A blog for users, consumers, and suppliers of digital document output systems in a production environment

I think that printing now has a false impression of being bad for the environment. There are many emails that now have a little reminder in them to be kind to the environment and not to print the email. Your bank and other companies you get statements and bills from are strongly encouraging you to be a good citizen of the earth and sign up for paperless statements. The iPad and other Tablet like devices are getting people to use less paper. Even Obama is attacking the print medium as “pointless waste” that “no one reads,” when he talked about the daily Federal Register, that will no longer be made available in printed form.

The response from Printing Industries of America (PIA) is available at: http://tinyurl.com/63zx9fe

Printing is actually beneficial to the environment. Would you not agree that having more trees on earth is good thing? Well, the printing industry plants more trees than they consume. How many trees does your electric company plant? How many trees did Apple plant for each computer and iPad they sell? How many trees did Amazon plant for each Kindle and electronic book sold? I’ll bet the answer is ZERO!

When something is demand it has a value. If the demand of trees continues to drop, then much of the land that is now covered by trees will become worth more without the trees. If you owned a bunch of land that you got paid for harvesting and planting trees you’d probably be okay with that. As long as the trees are valued and can be replanted with an eventual profit from the cycle of planting and harvesting them, land with trees will continue to be a good thing. But what if trees had no monetary value? Wouldn’t many if not most of the land owners would sell off their tree filled lands for subdivisions, business parks, and other uses that don’t many many trees? How will that shift in value affect the environment? The consumer shift away from printed materials and the encouragement of going “paperless” will surely have a negative affect on the environment. I think this is another case of “unintended consequences” that will have an opposite effect than what some thought when they started their attack on printing.

The attack on printing needs a response and marketing campaign much like the dairy industries “Got Milk?®” program. In the beverage marketplace there are many big players, like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, with plenty of money from profits to advertise their goods. Individual and corporate farmers are much like printing companies, they didn’t have the resources individually to promote their product. In 1993, the California Milk Process Board (CMPB) was formed to promote and market the consumption of their key product, milk. By getting the biggest 11 milk processors to agree to a three cent per gallon fee paid to the CMPB, the “Got Milk?®” marketing, advertising, promotion, and public relations program was made possible.

Printing has a net positive impact on the earth and the message needs to promoted. I think that the PIA needs to take a leadership role in marketing the benefits of printing. If not the PIA, then two largest commercial printers RR Donnelley and Quad/Graphics seem to have deep enough pockets to buyout other companies, so why don’t they pony up some bucks to get something going?

Isn’t it time to save the printing industry before it dies and our earth loses more trees that benefit the environment?

Save the earth…buy and use more print! Your use of computers, smartphones, tablets and other electronic gadgets in place of print on paper are not doing anything to plant trees!!!

I feel the need to step outside my normal topics in light of the aftermath from the tragic shootings in Tucson Arizona this past Saturday involving the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

I’ve been seeing and hearing a lot in the press, and from high profile political sources, those that are trying to tie responsibility of the shooting to political leaders and/or influencers like Sarah Palin, Glen Beck, the Tea Party, and many others.

While I agree with the premise that one should be responsible with their words and actions because they may influence others, ANYONE who suggests or infers that someone like Sarah Palin, or any other political influencer, is somehow even partially responsible for the actions of the presumed Tucson AZ shooter, Jared Loughber, is an idiot!

There are plenty of bad influences on TV and/or radio, in print or blogging on the Internet, but they don’t cause a sane person to commit insane actions. The true and total responsibility of why Jared Loughber allegedly attempted to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a shooting rampage that killed six people and injured others lies with Jared Loughber.

Based on the many reports of Jared’s past, one can assume he has many abnormalities from the average sane person. Therefore, I doubt the absence of “toxic rhetoric” in the political landscape would have prevented the insane actions of an obviously insane person.

I’m truly sick of people trying to play a political blame game after a tragic event like the one that unfolded during a constituent listening session being held by Rep. Gabrielle Gifford at Tucson AZ grocery store parking lot. Perhaps one of my friends is right, everything is frickin politics. It is deplorable that political power is so important to some that they feel the need to rush in front of a camera and blame the “other side” for some recent tragic event or natural disaster.

One could more easily argue that many of today’s problems could be caused or accelerated by the shrinking number of people who believe in personal responsibility. Blaming others for your personal issues and expecting others to give you anything (health care, food, shelter, etc.) has led to societal decay.

As the Micheal Jackson song “Man in the Mirror” suggests… to change the world, start with yourself.

Insane people do insane things…trying to blame their actions on the words or actions of others for political gain is truly sickening.

For now, the success or failure of the iPad lies in the hands of consumers. If millions of people can justify spending their money on a device that overlaps some of the functionality of their laptop, netbook, smartphone, and/or iPod, then it will be a success.

It all boils down to suitability of the task you wish to perform. The limitations of the iPad are many, but its best role is as a media “consumption” device.

For me, the biggest obstacle to owning any device made by Apple is their business practices. I personally don’t like how they lock things down and require all media and applications be purchased through them. If only it supported Flash, then it would be a sweet little web browsing device.

After the initial buying surge by the Apple sheeple, we will soon see if consumers buy into the whole concept of a hybrid device with many limitations.

Another iPad like device that has caught my eye is the Notion Ink.

http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-hands-on-0969281/

http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-hands-on-digital-magazine-demo-1774515/

http://www.notionink.in/

The only way I can see spending $500 (or more) on an iPad, or similar device, is if  it would actually replace my laptop at least 80% of the time. My smartphone does more than the iPad, its only limitation is a small screen size and lack of Flash support (for now, but coming soon).

If only the iPad or similar device was just a dumb terminal that wireless acted as the I/O (input/output) device to my PC or smatphone, I’d be all over it if it was priced more like $300. Then I think you’d see a hugely successful device that consumers would quickly adopt as their “missing link.”

Here is a link to a another blog site that has a summary of reviews on the iPad:

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/04/01/ipad-review-round-up/

Here is a link to a well written full review:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040100286.html?nav=hcmodule

With all the hype and excitement expressed about the Apple iPad in all sorts of media outlets, one might think the iPad is some kind of revolutionary gadget that is a “game changer” in the way we communicate. In reality, it’s more like a minor evolution of the Apple iPod Touch. To hear Steve Jobs go on about how the iPad is filling a gap between smart phones and computers is almost laughable to me. I don’t see how something that is neither a smart phone or a computer fills some sort of a gap. The iPad can’t replace a smart phone or a computer, so I guess Steve wants us to carry all three.

To be totally frank, I think Apple blew it big time. Basically, the iPad is only an iPod Touch with a bigger screen. If it was more of a computer I could see value in it. In a check of a recent Sunday newspaper, Best Buy  had an ad on the back page for an Asus Netbook that is $299. It does way more than an iPad and gives you the freedom of choosing the 3G/4G carrier of your choosing for broadband on the go. Granted this particular Netbook doesn’t have a touch screen, it weighs a little more, and is a bit thicker, but just like the iPad, you won’t be putting an Netbook in your pocket.

One of the reported major targets of the iPad is that of an eReader. In this function, it certainly adds the level of color which is not something that is all that important for reading. In fact, a high-contrast monochrome screen like many of those used in the current batch of eReaders on the market is easier to read in all of the lighting conditions one would encounter while using the device. the initial impact of the is already being felt in the cost of eBooks. Amazon is trying to hold the line on a price point of $9.99 for most eBooks, but Apple is pushing $15.99 (30-70 split) and strong arming the publishers to insist that other eBook sources like Amazon follow suit.  The clout of Apple is undeniable based on the huge success of their iPhone/iTunes business model, so look for a price increase on eBooks thanks to Apple.

Another area that the iPad is reported to be targeting is tablet style PC’s, also called slate PC’s. If you look at some of the product announcements that came out of  CES last January, you’ll find most major PC (and some new) companies releasing tablet style PC’s that are no where close to being as crippled as the iPad. On the value side of things, for the cost of  a fully loaded iPad, you can get the HP TouchSmart tm2, a real laptop computer with a touchscreen. Another option that is even less money, is the Asus Eee PC T91 or T101H touchscreen Netbook. In addition, there are some tablet style PC’s running Windows 7 already in the marketplace from small name companies, to be followed by the big names like HP (HP Slate was shown at CES).

The shortcomings of the iPad are many. Some of the key ones are, it’s not HD, has no HDMI output or USB port, does not have any external memory ports (like for inserting SD cards), lacks multitasking, has no support for Flash in the browser, typing on it is still less satisfying than a real keyboard (or $70 more gets you a wireless keyboard), the battery is not replaceable, can’t upgrade anything about it except the software, and if you go 3G, you’ve got a limited AT&T network.

Interestingly, Verizon Wireless is readying a marketing campaign to push their MiFi 2200 for the iPad. Their goal is to have potential iPad users skip the 3G model and have them go for the Wi-Fi model. Then iPad users could use their Wi-Fi connection with the Verizon MiFi 2200 to get 3G coverage. It’s quite obvious that Verizon is pushing their larger 3G network with their “there’s a map for that” advertising program.

The iPad value proposition is somewhat questionable, but the Apple sheep don’t seem to care with more than 50,000 units estimated to have been sold in the first 2 hours that pre-orders were accepted. Apple hasn’t released figures for the pre-sale, but some industry analyst’s were the ones estimating the 50,000 units in the first two hours and are predicting the initial 300.000 units will be gone before the April 3rd general sale.

I’m sure Apple will sell a bunch of iPad‘s just because they are perceived as cool and they have a slick interface. The whole eReader market is warming up, but I don’t think it will take off until roll-up displays are affordable for the masses. People complain already about some smartphones being too fat, so I don’t see the iPad as something you’ll see a lot of people toting around. If you do have to carry something around, wouldn’t a real PC make more sense than the iPad? Smartphone’s already do much more to connect you to the world than the iPad and they fit in your pocket.

Basically, I don’t understand why people want to limit themselves. Everyone I know with an iPhone loves the phone and hates the “phone” part (a not so good phone on a crappy network – in many areas). At this point, the iPhone has many choices of accessories and software, but Apple still dictates software distribution. So in some ways there are lots of choices, but in other ways people have resorted to “jail breaking” (hacking) their iPhones to get them to do what they want them to do.

In the smartphone marketplace, I see the Android platform with greatest potential to slow, if not reverse, the growth of the iPhone. Many analysts in the wireless phone industry are already predicting that Android will see explosive growth and that Apple will probably flatten out. Given that the Android platform has the potential to give the marketplace a wider range of choices, from a simplified interface smartphone, to a hackers dream of nearly full customization, Apple may finally begin to loose a little marketshare. In addition, there are already some Android based slate style devices for those who want a bigger screen, and this will certainly compete with the iPad.

Is the iPad going to pass or fail?  Some predict that the iPad is a “game changer.” I personally never thought the iPhone would be as successful as it is, but Apple has had several “failures” in its past. The latest was AppleTV, which didn’t see mass appeal. Apple also tried this “slate” type thing before. Do you remember the Apple Newton? In the end, the marketplace will pick the winners and losers. While all indications are that the iPad will come out the gate fast, there are plenty of other (potentially better) choices for people willing to look. The iPhone and iPod had no real competition for quite some time, so this contributed greatly to their success. The iPad may never be considered a “failure” by most, but I certainly don’t think it will be in the same success class as the iPhone or iPod given the choices already in place before it launches.

As is the case with most things, people will vote with their wallets. It will be interesting see if Apple can pull it off again and get most of the wallet share of the “tablet/slate” market like they did with MP3 players and smartphones.  Or will they have another Newton/AppleTV on their hands? With the iPad at it’s current $499 to $829 price range, and it’s limitations, I think “failure” is greater probability. From the perspective of this technology guy with many gadgets, I think the potential for classifying the iPad as “fail” is much greater than “pass,” as long as one is evaluating the iPad in it’s current form. I think the chances are pretty good that Apple won’t waiting too long to release iPad 2.0 when their sales goals for 1.0 don’t materialize.

I do have an idea of where something like the iPad (form factor) would have great success, and that is as an auxiliary display and input device. I’d call it the iPal and make it so that it was Bluetooth/Wifi connectable to most any PC or smartphone. That way people would have a portable larger display option and larger virtual keyboard when needed for their smartphone, or provide a portable terminal like device wireless connected to a primary home PC, or company server. It would have to be priced in the $200 – $300 price range in order to make it viable.

Do you think the iPad is the missing link between smartphones and laptops and worth the price? Or are you like me and think it’s nothing more than an overpriced, oversized iPod?

iPad = iFail

Welcome to the first posting on www.doxoutput.com. This blog will be helpful to those who produce, provide, or are responsible for the production of documents utilizing production-class digital printing systems.

The primary goal of this blog is to extract and distill the key bits of information on the equipment, software, and processes used in the transformation of data and images into printed documents, and/or electronic document presentment. While there are plenty of websites and organizations that support the large commercial printers, franchise quick printers, mom and pop print shops, and service bureaus, many of these are so broad in scope that it’s hard to shift through all their information which includes everything from desktop printers, MFP’s, and wide-format, to very high-end digital presses costing hundreds of thousands of dollar, to presses well over a million dollars. There will also be a strong focus on the consumers of outsourced print solutions or producers of in-plant digitally printed documents.

When it comes to equipment, there will be more emphasis on the differences between print engines in the same class, the strengths and weaknesses of each, and the quality of output. There are plenty of sources for equipment specifications, so the focus will be on real-world performance, or as I like to call it, click-to-clunk. Image quality is so much more than dots per inch (dpi), so there will be comparisons based on suitability and acceptance for the target audience of the document. For example, sales flyers and other types of promotional documents probably require, or at least benefit from, the best possible image quality. Whereas, transactional documents, like your cable bill, probably can get buy with average image quality.

In regards to software, you will see information on solutions for document creation mostly focused on around Variable-Data Printing (VDP), in-flow solutions like web-to-print, make-ready solutions for late stage document editing, workflow solutions for printer management, job queues, workflow automation, along with solutions for archiving, electronic presentment, and digital distribution. There will be a big focus on the use of VDP solutions for transactional, promotional, Trans-promo, publishing, and Cross-promo documents. In addition, there will be coverage of Cross-media and other hybrid technologies in print like Generalized and Personalized URLs (GURLs and PURLs) that links printed documents to micro-websites.

Process will focus on the suitability of the hardware and software to produce the desired output and results, or ROI. For example, many print providers would focus on ROI that gave them the lowest cost-per-page. Now days, the payback is much more complicated than that. Financial returns are also measured in labor savings when a document is handled, and the documents effectiveness in generating sales.

The motivation to create this blog site came from my never ending desire to help my customers. As a veteran of over 32 years in the trenches of the production printing industry, I learned that the best thing for my customers usually was the best thing for me. Perhaps by broadening my scope of potential customers, even better things would come my way. I grew-up from servicing high-speed copiers, to designing complete document output systems with high-volume digital print engines, web-to-print and workflow solutions. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot and taught a lot of my customers and co-workers about many things from how to fix a copier, to the different levels of variable-data printing. While I know I’ve still got a lot to learn, I also have lot of knowledge and expertise that should be shared. I also love to teach, so I thought it was about time I broaden my audience through this blog site (www.doxoutput.com) and Twitter (@doxoutput).

Up to this point, the only beneficiaries of knowledge share were my co-workers, customers, and those I tried to make customers of the companies I was working for. In my current full-time job, my role and responsibilities are more narrowly focused on monochrome digital printing systems. Over the years, I’ve learned so much about other digital output technologies as well, but had little opportunity to use this knowledge in my “day” job. Sharing my knowledge through a blog seems like the best way to expand audience.

I hope you enjoy what I share and that it helps you with finding and using the right production-class digital printing system for your applications and business objectives. Please feel free to contact me at: doxoutput@gmail.com. I also welcome additional advertisers to help cover my costs.