Volume XXVIII, Number 1 January 2009newsT H E A S S O C I A T I O N F O R S U P P L I E R S O F P R I N T I N G , P U B L I S H I N G A N D C O N V E R T I N G T E C H N O L O G I E S

INSIDE:

Chairman’s Perspective ..................... 2

NPES/GASC Launch E-Newsletter........ 2

New International Standard forEquipment Safety Symbols ............ 3

NPES 2009 Industry Summit .......... 3

PRIMIR Report Offers Forecaston Newspaper Industry ...................... 4

RIT Holds 7th Annual Symposiumand Planning Meeting .................... 5

NPES to Focus on Small BusinessPriorities in 111th Congress ............ 6

A Student’s Point of View.................. 7

PrintED Certification Awardedto Prison Inmate ................................ 7

News and Notes .................................. 8

On December 1, 2008,the National Bureau of

Economic Research said that“the U.S. has been in a recessionsince December 2007, makingofficial what most Americanshave already believed about thestate of the economy” and whatthe NPES equipment shipmentdata has been showing sinceDecember 2006. NPES shipmentdata includes prepress, litho-graphic presses and bindery andfinishing equipment sold in theU.S. The 3rd quarter shipmentdata came in at 361.9 million

which was down 5.6% from2007 levels. Unfortunately...that’s the good news and thebad all rolled into one. It wasgood that things didn’t get anyworse despite the fact that theU.S. economy has clearlydeteriorated, but it was bad thatwe didn’t get a boost from salesat drupa 2008.

We’re still looking at totalyear-end shipments of approxi-mately $1.42 billion which wasthe outlook after the 2nd quar-ter data was released. If you lookat Figure 1 above, which showsthe quarter over quarter percent-age change since our last “good”year which was 2006, you seethat the rate of decline quarterover quarter is slowing, whichindicates that we may be near-ing the bottom. Continuing onthe positive side, the 4th quarterof the year has historically beenthe best quarter for equipmentshipments, however this maybe tempered by the continueddeterioration of the overall U.S.economy.

Moving to Graphic ArtsSupplies shipments, whichincludes film, plates, proofingproducts and the relatedchemistries, the 3rd quarter

Third Quarter Data—SomeGood News and Some Bad

totaled $262.8 million whichwas down 9.7% from 2007levels. We’re looking at year-endconsumable shipments to totalapproximately $1.1 billion,which would be 4.7% downfrom 2007. As we have dis-cussed before, the long termtrend with supplies has been asteady decline in the aggregateas the printing industry contin-

ues the shift from analog work-flows to digital. Printers havetransitioned from computer tofilm to computer to plate andcomputer to press using lessconsumable materials andhence, the long-term decline.However, somewhat moredisturbing is the size of thedecline witnessed in the 3rdquarter. As shown in Figure 2,

continued on page 2

FIGURE 1:

U.S. Printing Equipment ShipmentsPERCENTAGE CHANGE QUARTER/QUARTER

1st qtr. 2nd qtr. 3rd qtr. 4th qtr.

2006 45.1 14.4 17 2.5

2007 -30.4 -14.8 -12.7 -31.6

2008 4 -24.8 -5.5 n/a

FIGURE 2:

U.S. Graphic Arts Supplies ShipmentsPERCENTAGE CHANGE QUARTER/QUARTER

1st qtr. 2nd qtr. 3rd qtr. 4th qtr.

2006 -0.4 1.1 4.8 -0.2

2007 -5.4 -4.5 -3.3 -4.3

2008 -0.7 -3.9 -9.7 n/a

2

Hank A. Brandtjen, IIINPES ChairmanPresident, Brandtjen & Kluge, Inc.

New Year’sResolutions

On New Year's Eve, somewhere between thedinner andthe toast atmidnight, Isuspect manyof you thoughtabout yourNew Year'sresolutions. Arecent study Iread said that90% of allNew Year'sresolutions are

not kept. A whopping 65% never even get aneffort! Those must be the ones we make afterthat last glass of champagne. This year, I decidedto beat those odds and formulate my resolutionsas follows:1. Listen more than I talk.

For those who know me, you can see how this

chairman’s perspectiveresolution won't be easy to keep! But bylistening more, I have no doubt that I canbe more productive at work and moreinvolved at home. We are all born withtwo ears and one mouth, so I figure thattwo-to-one ratio of listening to speaking isabout right.2. Think outside the box.

A member of my NPES LeadershipForum is Steve Metcalf of Air MotionSystems. Steve is the most forward-thinking person I know and his business isquite successful. When I talk—I meanlisten—to Steve, I realize his success is duein large part to thinking outside the boxand approaching things from a new angle.For instance, a walled-in GRAPH EXPOstand with only one door, hosting a UVseminar in Vegas that he did not advertiseas being his, e-mail tracking of showprospects, and bringing his manufacturingVP to the NPES Annual Conference areall ideas that Steve has implemented togreat success.3. Look past the trees to see the forest.

Too often I spend almost an entire daybogged down with one problem. Bylearning to delegate and letting otherswork through solutions, I can focus on the

bigger picture. These largerissues, if approached correctly,will mean a brighter future foreveryone in my company.Mike Murray, president ofBrackett, and another member ofmy NPES Leadership Forum, wasagonizing over his company’splace in the used equipment mar-ket. With insight from our peergroup, Mike has entered thismarket, which increases hiscontrol over potential customerswhether they are looking fornew or used equipment.4. Take better care of me.

I am blessed to have manyfriends within our wonderfulindustry. At drupa, I had thechance to visit with one of them,David Wright of MartinAutomatic who, post show, hadplans to travel with his wife.Unfortunately, those plans werecut short because he needed tohave a stent put in. As a result ofthis “wake-up call,” David is nowcommitted to, and recommendsfor others, daily exercise and

better eating habits…superadvice from a great person.After all, when you feel betterabout yourself, others feel bet-ter being around you. In fact,“do as I do” is always betterthan “do as I say” leadership.

The article I read aboutNew Year's resolutions saidthat most are not worth thethought and effort that oneputs into making them. Iguess that all depends onyour state of mind and level ofcommitment. What I do knowis that the world economy thisyear won’t make things anyeasier. But despite all thegloomy predictions, I believethat by listening better, think-ing outside the box, lookingbeyond the moment and takingbetter care of myself, 2009 willbe a good year.

Remember, it is never toolate to make your own resolu-tions—and commit to seeingthem through.

the 9.7% quarter over quar-ter decline is almost doubleeven the largest quarterlydecline of the past threeyears. This points to the like-lihood that print volumes forthe 3rd quarter took astronger negative decline aswell. PIA flash data showstraditional lithographicprinting was down .7% forthe 3rd quarter which onecould have expected to bedown by a greater margingiven the NPES supplies data.This will all become clearerwhen final 2008 PrintingIndustries of America andNPES data are released.

Stay tuned for the 4thquarter data which will bereleased in late February.

Third Quarter continued from page 1

NPES and the Graphic Arts Show Company(GASC®) launched the first edition of PRINT® WorldNews, a free monthly electronic newsletter thatcovers unique, innovative and forward thinkinghappenings in the global graphic communicationsindustry. The premier edition, available at:http://www.npes.org/printworldnews/dec08.html,launched in December 2008.Each month, PRINT® World News will offer an

overview of the key stories from around the worldthat address vital trends and emerging issues within,or affecting, the graphic communications industry.The December issue, for example, discusses theboost that printers in India have experienced fromthe global economic slowdown, how North America’soldest newspaper has taken advantage of Internetcompetition from Google, new business ventures inthe educational publishing sector, and more.

NPES and GASC Launch E-Newsletter onGlobal Graphic Communications Industry

“Given today’s global economy and print industry,graphic communications leaders can no longer affordto limit their business view to only local or regional per-spectives,” observes Ralph J. Nappi, president of NPESand GASC. “NPES and GASC developed PRINT® WorldNews as a free resource for members of the global graphiccommunications industry, and to fill the void for high-level worldwide updates on industry trends and insights.”Anyone in the graphic communications industry

is welcome to link to and use content from PRINTWorld News for their own websites. To subscribe toPRINT World News, contact NPES/GASC Directorof Communications Debbie Vieder at phone:703/264-7200 or e-mail: dvieder@npes.org.

3

Where can you get all the industry and economic trend updates you need nowto plan for the months and years ahead? At the NPES 2009 INDUSTRY SUMMIT,a three day “mega” event that brings together PRINT OUTLOOK 09 with thePRIMIR Spring Meeting and NPES Board of Directors Meeting. The co-location of these events at a single venue will enable you to enhance your industryknowledge and maximize your networking opportunities while minimizing yourtime away from the office.PRINT OUTLOOK 09, slated for March 23-24, is the ideal educational and network-

ing experience for industry executives and managers with a stake in marketing, salesfinance, research, manufacturing and operations. Attendees will benefit from thisconference by gaining answers they need about the state of the economy, pivotaltrends in the marketplace and information on business prospects for the future.

Previewing our powerhouse ofspeakers are:• Alan Beaulieu, President andChief Executive Officer, Institutefor Trend Research on “EconomicReality—The Recession...howdeep?...how long?”• Andrew Paparozzi, NAPLChief Economist on “The Outlookfor Commercial Printing 2009”• Jade West, Senior Vice

President-Government Relations, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors on“The Outlook for Business Under the New Administration”• A Panel Discussion moderated by Gary Jones, Director, Environmental Health &Safety Affairs, Printing Industries of America on “The Greening of Print—Printers Adaptand Prosper with the New Reality of Sustainability” with invited panelists: ConnieO’Keefe, Manager, The John Roberts Company; Howie Swerdloff, Sr. VP, HumanResources, Sandy Alexander, Inc.; Jim Duffy, President, ALONZO; and, David P.Podmayersky, Sustainability Director, EarthColor.• Ronnie Davis, Chief Economist, Printing Industries of America on “How Printersare Adjusting to the Realities of the 21st Century”

Members can further hone their competitive edge by participating in the PRIMIRSpring Meeting immediately following PRINT OUTLOOK. Each year, PRIMIR conductsseveral of the industry’s most comprehensive research studies on topics of criticalstrategy concern to manufacturers, suppliers and printers. Be at the Spring Meetingfor an insider’s preview of the newest PRIMIR studies:

• Media Mix and the Impact on Print• Sourcing Behavior of North American Print Originators

FOR PROGRAM DETAILS AND TO REGISTER NOW VISIT:www.npes.org/conferences.

Alan Beaulieu

MARCH 23-25, 2009 • WASHINGTON D.C.

Jade West

New InternationalStandard forEquipment GraphicalSafety SymbolsAnew international standard specifying

graphical symbols for use on printing pressand bindery equipment was published inOctober. ISO/TR 15847, Graphic technology –Graphical symbols for printing press systems andfinishing systems, including related auxiliary equip-ment, defines graphical symbols for use on ornear equipment in printing systems and finish-ing systems. These symbols are intended toidentify the use of, or to indicate the functionand/or state (condition/mode) of, the controlsused in the operation of the equipment. They areintended for use on equipment controls, includ-ing pushbuttons, touch screens, keypads, etc.A copy can be purchased from NPES athttp://www.npes.org/standards/orderform.html,or by contacting the NPES PublicationsDepartment at phone: 703/264-7200.

A series of international standards for thesafety of graphic technology equipment are invarious stages of approval. The ISO 12643 seriesof standards define safety requirements forprinting presses equipment and systems,binding and finishing equipment and systems,converting equipment and systems and stand-alone platen presses.

The first three parts of this series, whichaddress general requirements, press equipmentand binding/finishing equipment, are existingstandards that are undergoing revision. Theprimary purpose of the revision is to bring theminto compliance with the new EuropeanMachinery Directive, which goes into effect theend of 2009. Two additional parts addressingconverting equipment and platen presses are new.

Balloting on the five parts of the seriesbegan in November. U.S. comments on thesestandards will be solicited from participants onthe ANSI B65 Committee and the U.S. Tech-nical Advisory Group (US TAG) to ISO TC 130(Graphic Technology), both of which areadministered by NPES.

The formal U.S. vote and comments on eachof these draft standards will be submitted to theInternational Organization for Standardization(ISO) through the American National StandardsInstitute (ANSI), the U.S. voting member of ISO.

If you are interested in participating in, orfollowing, this work, please contact Mary Abbott,NPES Director of Standards Programs, at phone:703/264-7229 or e-mail: mabbott@npes.org.

4

What does the futurehold for newspapers?

This is the critical questionexamined in the latest researchreport from PRIMIRSM (PrintIndustries Market Informationand Research Organization),“The Future of the NorthAmerican NewspaperIndustry.”

In existence well before theInternet, television and radio,newspapers have enjoyed anillustrious history. But peopleneed only look to theDecember 2008 bankruptcyfiling by the Tribune Co.,which owns one of thenation’s largest daily news-papers, The Chicago Tribune,to know that the newspaperindustry is now experiencingtremendous pressure. Withmultimedia competition—suchas 24-hour cable news andmobile devices that essentiallyprovide news on-demand—andpressures on newspapers’ tradi-tional revenue sources (in theform of free Internet listingservices such as Craig’s List, forexample), most newspaperexecutives report that thenewspaper industry mustchange to survive.

The PRIMIR study examinesthe forces shaping the NorthAmerican newspaper industry.These include changing mar-keting strategies and theemergence of digital media—from wireless devices to e-read-ers to social networks—that areaffecting newspaper advertisingrevenues. Research has found,for example, that the greaterthe penetration of the Internetand broadband access, themore display and classifiedrevenues fall for the newspaper

industry. (On the plus side,revenues from newspapers’digital products will helpcombat the erosion of printednewspaper revenues. Predictsone publisher, “Within threeyears, 50% of [our] revenue willbe from digital.”) Figure 1 abovedemonstrates that as Internetpenetrations grow (horizontal

axis), so the variance in adver-tising (vertical) declines, inboth display and classified.“The Future of the North

American Newspaper Industry”also offers a forecast on whatthe industry will look like by2020, which will allow suppli-ers to appropriately plan forthe future. The study does find

that newspaper circulation andrevenues from traditionalsources will decline significant-ly over the next 12 years.Circulation for dailies is, infact, already declining at a rateof 2%. Circulation on Sundayeditions of newspapers is weak-ening at a rate of 4%. By 2020,

PRIMIR Report Offers Future Forecaston Newspaper Industry

continued on page 5

10 20 30 40 50 60 USA 80

USA

150

100

50

0

-50

-100

Figure 1: Advertising AnalysisIMPACT OF INTERNET ON PRINT ADVERTISING 2003-2007

INTERNET PENETRATION

VARIANCE

INADVERTISINGREVENUE

% Var Display % Var Classified

Source: iMedia analysis of World Bank, World Press Trends and OECD data

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Figure 2: Newspaper Plate ConsumptionRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADVERTISING REVENUE AND CONSUMPTION

VOLUME AND VALUE (1984-2007)

1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

SPENDOR

FOOTAG

EPER

MILLIONDO

LLARSO

FADV

ERTIS

INGREVENUE

Spend per revenue Volume per revenue

Source: iMedia analysis, NPES

5

the report predicts that circulation for daily newspaperswill have eroded by 26%, and Sunday circulations willhave declined by about 40%. Companies servicing thenewspaper business can expect an industry that will like-ly be a third smaller in revenue and about half the size itcurrently is, in terms of volume of materials consumed.

Newspapers themselves will look slightly differentfrom those of today, as well. Readers most likely will bebuying newspapers that are smaller in size and havefewer pages. The quality of printing, not to mention thepaper, may be more upscale than current iterations,however. Meanwhile, coverage may lean more towardlocal news than ever before. One publisher predicts thatpremium journalists will be “fighting like crazy” to snarethe big stories, “but people will be interested in the small,local and relevant.” The industry is already expressinginterest in more niche and versioned editions to reallyserve the local markets.

Despite all these changes, the study concludes thatgreat opportunities do exist for suppliers to the newspa-per industry. It is expected that many newspapers willoutsource non-core competencies, including printing andIT, which may provide opportunities for suppliers to stepin and delve more into the service industry. Consumablesvendors, for their part, may be able to encourage publish-ers to adopt higher standards on paper, inks and more toensure quality publications. Because of the potential forversioning in the future, plate suppliers may actually see anincrease in plate consumption by the newspaper industryover the next 12 years. Other opportunities reportedlyabound for those vendors willing to think progressively.

Data for the report was gathered from interviews withCEOs, editors and other senior managers at the top news-paper companies in North America (approximately 70%of the industry), as well as interviews with other keyindustry players, including media academics, suppliers,financial analysts and functional specialists. Econometricmodeling of industry financials and volumes, as well asbenchmarks from the European newspaper industry,provided additional data for the report.

The 136-page “The Future of the North AmericanNewspaper Industry” is free for PRIMIR and NPESmembers. NPES members may contact Aaron Allenza at703/264-7200 to obtain a copy of the report.

The RIT Print Industry Center held its Annual Symposium andPlanning Meeting on November 17-19, 2008 in Rochester, NY,

bringing together nearly 70 industry partner representatives andRIT guests onto the RIT campus. The three day event opened witha welcome reception and continued the next day with researchpresentations by RIT faculty and students. The event concludedwith a planning meeting to discuss proposed future research by thePrint Industry Center.The following presentations

were made for research con-ducted during 2008:• Open Publishing Guide• An Examination of

Newspaper Business andWorkflow Models for U.S.Newspapers• Further Investigation into

the Image Quality Gap betweenDigital Printing Technologiesand Traditional OffsetLithography• Correlates of Job Satisfaction of Early Career Employees in

Printing and Publishing Occupations• Test Targets 8.0• New Skill Sets for the Printing Industry – DAM and Variable

Imaging Printing Services• Font Evaluation for Print and On-Line News Publishing• Revision of Data-Driven PrintResearch monographs for the above topics are still in the draft

phase. Once published, they will be made available for NPES toshare with members via the RIT Print Industry Center website.The following were proposals presented for future research

(2009-2010):• Test Targets 9.0• Open Publishing Guide – Development: Phase 2• A Qualitative Study of High Value News Media Audiences• Evaluating the Viability and Usefulness of a Distribution Center

for Commercial Newspaper Printers• A Study of Emerging Opportunities for Digital Print Production

of User-Generated Content• Content Management for Consumer Photography• A Revision of An Investigation into Printing Industry

Demographics• Sustainable PrintingThese topics, currently in the development and feedback phase,

will be finalized in early January 2009.For more information about the RIT Print Industry Center or

research monographs it provides, please contact Rekha Ratnam ate-mail: rratnam@npes.org.

RIT Holds SeventhAnnual Symposiumand Planning Meeting

…the greater thepenetration of the

Internet and broadbandaccess, the more display andclassified revenues fall forthe newspaper industry.”

continued from page 4

6

along with other legislationnow being crafted in theopening days of the new con-gress, will provide the firstopportunities to advance thesepriorities with this new focus.

In the area of tax policy,NPES will continue to advo-cate for expensing and acceler-ated depreciation of capitalinvestment, along with moreglobally competitive researchand development incentives.These are policies that haveproven track records of successin strengthening the economy.Additionally, the Associationwill work to permanentlyreform the Estate Tax, current-ly scheduled to come back infull force in 2011, by increas-ing the exemption level andreducing the rate of taxationon estates above that level.

This will be especially impor-tant to smaller family ownedfirm’s ability to minimizetax planning costs in passingbusinesses to succeedinggenerations.

NPES will put a specialfocus on the needs of

smaller businesses during the111th Congress. This was thedirection given by members ofthe Association’s Government

Affairs Committee who met atGRAPH EXPO 2008. Thiscourse was recommendedbecause the majority of NPESmember companies arethemselves smaller businesses,and because a majority of thecustomers of NPES members—both large and smaller—arealso smaller firms, whichmake up a majority of thegraphic communicationsindustry. Smaller businessesare the proven engines of jobcreation and economicgrowth, and will play anessential role in a return toeconomic prosperity.

NPES will continue its lead-ership in the Mail MovesAmerica coalition by educatingpolicy makers at all levels ofgovernment about the vitalrole that printed commercialcommunications disseminatedthrough the U.S. Postal Serviceplay in the nation’s economy.And the Association willcontinue to advocate formany other ongoing NPESgovernment affairs priorities,but will focus its efforts

NPES to Focus on Small BusinessPriorities in 111th Congress

through the prism of smallerbusinesses’ everyday needs andconcerns, especially duringthese exceedingly challengingeconomic times. Thesepriorities include:

• tax policy that enablesfirms to perpetuate andexpand their business,

• healthcare policythat supports an employer’sability to offer coverage to itsworkers without mandatesthat would jeopardize abusiness’s competitiveness oreven its very existence,

• trade policy that facili-tates access to global marketsand insures fair competition inthe U.S. domestic market,

• environmental policythat promotes sustainableeconomic development andprudent stewardship of naturalresources,

• business regulationsand labor laws that insurefairness and stability in theworkplace, but do not inhibitthe ability of businesses tothrive and provide jobs, and

• support for printedcommercial communica-tions disseminatedthrough the U.S. PostalService.

The imminent economicrecovery stimulus package,

In the area of businessregulation and labor laws,NPES opposes the unwarrantedand detrimental expansion oflaws governing discriminationin the workplace, and effortsto eliminate the secret ballotin union organizing elections.The Association will alsoclosely monitor and opposeproposals that would under-mine ERISA pension laws andwidely accepted businesspractices such as Last In FirstOut accounting.

In the area of trade policy,NPES will continue to empha-size the critical role of exportsto U.S. manufacturing, advo-cate a return to bi-partisantrade policy that stresses freeand fair global trade, and sup-port appropriately negotiatedfree trade agreements.

For more information con-tact NPES Government AffairsDirector Mark J. Nuzzaco atphone: 703/264-7235, fax:703/620-0994, or e-mail:mnuzzaco@npes.org.

NPES will continue itsleadership in the Mail

Moves America coalition…”

Smaller businessesare the proven

engines of job creation andeconomic growth, and willplay an essential role in areturn to economic prosperity.”

7

PrintED CertificationAwarded to PrisonInmate

Innovative new print workflow and production technologiescoupled with approaching retirements have created an

urgency like never before to attract and build a new skilledworkforce to maintain and grow the graphic communicationsindustry. The good news isthe Bureau of Labor Statisticsprojects significant industryjob growth in production,management, customerservice and a range ofsupport positions through2014.To help meet our

industry’s demand for awell-trained workforcethe Graphic ArtsEducation andResearch Foundation(GAERF®) is workingto increase the number ofPrintED accreditation programs and booststudent enrollment. To promote the many exciting careeropportunities in the graphic communications industry andalso showcase the extraordinary talent of our youth, GAERF haschallenged graphic communications students to design andproduce a marketing product to be used to promote the spec-trum of careers within our industry.The GAERF 2009 National Student Design Competition

themed “Careers in Graphic Communications…Imaginethe Possibilities!” is open to all students attending a recog-nized secondary or post-secondary institution studying in agraphic communications/printing, advertising, graphic designor interactive media program. Their entries must be completedduring the 2008-2009 school year and submitted by May 1,2009. Participants are being encouraged to be creative as theycraft their design from concept to finished product.Qualified entries will be judged at the PIA Summer Teachers

Conference in Sewickley, PA. The total of six winning entrieswill include awards for first, second and third place winnersfrom the secondary level, and first, second and third placeawards for winners at the post-secondary level. First place awardwinners will receive $2,000 plus a two-day all-inclusive paid tripfor the students and their instructors to attend PRINT 09 inChicago, IL; second place award winners will receive $1,500;and, third place award winners will receive $1,000. First placewinners will receive their awards at PRINT 09 on CareerAwareness Day, September 16, 2009. For complete details visit:www.gaerf.org.

A Student’sPoint of ViewCAREERS IN GRAPHICCOMMUNICATIONS—IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES!

GAE

RFFor the first time ever, the Graphic Arts Education and Research

Foundation (GAERF®) awarded an inmate PrintED® certifica-tion. John Phillips, 41, an inmate at the Northern Regional Jail andCorrectional Facility in Moundsville, WV received a certification inOffset Press Operations after passing an online national standardizedPrintED examination.

As with most prisons, inmates at the Northern Regional Jail andCorrectional Facility are not allowed access to the Internet. So,when Instructor Eric Dye took charge of the graphic communica-tions program in July of 2007, he was determined to change thatobstacle so that inmates could participate in PrintED certificationexaminations.

Though initially hesitant to allow online testing, the prison war-den finally gave permission for inmate Phillips to register to take theexamination, but only under the strict supervision of JeannetteDonohew, lead teacher and Office of Institutional EducationPrograms (OIEP) Correctional Educational Association accreditationprocess manager.

Thus it was Donohew who registered Phillips for the testing,and on the day of the test, accessed the online test site as Phillips’proctor, input his pass code and clicked through the initial test pagesto the first question. It was the first time ever that a prison inmatehad taken an online PrintED certification examination.

Phillips is now preparing to take the Introduction to GraphicCommunications and the Digital File Preparation examinations.

Phillips has found employment in the correctional industriesprint shop, operating a Sakurai two-color press to produce print jobsup to four colors. Donohew says his training and PrintED certifica-tion helped him land a position in the prison’s competitive job envi-ronment. “We try to approximate the normal work place as much aswe can,” she explained. “Inmates have to apply and interview forthese jobs. John was hired because of his skills and qualificationscoming out of our PrintED program. The momentum is beginningto build, and we will have more and more students working towardthis achievement,” Dye observed.

“Regardless of the length of their sentences, these inmates can’tgo on every day without a sense of hope,” Donohew explained. “Ifinmates do get their sentences reduced and are released, their hopeand our hope is that they’re prepared to be productive citizens.”

“We applaud John Phillips on his PrintED achievement and hisefforts to further his career even while incarcerated. We also com-mend the WV Department of Education and their prison educationalprogramming staff for going the extra mile in securing such opportu-nities for their inmates,” said Ralph J. Nappi, GAERF president.

In 2003, the Northern Regional Jail and Correctional Facilitybecame the first PrintED-accredited correctional facility in the stateof West Virginia, and this new milestone shows it is continuing toset the bar on how prison career training programs can—andshould—operate. There are currently nine PrintED-accredited prisonprograms in the country.

NPES News is publishedmonthly by NPES.

Publisher:Ralph J. Nappi

Managing Editor:Deborah Vieder 703/264-7222

Correspondents:Mary AbbottJackie BlandEileen CassidyMike Hurley

Circulation:Darcy Harris 703/264-7217

The Association for Suppliers of Printing,Publishing and Converting Technologies

1899 PrestonWhite DriveReston, VA 20191 USA703/264-7200e-mail: npes@npes.orgwww.npes.org

Mark NuzzacoRekha RatnamKip Smythe

news and notesNPES CALENDAR

January 2009NPES Member Booth and Pavilion

PRINT PACK INDIA 2009January 18-23 • New Delhi, India

TC130 Working Group 2 Task Force 3January 19-21 • Berlin, Germany

March 2009ICC Meetings

March 3-6 • Paris, France

NPES 2009 Industry SummitMarch 22-25 • Washington, DCMarket Data Committee Meeting

March 22PRINT OUTLOOKMarch 23-24

PRIMIR Spring MeetingMarch 24-25

NPES Member Booth and PavilionExpografica 2009

March 31-April 4 • Guadalajara,Jalisco, Mexico

April 2009CGATS/USTAG Joint MeetingApril 2-3 • Chicago, Illinois

NPES Member Booth and PavilionGULF PRINT 09

April 6-9 • Dubai, United Arab Emirates

GASC Board of Directors MeetingApril 15-16 • Las Vegas, Nevada

GAERF Board of Directors MeetingApril 15-16 • Las Vegas, Nevada

NPES Member Booth and PavilionPoligrafia Expo 2009

April 21-24 • Poznan, Poland

May 2009NPES Member Booth and Pavilion

CHINA PRINT 09May 12-16 • Beijing, China

TC130 Working Groups 1-4May 18-23 • Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas

June 2009TC130 Working Group 5June 2-4 • Portland, Oregon

ICC MeetingsJune 15-18 • Tokyo, Japan

September 2009PRINT

September 11-16 • Chicago, Illinois

TC130 Working Groups & PlenarySeptember 21-26 • Beijing, China

8

HURLEY’STRADE-WISEDO TELL INTEL

ManufacturingSlumps aroundthe World

Manufacturing activityaround the world fellsharply in Decembersuggesting that the U.S.recession will extend wellinto 2009 and that un-employment will riseglobally. Separate surveysof manufacturing activityaround the world releasedrecently were also bleak.Manufacturing activitycontracted in Germany,France, Italy and Spainpushing the MarkitEconomics survey ofeuro-zone manufacturinglast month to the lowestlevel in its 11-year history.In Russia, the VTB BanEurope manufacturingindex fell to its lowestlevel since it began inSeptember 1997.Countries such as

India and China,heralded for theirrapid growth, arecooling as demand fortheir goods weakens.Chinese manufacturingactivity in December post-ed its second lowest read-ing since 2004. Both neworders and employment inChina fell for the fifthmonth in a row. Indianemployment and manu-facturing activity inDecember fell to theirlowest levels since 2005.The simultaneous woesof manufacturing inrich and poor countriesare something new in

the global economy. Inthe past, weaknesses in theU.S. and European manu-facturing meant a windfallfor developing economieswhich tookup theslack.The

spreadingand deep-eningmanu-facturingslumphas someexpertsworried that the globaleconomy in 2009 won’tfare much better than lastyear. The recently releasedJ.P. Morgan global manu-facturing index, compiledfrom surveys in 19 coun-tries, reached a new low inDecember, consistent witha severe 17% annualizedcontraction in globalactivity. Global output isestimated to decline 4% inthe last three months of2008 compared to theprevious quarter, reflectingreduced spending andavailable financing on autos,housing and capital equip-ment.Manufacturersaround the world havealready begun layoffsto conserve cash andreduce production.The global manufactur-

ing decline could putpressure on governmentsto pull harder on monetaryand fiscal levers. TheInternational MonetaryFund’s campaign to getcountries to boost govern-ment spending by a totalof 2% of global grossdomestic product—more

than one trillion dollars—could get a lift from nationalgovernments. In the U.S.,President-elect Obama hasbeen talking of a stimulus plan

of upto $775billionover twoyears,largelygearedto con-structionspending.China hastalked of

greatly increasing spending.However, European nations,more concerned aboutbudget deficits, have beenmore reluctant to adoptsuch tactics.

Sources: J.P. Morgan GlobalManufacturing Index, MarkitEconomics Survey, Wall StreetJournal

Manufacturersaround the

world have alreadybegun layoffs toconserve cash andreduce production.”