• September/November 2024

  Knorr Brand Sauce and Gravy Mixes

  Knorr brand sauce and gravy mixes make a great shortcut if you don’t have the time, the culinary skill, the ingredients, or the patience to make your own pesto, hollandaise sauce or chicken gravy. 

• July/August 2024

  Steve Tips His Hat

  In his dual roles as CEO of a printing company and as a journalist covering the graphic arts, Steve Johnson receives a lot of marketing mail. Much of it is pretty good, and every now and then he receive a piece that is outstanding. 

• May/June 2024

  Live Your Life in Totality

  Steve Johnson derives life lessons from last April’s “eclipse tourism.” 

• March/April 2024

  Look to the stars for inspiration for promoting the efficacy of print

  Astronomer vs astrologer can compare in the same way as printer vs digital media. 

• January/February 2024

  Getting Real About Artificial Intelligence

  Depending upon who you ask, AI means either the beginning of the end for the human race’s domination of the world, or the elimination of all our jobs… 

• December 2023

  This Christmas, Get A Clue

  The grandkids, at grandpa’s house, with a board game. Steve Johnson introduces some digital natives to the board game Clue. 

• September/October 2023

  The Bald Facts

  Who loves ya, baby? Steve Johnson explains how Telly Savalas is a case study in how to successfully distinguish yourself in the market. 

• July/August 2023

  Pause, Plan, and Proceed

  Leaders don’t always have the option of taking as much time as they need to carefully plan and implement their strategies…or do they? 

• May/June 2023

  You Have Mail…Or Maybe Not

  One fine Thursday evening in early December I retrieved the day’s mail, not on my phone or my desktop, but from my real mailbox, on a post at the end of my driveway. It would be the last time I would do so for five days. 

• March/April 2023

  Kudos

  Steve Johnson offers kudos to two stellar examples of variable-data printing, truly personalized with useful information. 

• November/December 2022

  Christmas Times A-Comin'

  I’ve been sending Christmas cards my entire life, so I’ve learned a thing or two about them, and I’m going to share some tips with you, dear reader. 

• September/October 2022

  Vague musings, name-dropping, streams of consciousness...

  “Storytelling comes from many voices, and print is the most experienced voice – a tried and true technology that can’t be ignored.” — American Crew’s David Reaccuglia, quoted in Domtar’s Paper Matters magazine 

• July/August 2022

  Sound Like a Dry Martini

  As a rule, I do not enjoy reading blogs. Countless scientific studies have unanimously concluded that online reading results in inferior comprehension and minimal retention. In-depth on-screen reading is also uncomfortable on my eyes. 

• May/June 2022

  Grow Your Own

  Graphic arts programs are disappearing from vocational schools and you can no longer count on a steady stream of applicants. What to do? 

• April 2022

  The Cat and Mouse Game

  Walter the Cat lives with me in a large house on a big lot in a rural area with a cold climate, all factors which add up to mice.

• March 2022

  I Call Nonsense

  I'm calling out some nonsense, and what better place to start than the internet? It is home of social media, which is unequalled for nonsense.

• Jan/Feb 2022

  The Lizard and the Window Washer

  How to hit the jackpot when things go wrong.

• Nov/Dec 2021

  Warming Up to Color

  When a genuine reason to add color appears, especially where it is not normally used, jump in! Make the case. Be an advocate for color and for print.

• October 2021

  Bad Data Needs a Scrub

  Bad data is an inevitable byproduct of the information age. The sheer volume of data collected is part of the problem, but it is the way it is managed that really causes glitches.

• September 2021

  Dear Mr. Schwab

  It was with sadness that I received Charles Schwab & Co’s notice that the summer issue of your magazine On Investing would be the last. As both your client and a connoisseur of printed magazines I can vouch for the quality, professionalism and efficacy of On Investing.n Investing.

• August 2021

  Poop On the Playground

  Before you embark on your company’s next big thing, pick up a bag and a shovel. You might want to clean up your poop.

• June/July 2021

  Musings, Droppings, Streams and Flashes

  Ask your customers to be your Valentine. Digital print or conventional print? Do you have a preference? More importantly, do your clients? Do they even care how you affix ink to paper?

• May 2021

  Thanks, No Thanks

  You're worth more than a cup of coffee.

• April 2021

  Are You Impressed With My Press?

  Ask your customers to be your Valentine. I just bought a press! Pretty exciting, eh? Can you guess exactly what I bought?

• Jan/Feb 2021

  Be My Valentine

  Ask your customers to be your Valentine. I’m not suggesting that you send roses to your customers, but how about a card?

• Nov/Dec 2020

  Go Ahead, Judge Me

  Whew! Thank goodness the elections are over. The sad fact is that while everyone either loves or hates the president, many folks don’t care or even know who exactly is their county clerk, their coroner or their representative on the library board or fire protection district.

• October 2020

  Cheese, Sausage, Mushrooms, Shipping

  The question was changed from what's the best pizza to what's the best pizza to ship a thousand miles across the country.

• September 2020

  Don't Keep Secrets

  It's up to us, the people who, as I like to say “make stuff” to make sure our friends and neighbors know that print is alive in their communities, and that it needs their support.



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