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  • Thomas Printworks

    Thomas Printworks on the Grow

    Like most APDSP members, Thomas Printworks began life as a blueprint shop. The company was founded in 1956 as Thomas Blueprint in Dallas. It eventually became Thomas Reprographics, and evolved into Thomas Printworks in 2015. Read more

    Feb 27, 2020

    12:34 PM

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    What Will 2020 Bring for the Repro Industry?

    What will 2020 hold for reprographics firms? The predictions from observers of the industries APDSP member firms serve vary from field to field. Here are predictions for the AEC market and the advertising/signage market, both important to most APDSP Read more

    Jan 2, 2020

    4:04 PM

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    Sharpe Growing Through Acquisition

    The sign business is a growing segment for many reprographics shops, and APDSP member Sharpe Co. recently made a big leap forward in that area by acquiring a local sign business. The company they acquired, SignWorks, expands the permanent signage ser Read more

    Dec 19, 2019

    3:26 PM

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    What We Learned in Dallas

    Reprographics firm owners wondering about how they’ll transition their businesses to the next stage received a ton of solid advice during the 2019 APDSP Convention in Dallas, October 25-26. Read more

    Nov 7, 2019

    5:05 PM

    2

Tech News

Features

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    12 Key Points from Tuesday’s Coronavirus Panel Discussion

    On Tuesday, March 24, APDSP sponsored an online panel discussion about the coronavirus crisis. The event was moderated by Ed Avis, managing director of APDSP. Panelists were Kevin Howes, executive director of RSA; Rick Bosworth, president of RMX Netw Read more

    Mar 26, 2020

    8:17 PM

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    Coronavirus Webinar and Other Resources Posted

    The recording of the webinar about how coronavirus is affecting reprographics, which was held March 24, 2020, has been posted. This event was hosted by by Ed Avis, managing director of the Association of Printing and Data Solutions Professionals. Pan Read more

    Mar 24, 2020

    11:53 AM

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    Escape from Europe: The Adventure of APDSP Managing Director Ed Avis

    If it wasn’t for the coronavirus, right about now I’d be writing you a report from Motio Netwertztage, the German reprographics association’s convention in Gottingen. Instead I’m sitting in my boring little office in Chicago pondering my adventure of Read more

    Mar 16, 2020

    12:22 PM

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    MKiMAGES

    Quota or Goal?

    Is there any difference between a sales quota and a sales goal? In terms of managing salespeople, I think there definitely is. It's one thing to point someone toward a goal and say "Here's what I'd like to see you accomplish." It's something complete Read more

    Feb 27, 2020

    1:15 PM

  • Dynamic logo

    APDSP Members Merge: Thomas Acquires Dynamic

    Two APDSP members in Texas have joined forces. Thomas Printworks, which has locations throughout Texas and in other states, acquired Dynamic Reprographics of Austin effective February 1. Read more

    Feb 13, 2020

    3:30 PM

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    Four APDSP Webinars Scheduled for 2020: Join Us and Learn!

    The APDSP webinar series continues in 2020 with four more opportunities to learn. These webinars, which are free to all members and last a maximum of 60 minutes, are a great way to stay fresh on some key topics. Read more

    Jan 30, 2020

    1:38 PM

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    Thinking about selling your company? Advice from Joel Salus, Part 1

    Joel Salus is a veteran reprographics executive who has been involved in numerous sales, mergers and acquisitions. He gave a presentation at the 2019 APDSP Convention on the topic of selling a reprographics company, and I asked him to put his present Read more

    Jan 30, 2020

    5:39 PM

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    Thinking about selling your company? Advice from Joel Salus, Part 2

    Joel Salus is a veteran reprographics executive who has been involved in numerous sales, mergers and acquisitions. He gave a presentation at the 2019 APDSP Convention on the topic of selling a reprographics company, and I asked him to put his present Read more

    Feb 13, 2020

    4:16 PM

  • Repro Optimism Slips

    How Optimistic are Reprographers? Survey Says Most Think Business Will Grow

    Paul Straits, owner of Vesco Reprographic in Montgomery, Illinois, says plan printing has been dropping in volume at his shop for years, but other work has picked up. “Our planroom is getting less effective, and construction documentation printing is Read more

    Jan 16, 2020

    10:19 PM

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    Sticking With The “Solids”

    I’ve written in the past that all printing buyers will fit into one of five categories: Solids, Liquids, Gases, Players and Price Monsters. Solids are happy with and loyal to their current printer, and they simply are not going to change. Liquids are Read more

    Jan 16, 2020

    10:31 PM

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    First 2 "Virtual Roundtables" Scheduled

    Do you wish you could chat with another repro shop owner about a problem you're having? Or a new technology you're considering? Or a new profit idea? Now you can do that without leaving your office! Read more

    Dec 19, 2019

    4:02 PM

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    Balancing Act: Customer Care vs. Customer Development

    I often ask printing salespeople how they view their priorities. “Of all the things you’ll do on any given day,” I ask, “which category of activities represents your highest priority?” The typical answer I get is: “Taking care of my customers” with “ Read more

    Dec 19, 2019

    3:38 PM

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    Selling Yourself, And Your Team

    Here’s a fundamental sales concept — the first thing you have to sell is yourself. OK, that’s obviously true, but what exactly does it mean? And how far does it take you toward the ultimate goal of printing sales success? Read more

    Dec 5, 2019

    3:52 PM

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    Japan Beckons RSA, RMX Network Members

    All business people know that networking pays off. For a group of fortunate American reprographics professionals, networking at the SGIA show two years ago paid off with a visit to Japan last month. Read more

    Dec 5, 2019

    3:46 PM

  • FotoZoomer: New APDSP Vendor Member Aims to Build Relationships

    Walk-up business can be highly advantageous to a repro firm – it can bring in cash from customers who might not normally be regular customers, such as consumers seeking “happy birthday” banners and such. But walk-up customers can also be a hassle, if Read more

    Nov 21, 2019

    6:30 PM

  • Mark Hahn 14 Keys to Value

    2019 Convention Wrap-Up Part 2: 14 Keys to Value: Mark Hahn – Graphic Arts Advisors

    Mark Hahn, managing director of M&A firm Graphic Arts Advisors, helped convention attendees understand how graphics arts firms are valued, and how to increase that value. Hahn presented “14 Keys that Drive Value.” The first three were financial in na Read more

    Nov 21, 2019

    6:44 PM

  • Sabrina Carter

    Sabrina Carter: From Engineer to PageWide Expert

    Sabrina Carter is the new vendor representative on the APDSP Board. In this interview, Carter describes her career, the value of color printing, and her hopes for her service to the reprographics industry. Read more

    Nov 7, 2019

    5:31 PM

  • Monsen Engineering Locations

    Meet the New Board Member: Mikel Monsen

    Surveying equipment and supplies is a business category for many APDSP members, but the firm of the newest APDSP board member takes that involvement to a new level. Mikel Monsen, who was elected to the board in August, is the director of print and sc Read more

    Oct 24, 2019

    9:58 AM

  • Denise Gustavson

    Q&A: Denise M. Gustavson, Reprographics Journalist – A Career of Covering Wide-Format

    Denise M. Gustavson has been writing about reprographics, and large-format graphics in general, for 21 years. In this interview with APDSP Managing Director Ed Avis, she describes her career and her current work with the one-year-old Wide-Format Impr Read more

    Oct 10, 2019

    10:10 AM

  • Jim Hutcheson

    Q&A with Jim Hutcheson: Selling a Family Repro Business is a Challenge

    James Olan (Jim) Hutcheson, who has 40 years of hands-on family business management and family business consulting experience, is one of the key presenters at the 2019 APDSP Convention in Dallas, Oct. 25-26. Jim will help attendees learn how to incre Read more

    Sep 26, 2019

    4:08 PM

  • Netcontrol logo

    New Vendor in Dallas: Netcontrol Will Show StarFinder®

    NetControl is a German company seeking to expand in the United States. The company’s product is StarFinder®, an advanced document management system. APDSP Managing Editor Ed Avis met the founder, Harald Hensle, at the MOTIO convention in Germany last Read more

    Sep 26, 2019

    3:58 PM

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    Do You Need To Be A Closer…Or An Opener?

    One of my clients made an interesting observation recently. “I don’t think I’m very good at closing the sale,” he said, “but I seem to be doing OK at opening accounts.” As soon as I heard those words, I realized that my client had drawn an important Read more

    Sep 12, 2019

    2:41 PM

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    Grandpa's Blueprinting: 12 Ads from 1945

    Doug Magid, president of BluEdge, was recently packing his office for a move and discovered a stack of bound copies of International Blueprinter, the magazine of IRgA. He kindly sent a couple to APDSP Managing Director Ed Avis. The old issues are loa Read more

    Aug 29, 2019

    10:12 PM

  • Archives - Enjoy These Past Articles!

    Enjoy these past articles about reprographics and the IRgA! Read more

    Jul 29, 2013

    1:33 PM

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Industry News

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    Xerox Aquires UK Managed Print Providers

    Xerox has acquired two leading services and technology providers, Altodigital and ITEC Connect, in the U.K. Read more

  • Azon logo

    National / AZON Assures Customers They Are Open

    National / AZON is open for business despite the coronavirus crisis. The company sent a note to APDSP explaining that they are considered an "essential" business. Here is the copy of their message: Read more

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    Stratasys Leads Coalition Making Medical Face Shields

    A coalition of companies and universities assembled by Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) to produce face shields leveraging 3D printers now numbers more than 150, the company said. Among others, the list includes Boeing, Toyota Motor Company, Medtronic, Read more

  • Handwashing sign

    Cushing Prints Giant Hand Washing Sign

    Cushing, an APDSP member in Chicago, did its part to encourage proper hygiene in Chicago when it was called on to print a giant sign for Rush University Medical Center. Cushing printed the sign on a Canon iPF9400 on 32 point construction grade bond p Read more

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    Coronavirus Stimulus Package Update

    As more and more states implement shutter-in-place/stay-at-home orders to “flatten the curve,” reprographics shops and other small businesses are becoming more and more concerned: What does this mean for our business now and in the immediate future? Read more

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    Image Access Tells Customers They are Still Open

    Scanner manufacturer Image Access has informed customers that they are still open and practicing social distancing. The company sent the following message: Read more

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    APDSP Schedules Emergency Virtual Roundtable

    We are all going through a scary time right now, both in terms of the potential illness and how this situation is affecting our businesses. We need to stick together. Please join other reprographics people in a Virtual Roundtable on Tuesday, March 24 Read more

Image Access 2019

Contex 2018

Printerpoint 2018

Azon 2019

FotoZoomer 2020

Synnex ad

KIP 2020

Kingnote 2020

Drafting Clinic

new Es-Te ad

Fellman 2016 ad