So, have you printed any good books lately?
Metropolitan area shops that specialize in bound materials ranging from traditional hard and softcover works to smaller publications such as guides and manuals offer mixed opinions about the future of the market. Printing News recently interviewed a number of book printers throughout its reporting region who insist that despite the increasing widespread use of electronic information devices, books are, and will remain, indispensable reference tools.
Depends Whom You Ask
Tom Kemnitz, president of Royal Fireworks Press, Unionville, N.Y., agrees that technology is changing the way information reaches the masses. He disagrees, however, that the printed book will disappear entirely. At Royal Fireworks which manufactures one- to four-color books, run lengths presently average between 500 and 7,000 books per job.
Although growing dependence on electronic tools has not yet cut into the number of volumes Royal Fireworks manufactures, Mr. Kemnitz concedes that the form books eventually will take is bound to change dramatically--and in the not-too-distant future. "We live in times where two years is a long time," he says. "With the way technology is going, it's hard to know where a company will be."
Representatives of other book manufacturing firms say a balance can be achieved between books and electronic message systems. In a recent survey conducted by Bowne Business Communications of Secaucus, N.J., stockholders were asked how they wished to receive financial information. The overwhelming preference was for printed matter.
Says Kim Freeman, director of corporate communications for Bowne, "We don't think (book) printing will diminish. We firmly believe that there is a place for all of it." For example, she says, "we publish the Red Box, which contains all the instruction books a public company needs to carry out its corporate reporting." However, she points out, Bowne also issues materials on CD-ROM and presents seminars as part of its goal to "inform people in creative ways." Financial and legal journals remain important information tools for executives and attorneys, she insists.
Ironically, Bowne recently produced a 1,000-page book titled "Securities Law in Cyberspace," which reviews the legal ramifications relating to the Internet. Documenting the rules of the Federal Communications Commission is another example of how Bowne satisfies customers' need for information in regulatory issues.
"Public companies always are interested in finding out what they must do in order to comply with regulations," she says. "It's important that we provide the information to our audience in order to help them do their job better, whether it's done through traditional printing or variable data. We try to accentuate their needs."
Frederick K. Moss, vice president of Galvanic Printing and Plate Co., Moonachie, N.J., expects the volume of his book printing business to remain constant. Book printing currently represents 15 to 18 percent of Galvanic's work, he estimates, with run lengths averaging between 3,500 to 15,000 copies per job.
Despite "all this fancy-dan stuff" responsible for the way the work is done, Mr. Moss credits an all-inclusive workflow for keeping Galvanic's book publishing business strong. "Right now, we are doing a series on Vietnam," he says. "At present, the first book is being printed and the graphics are being worked on. We design and format everything from start to finish."
Some May Need It, Others May Not
In the realm of education reliance on such new media tools as the Internet and the CD-ROM eventually may lead to a decline in the need for textbooks, says Mr. Kemnitz. In addition, domestic book printers must deal with competitive pressure from markets outside the U.S., which reportedly can produce all kinds of books more cheaply. Indeed, it was just this sort of competitive pressure that prompted one local business--Barton Press of West Orange, N.J.--to drop this niche recently, in favor of commercial printing.
"It's even being done in places Mexico, where the labor is much cheaper," explains Ken Marino, Barton's chief operating officer, adding that Barton's book labor costs averaged around $1 million per year.
Book printing accounted for 5 percent of Barton's business for about a decade, says Mr. Marino. Primarily, he says, the company manufactured children's books for two or three accounts.
Mr. Marino states that Barton Press, which is experiencing annual sales growth of from 20 to 25 percent, henceforth will concentrate on commercial printing. The company's capabilities range from sheetfed and web offset work to the manufacture of commemorative postal stamps and maps. "Ours was strictly a business decision," Mr. Marino reiterates. "We want to do other business."
Search for Skilled Laborers
Most companies with book production capabilities eventually run into difficulty when attempting to hire experienced workers. Technicians skilled in computer-to-plate (CTP) and electronic file transfer are heavily in demand, says Arnold N. Kahn, president of PrintLink, a graphic arts employment staffing agency based in Rochester, N.Y. "Finding good CTP employees, in particular, is hard because the technology is relatively new and book printers are just beginning to get involved," he notes.
Case binders and finishers, along with bindery supervisors possessed of strong managerial and production skills, are among the workers book printers need most urgently to man their postpress divisions, says Mr. Kahn. Customer service representatives well-versed in book printing and press supervisors round out the list of most sought-after positions.
Mr. Kahn does not believe that increased reliance on electronic media will hurt the book publishing industry, at least for the short term. "I think book printing will remain strong for at least three to five years," he says.
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