Big Picture - November/December 2015 - (Page 2)

insight Prophesy M November/December 2015 y friend John works as a hypnotist (yes, full-time and profitably) in New York City. Hypnotism, it turns out, isn't what most people think. John's clients want to lose weight, quit smoking, or control embarrassing habits; he rarely reaches into their subconscious and pulls out anything they can't recognize. Think of it as guided imagery, rather than the theatrical magic that movies depict. Nevertheless, I sometimes wish life could be a bit more magical. You know, poof, the roof stops leaking, the car stops rattling, and the bills disappear? So, I asked John whether change might be on the horizon with a rare lunar eclipse and fall equinox settling next to each other on this year's calendar. His answer was disappointing: Yes, perhaps, but only because we believe it's true. In that spirit, I've changed my opinion on 3D. The markets for 3D printing outputs are still undefined, but if you want a slice of that pie, you need to start building the skills now. It's like younger journalists learning to code, or early-career surgeons studying remote robotic techniques; it's not yet the standard industry requirement, but it will be. Along with that change, I predict some other shifts for 2016: * Software will become streamlined as crossover between multifunction products increases and as demands for real-time monitoring and job ganging grow. * Young people will continue to represent an enormous opportunity, as well as a threat, to established businesses as the threshold to enter digital printing drops and the demand for new blood in expanding family-owned shops remains high. * In-house design skills will begin to differentiate print service providers from higher-paid branding and marketing consultants who produce printed materials. * Customers will demand the ability to track a job not only as it enters and exits your facility, but throughout the process, with an eye to more last-minute changes and frequent progress updates to accommodate their own demanding clients. * Print shops will increasingly deploy web-based services to support branded signage, décor, promotional materials, and the like, whether through in-house tech employees or by outsourcing these services. * Sales reps will begin to collaborate with prepress operators to set competitive prices for services based on the skill and equipment (not just time) required to produce them. * Women will continue to grow as a percentage of small business leaders as older generations retire. * Print shops will develop relationships with interior design firms in order to service the exploding retail and hospitality markets. Email me with your own predictions for how printing will evolve in 2016 - I sense that this is a prophetic time of year. bigpicture.net EDITORIAL Robin Donovan Editor-in-Chief robin.donovan@stmediagroup.com Adrienne Palmer Managing Editor adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com Kiersten Wones Assistant Editor kiersten.wones@stmediagroup.com Kathleen DeZarn Art Director kathy.dezarn@stmediagroup.com Marty McGhie, Craig Miller, Beth Osborne Columnists Rick Bachelder, Kathy Boydstun, Terry Corman, Scott Crosby, Brandon Gabriel, Michael Garcia, Kirk Green, Robert Kissel, Tina McLaughlin, Craig Miller, Carmen Rad, Greg Root, Jared Smith, Mark Taylor Editorial Advisory Board SALES Murray Kasmenn Senior VP/Group Publisher 770/578-2577 murray.kasmenn@stmediagroup.com Lou Arneberg Senior Market Strategist East and Midwest US, E Canada 800/654-5169 lou.arneberg@stmediagroup.com Ben Stauss Senior Market Strategist West and South US, W Canada, Europe, Asia 513/263-9363 ben.stauss@stmediagroup.com Linda Volz Production Supervisor linda.volz@stmediagroup.com Tedd Swormstedt President Steve Duccilli Senior VP of Content Christine Baloga Audience Development Director Kari Freudenberger Director, Online Media BIG PICTURE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES 2 BY ROBIN DONOVAN, editor-in-chief BIG PICTURE (ISSN 1082-9660) is published 9 times annually (Jan/Feb, March, April, May, June/July, August, September, October, Nov/Dec) by ST Media Group International Inc., 11262 Cornell Park Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242-1812. 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - November/December 2015

Big Picture - November/December 2015
Contents
Insight
Wide Angle
Upfront
Dynamic Display
Ready to Ride
You Ask, We Answer
Wallcoverings’ Creative Awakening
R+D

Big Picture - November/December 2015