There is no question that the AI industry is hot right now. And for the most part, its players are well-funded, unlike many of the startups that comprised the dot-com boom in the 1990s. But there are early signals that all may not be well in AI-land. Read More
“As we started to look and evaluate press manufacturers, we were completely impressed with HP. We chose them, in part based on the constant development of products, future product platforms like the new HP Indigo 7K+, and the direction they’re going. We feel like we can grow with them for many, many years”, according to Richard Smith of Central Florida’s Xerographic, “They’re a partner.” David Zwang takes a look. Read More
For the past 15 years, advances in wide-format printing technologies—especially UV flatbeds—have redefined what “print” is, opening up new opportunities for print service providers to offer “high-value print applications.” A new WhatTheyThink white paper, “Finding New Profit Centers with swissQprint,” sponsored by swissQprint, looks at these advances, the current state of wide-format printing equipment, and how two companies are using swissQprint wide-format printers to pursue high-margin projects. Ultimately, UV flatbeds are creating what are known as “high-value print applications,” print products for which shops can charge a premium. The reason shops can charge a premium for them is that they often involve specialty substrates that require equipment and/or expertise beyond what the average wide-format or commercial print shop may possess. Read More
Print buyers have changed, and the organizations winning their business aren’t the ones guessing what they want. Keypoint Intelligence’s German Sacristan breaks down what today’s print buyers really want, from digital integration to brand perception and why guessing isn’t good enough anymore. Is your strategy keeping up? Read More
Frank presents statistics on the state of the printing industry. There is no doubt that there are fewer printing companies—but they are incredibly productive. Read More
Brits snap up tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette just got its existence renewed. What is the best clothing to wear to keep cool? Probably not leather made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells. Aw, shucks, we missed it: July 16 was “AI Appreciation Day.” A group of Italian students constructed the world’s largest paper airplane. The age-old problem of justifying calligraphic text, like Arabic. A laser-induced graphene sensor enables dopamine detection in tears. A hospital for…houseplants? The first robot to appear in a movie. An electronic nose that can detect food spoilage, food-borne pathogens, and allergens. Welcome to WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany. Read More
Underpinning the commercial printing industry is a support system it can’t do without: the network of trade shops it turns to whenever it needs a dependable helping hand. Read More
The executive report looks back at 2025 and the first few months of 2026 and ahead to what the industry can expect, economically and technologically, in the latter half of 2026 and into 2027 and beyond.
The report includes current and expected business conditions, top business challenges, top business opportunities, and planned investments for 2026.
Print buyers have changed, and the organizations winning their business aren’t the ones guessing what they want. Keypoint Intelligence’s German Sacristan breaks down what today’s print buyers really want, from digital integration to brand perception and why guessing isn’t good enough anymore. Is your strategy keeping up? Read More
After a sluggish four months, the employment situation picked up in May, with overall printing industry employment up 1.0% from April, production employment up 0.3%, and non-production employment up 2.5%. Read More
Speed on the pressroom floor is still an important factor, but real performance improvements are being driven by smoother workflows, better data, and faster decision-making. Read More
According to the latest, recently released edition of County Business Patterns, in 2023 there were 32,332 establishments in NAICS 511 (Publishing Industries [except Internet]). This represents an increase of 15% since 2010. In macro news, the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index is at record lows. Read More
After an all-time worst month in February, shipments roared back up from $6.78 billion to $7.30 billion in March. Read More
The Print Buyer Has Changed. Has Your Strategy?
10 Things PSPs Should Consider Before Adopting Robotics: What You Need to Know to Begin the Journey
Why Highly Targeted Communications Make Digital Print Essential to Modern Marketing
Wide Format in 2026: How Technology Is Reshaping Competitive Advantage
WhatTheyThink's web roundup miscellany
Brits snap up tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette just got its existence renewed. What is the best clothing to wear to keep cool? Probably not leather made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells. Aw, shucks, we missed it: July 16 was “AI Appreciation Day.” A group of Italian students constructed the world’s largest paper airplane. The age-old problem of justifying calligraphic text, like Arabic. A laser-induced graphene sensor enables dopamine detection in tears. A hospital for…houseplants? The first robot to appear in a movie. An electronic nose that can detect food spoilage, food-borne pathogens, and allergens. Welcome to WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany. Read More
The 1835 “Moon Hoax” made ridiculous news stories credible. The USPS is issuing the 2026 Route 66 Centennial Stamp Collection. Highlights from the recent Sustainable Brands Conference. Researchers have created what might be the most accurate mathematical representation of color perception ever. When in North Dakota, visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, which opens tomorrow, July 4. An Etsy gardening scam features AI-generated plant images and fake seeds. Good grief: corneal tattooing is a thing. Graphene radar-absorbing coatings for defense use. If you missed Monday’s Strawberry Moon, more moons are coming. Answering the burning question: “do bug zappers still exist?” Turn any water bottle into a water vessel for dogs. Is there any advantage to “alkaline water”? Welcome to WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany. Read More
Newspaper Club has partnered with type foundry abcD8 to create a custom typeface inspired by the visual history of newspapers. MAD magazine has published its 600th issue. “Wordhord: Old English Word of the Day.” New evidence for the cause of death of the model for Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.” Attending a Zoom meeting while on a roller coaster. Graphene-enabled PFAS-free firefighting foam. A jacket that can harvest moisture from the atmosphere. The iPhone’s Vehicle Motion Cues are surprisingly effective at reducing car sickness. An e-bike designed specifically to carry children. “Do fitness trackers still work if you have tattoos?” Rouser Lab’s “Earth’s black box” attempts to track humanity’s spiral into environmental destruction. “Beef tea” was a thing in the 19th century. Welcome to WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany. Read More
New book “Empire of Ink” is a look at the history and mythology of the American newspaper. A hacked smart lightbulb provides access to banned books. A digital archive reassembles Leonardo da Vinci’s long-cut-apart notebooks. Michelangelo’s secret underground hiding place—complete with the artist’s graffiti. Marie Antoinette may have been history’s first influencer. A worn copy of a 1912 pulp magazine featuring Tarzan sold at auction for $58,560. New book, “The Graphene Handbook - Making Sense of Graphene at Its Inflection Point.” Visa is integrating its payment network into ChatGPT, which should be fun. A humanoid robot plans to climb Everest. A designer who specializes in chairs without legs. Did a flying monk see Halley’s Comet…twice? The British geologist whose goal was to eat as many different animals as he possibly could. Welcome to WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany. Read More
