Gimbel & Associates Blog

Fonts have personalities and convey different moods. A typeface or font matched to the personality or attributes of a specific individual or group can be the element that makes designs resonate with the viewer. Today’s variable printing technology makes it possible to match typography to audiences, but font usage in variable documents can be tricky. Fonts will display differently, depending on their attributes.

Font Considerations for Variable Documents

When designers create a variable project, they leave spaces in the documents into which the software will place the variable text. Since data files are not always available at design time, designers may guess at how much space to reserve for the variable data. Choosing too large a font for the data will cause unwanted line wraps or printing over static graphics or text. A too-small font results in odd-looking unused document spaces.

Recent studies show that there have been 66 school shootings since 2019. With the steady increase in these events, protection from active shooters has become a high priority for schools across the county. Once of these protections is called “target hardening.”

Target hardening is the process of making a school building a more difficult, or unattractive, target for violence and is one of the strategies schools have used to try and reduce the possibility of violence. Target hardening strategies include armed security on campus, keypad entries, metal detectors and safety and preparedness drills.

In-plant printing centers operate in an in-between world. They’re not commercial printers who must constantly hustle for business, but their continued existence is not guaranteed, either. The traditional model for in-plants to passively print documents for internal departments no longer works well. In many instances, those departments can outsource work to third-party printers or turn jobs over to staff members who may have only a passing acquaintance with design and production.

In this environment, we recommend in-plant centers develop strategic approaches that keep their operations relevant and thriving. In-plants can build a good strategy around adding value, selling services, and a little self-promotion.

Data, as they say, is king. But data, in its raw form with lines of numbers, can be challenging for readers to absorb and process, especially if you want them to discern key themes or trends.

The human mind processes information in various ways. Writers and communicators can produce reams of copy but, depending on what is being communicated, this approach is not a welcoming or interesting presentation. By itself, copy and numbers are not visually appealing, they don’t draw us in or encourage retention. Most of us, however, are receptive to visual information, that’s just how our minds work best. That is particularly true when dealing with data.

The best way to drive home a point that includes data is with data visualization.

In the early 90’s, VDP was the anxiously awaited “next big thing.” The concept was solid. The dream persevered as the industry impatiently awaited fast enough network file transfer speeds and on-demand press output capacity. Undaunted early adopters tested the waters and proved the value. Over time it became a viable option for any printer who wanted to play.

In parallel we experienced the advent of internet publishing and the scramble to figure out how to monetize it. Company resources became focused on figuring out online marketing. Marketing attention to VDP direct mail was sidelined, eclipsed, or incorporated. The same underlying concepts for VDP served as the foundation for the (then) shiny new data-driven web sites, digital marketing, and marketing automation.

Well before the pandemic, Gimbel & Associates published “Making Your Event a Success” to help print industry professionals plan and execute in-person events. This free guide is still available and includes useful tips about any kind of event, whether in-person or virtual. You’ll find in the library section of rogergimbel.com.

Click Here to Register for Our Complimentary Webinar!

Gimbel & Associates Sr. Consultant for New Market Development, Randall Swope, will be the featured speaker delivering  an insightful 1-hr complimentary webinar on when and how to hire a business consultant.

Hiring a Consultant is not an easy decision to make, but it is an important one! Consultants generally save companies both time and money.

The story of color is changing. An overenthusiastic use of loud, bright hues in recent years has, ironically, dulled their impact. Perhaps we’re all yearning for more mellow, calming

experiences, or perhaps we simply want a visual change. Whatever the actual reasons, design trends are shifting to a more muted, less vibrant color palette.

With that in mind, let’s consider how the printing process can affect color choices and see how to use color cost-effectively without reducing its visual appeal. Besides the amount of ink needed to print a brochure or a wine label, crucial elements such as the number of colors, and the paper or other substrates on which the images are printed, have a great effect.

A difficult, painful lesson from 2020 is that sometimes we simply have no control. But, while we can’t change the course of a pandemic, we can control how we react to it and move past it.

So, onward to the hope of 2021 and to thinking about how to position your company for the expected recovery. Projected GDP growth will reach 3.7% this year and, according to industry association Printing United Alliance, commercial printing will grow by 2.5% to 4%.

International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced that longtime member and supporter Gimbel & Associates has joined Xplor as a Platinum Elite Sponsor and Diamond Conference Sponsor.

“Gimbel & Associates has been an active supporter of Xplor’s programs for many years,” says Roger P. Gimbel, EDP, President of Gimbel & Associates.  “As a member of the Xplor community and a leading consulting company in the graphic communications industry, we look forward to supporting Xplor’s focus on business development and knowledge sharing.”

As part of their sponsorship Gimbel & Associates will play a prominent role in the annual Xplor conference as a Diamond event sponsor, sponsoring the opening awards ceremony, the keynote speaker, the education tracks, and the beverage breaks.  Roger Gimbel will also join the Xplor Advisory Board.

Gimbel & Associates, the well-known printing industry management consulting firm, announces the addition of industry professional Randy Hardy to the Gimbel team as a Senior Consultant. Mr. Hardy offers Gimbel & Associates clients his industry knowledge and expertise as they face today’s printing industry challenges and opportunities.

Randy Hardy brings over 30 years of experience to the firm, having worked internationally with document-centric companies and technologies and founding his own print and imaging business. He has successfully established markets in the US for several European organizations, excelling in areas such as print, software, workflow, discovery, and strategy.

Print service providers: Have you taken the time lately to analyze your competition? It might not be the shop across town anymore, but a business in another state, or even overseas, that is soliciting business from your customers. Even if you have done competitive research before, you may need to update it. Much has changed since the pandemic started.