customer will do or say something that will take you closer to gaining a sale, says sales coach, business consultant and author Brian Sullivan. For example, don’t just call a current customer to “check in” on things. The best objective is to get your customer to give you the name of a key decision maker in a department that’s not using your services.

Be respectful and trustful

Thank your prospects and customers for the opportunity to do business and ask the right questions to maximize your meeting time, Sullivan says. Rather than be pushy, be slightly indifferent. Say something such as, “We have some new technologies that are helping customers like you save time and money. If you believe the solutions will do the same for you, great. If not, thanks for giving us a look.”

Be a better prospector

In today’s landscape, the battle for print customers is becoming more and more intense, which means you must make prospecting part of your everyday activities, Sullivan says. Be specific in the number of prospecting calls you make each day, and then be precise in making them. Think it out. If you want five new customers this month, you must have 15 “sit down” meetings with decision makers. But to get to 15 sit down meetings, you may need to make 40 cold prospecting calls. That’s only 10 a week, two a day. And yes, that’s attainable.

When print is hired to do the right job, it is a powerful tool....

Printed materials can engage people at a deeper level.

– Linda Bishop, Founder, Thought Transformation

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Fujifilm introduces new Clarity flexo plate for packaging market Features: The packaging segment of the market continues to improve, evolve and grow, and the quality seen in flexographic pressrooms is giving traditional lithography a run for its money. Fujifilm has brought together all of the crucial pieces – including the products, services and support as well as a new flexo plate for the package printing market– that will help you achieve the results you want and need to start winning that race.

Fujifilm’s latest technology for the packaging market, the Clarity flexo plate, provides the highest flexo print quality at the fastest production time and at significantly lower usage costs than traditional thermal and solvent technologies. Innovative water-washable chemistry means users get to press faster, the plates will run longer and your customers will see outstanding print quality.

• Productivity – Faster platemaking time means significantly more output.

Bringing all of the pieces together

• Print quality – With 200 lpi, 1 percent process dot and superb flat top dot, Clarity delivers consistent quality that’s superior to other flexo plates on the market.

Leveraging strengths in both UV and waterbase ink technologies, as well as the company’s commitment to innovation, Fujifilm’s complete line of flexo and rotary screen inks are designed specifically for narrow- to medium-web printers. The performance and value of all of these products is complemented by dedicated technical support with expertise in packaging solutions.

• Environmentally friendly – The proprietary chemistry of Clarity requires use of only a mild detergent for washout, eliminating environmentally damaging solvents. And because a wicking cloth isn’t required, there’s no impact on landfill or increase in carbon footprint.

With the addition of the Clarity plate, Fujifilm has rounded out its flexo portfolio, which also includes UV and waterbase flexo inks, Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow solution and Graphium, a new inkjet narrow web (up to 16″) press for labels and specialty print. On the horizon is a new version of Fujifilm’s J Press, an inkjet press designed specifically for folding cartons.

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• Platemaking time – With a total processing time of less than 40 minutes, Clarity is more than 3x faster than solvent systems and 1.5x faster than thermal.

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TIPS & TRICKS

As more and more commercial printers venture into packaging – whether jumping in and bringing full capabilities in house or dipping their toe in the water and producing prototypes – the nuances of file prep and finishing are crucial.

Following are a few tips for setting up a file properly, ensuring proper cuts, creases and a piece that’s finished perfectly.

1. Create a multi-layered file in Illustrator based on the various tools and functions you’ll require. We’re producing a cookie box, so we’ll need four layers: crease, cut, registration mark and print. (Figure 1)

Figure 1

2. Eventually, output two files – a print file and a cut file – from the original file. (The cut file will have the various layers listed above – minus the print layer – and will indicate which tools the cutters need to use where.) The print file will have the cut and crease layers hidden. Additionally, we’ve placed registration marks (using the toolbox plug-in for Illustrator from Esko) randomly on the front of the piece (which is right-reading) and the cutter will read those and cut the marks out.

3. Print “print” file. (We printed using the Fujifilm Acuity Advance Select HS flatbed UV printer.)

4. Move printed piece to cutter. (We used an Kongsberg XN cutting table with iCut software from Esko.)

5. Assign tools to various layers (Figure 2). With our file, we used: Regmark = camera Crease = crease Throughcut = rigid materials knife 6. Select all layers; select Production Manager tool; select Run/Start.

Figure 2

7. Cut registration marks first by duplicating the registration mark layer and assigning the rigid materials knife; flip substrate (since it’s right-reading).

8. Now mirror all the layers (minus the registration mark layer with cutting tool) as you’ll be cutting and creasing from the backside.

9. Before cutting anything else, execute any creases necessary for the piece. (When the device makes a crease on a cut piece, it will often force the corners to bend and lift, interfering with the path of the tool.)

If you have a cutting table capable of queueing up multiple tools at once, then you’re able to run all layers at one time. If not, you’ll need to run the layers individually in the order established earlier.

10. Cut box.

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New networks. Leaders. Innovative ways of interacting. What does 2014 hold for the world of social media? If you want to stay relevant in today’s everchanging marketplace, social media continues to pave the way. John Foley, president of interlinkONE and Grow Socially, provides five ideas that might make the road a bit smoother.

No. 1 – It is all content

Whether you make a sales call, present a PowerPoint or tweet something, it’s important to recognize that it is all content. Just because it is a social platform doesn’t mean it is any different. The key is to still make the content relevant. And don’t forget that people like pictures, so don’t be shy about including images.

No. 2 – Lights, camera, record

Don’t be afraid you will have to constantly create new content.

Curating content is just as important and may even demand more trust. When clients or followers believe in you, finding a thoughtful video or article can get you as much play as creating your own. And, remember, we are visual creatures, so videos work.

No. 3 – The multi-screen experience

While the term “multi-screen experience” may sound unfamiliar, it has been around longer than you think. Having content available and distributed across various devices allows you to reach the maximum amount of viewers. In other words, just because you post something on your Facebook page doesn’t mean your salespeople can’t present it during a sales call as well.

No. 5 – Build a social media team

Having socially educated employees is just as important as having a strong social presence for your company. Certainly, it makes sense to have a central person or group to manage the brand in the social world. However, having people understand how to negotiate the social networks is important, too. Beyond a better understanding of the market in general, it is a great place to incubate new relationships. So, embrace it and add it to your repertoire.

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No. 4 – Thought leadership matters

One way to effectively utilize your content marketing strategy is by educating your audience. Content marketing = thought leadership. Content marketing, combined with the power of social media, will keep your audience engaged. In today’s world, it’s imperative you communicate with your clients and prospects and stand out. Your market can learn from the content you provide, making you an effective thought leader. In addition, it will push people to learn more about your company and what you have to offer.

DON’T GET STRANDED.

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