VistaPrint Files Suit Against Taylor Co. Subsidiaries
VistaPrint Technologies Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of VistaPrint Ltd., filed a patent infringement lawsuit against 123 Print Inc. and DrawingBoard Inc., subsidiaries of Taylor Corp. VistaPrint alleges that 123 Print and DrawingBoard have infringed on three patents owned by VistaPrint related to browser-based tools for online product design. Full story.

Brandt Affixing Moves to Larger Facility
Brandt Affixing Inc. recently relocated its operation to a larger facility at 1432 Wainwright Way, Suite 116, Carrollton, TX 75007. The 35,600- square foot facility offers more that 13,000 square feet of warehouse space and 18,000 square feet of production space. It includes plans for a multi-media conference room suitable for customer training, on-site educational programs and plant tours.

WorkflowOne to Offer Print Management Services to UPMC
WorkflowOne said that under its sub-contractor agreement to Océ Business Services, the company has secured a multi-year contract with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) to provide a comprehensive program of offsite print management. WorkflowOne will provide a supplemental strategy for UPMC's outsourced print, including an analysis of UPMC's business stationery, marketing materials and forms, and candidates for print on-demand or migration to electronic versions.

Leslie Co. Celebrates 30 Years
The Leslie Company is celebrating its 30th year of manufacturing custom imprinted presentation products through employee appreciation events, special distributor promotions and giveaways. In 1977, The Leslie Company began offering vinyl binders and heat-sealed products. Today, it offers offset printing with index tabs, pocket folders, turned-edged binders and calendars, book printing and finishing, and fulfillment services.

Admore Wins Four Awards
Admore, a division of Ennis Inc., won recognition at "The Gallery of Superb Printing, The Detroit Club of Printing House Craftsmen" Awards Dinner April 17. The annual awards program recognizes companies for outstanding workmanship in the industry. Admore won four awards for its sales kit, a custom-designed 4-color binder, a UV treated piece, and a folder without inserts. Additionally, Ernie Fletcher, Admore's research and development manager, was recognized as the "Technical Craftsman of the Year."

Performance Group Wins its Third Excellence Award
Performance Group Inc., Omaha, Neb., recently won the 2007 Omaha 25 Excellence in Business Award presented by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Performance Group, which won the award for the third time, was recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in Omaha. The awards recognize small businesses for growth, contributions to the community, creativity and vision.

R.R. Donnelley Sues Phone Directory Publisher
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. is suing telephone-directory publisher Ad-Ventures Hawaii, claiming the Honolulu-based company owes more than $800,000 for the printing and production of its 2005 directories, according to a Pacific Business News story. Citing nine invoices delivered in February and April of 2006, the lawsuit calls the delay of payment "vexatious and unreasonable," noting the receipt of only $58,808 toward the bills.

Woodruff is Keynote Speaker at Print Solutions 2007
One of ABC's top correspondents, Bob Woodruff, will be the keynote speaker at Print Solutions 2007, Oct 17-19 in Las Vegas. The keynote is sponsored by Glatfelter. Woodruff, who joined ABC News in 1996, was seriously injured by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle near Taji, Iraq in January 2006.  He's currently undergoing outpatient rehabilitation in the New York area and has returned to work at ABC News. Last month, Bob and his wife Lee released In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love, Courage, and Healing, their personal memoir about Woodruff's recovery after his injuries in Iraq and the medical and family support that helped him heal. Woodruff has covered major stories both in the United States and overseas, including Hurricane Katrina, the Asian Tsunami, the nuclear showdown in Iran and more.

American Banknote Acquires Arthur Blank & Co.
American Banknote Corp., parent of the ABnote Group, acquired Arthur Blank & Company for an undisclosed amount of cash and stock. The acquisition nearly doubles ABnote's U.S. operations, and provides access to Arthur Blank's capabilities, high-volume capacity and intellectual property, along with the ability to offer new products throughout the six continents that it serves. Arthur Blank will gain access to new customers, and will supplement its existing products through ABN's Visa/Mastercard certified facilities, and through its complimentary secure printing, warehousing and total fulfillment services. President and CEO Stuart Blank and Executive VP Eric Blank will assume responsibility for ABnote's entire North American plastic card operations, including the ongoing management of Arthur Blank's existing operations. Full story.

CBN, Drent Goebel Organize Open House
CBN and Drent Goebel are organizing an open house on June 6 and June 7 at CBN corporate headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va. Attendees can tour the corporate building, attend educational workshops and see a demonstration of the Vision, a short make ready web offset press that delivers commercial-quality printing for applications such as direct mail, promotional and pharmaceutical items, and commercial printing, labels and flexible packaging. Register by May 31. For more information, call Maureen Siegmund at (800) 336-4641.

The VIP Series: New Education and Networking Offerings
DMIA and Ennis Inc. have established the VIP Series, four local events designed to bring industry leaders timely educational programs and valuable networking sessions.

The two CEO Forums of the VIP Series feature speaker David Cichelli whose topic on Best Sales Compensation Practices earned him rave reviews at DMIA's 2007 CEO Summit. CEO Forums will be held in Boston on August 15 at the Hyatt Harborside and in Chicago on Sept. 11 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. CEO Forums are open to company principals only.

General Forums will be held in Houston on July 25 at the Northwest Forest Convention Center and in Orange County, Calif., Sept. 19 at the Anaheim Marriott Suites. The General Forums, which are open to all, feature presentations from industry leaders as well as distributor panel discussions. "It was important to us that we offer the VIP Series events throughout the country," said Pat Cook, vice president of sales and marketing for Ennis. "We want to add to the success of recent DMIA meetings by bringing speakers to distributors who may not have been able to benefit from previous events."

Peter Colaianni, CAE, executive vice president of DMIA, said, "We've set up a series that will demonstrate new strategies to help our manufacturers, suppliers and distributors grow their businesses. Thanks to Ennis' support, these programs will be free."

For more information on the DMIA/Ennis VIP Series, visit www.dmia.org/vip. While attendance is free, registration is recommended.

New Member Profile: One-Stop Direct Mailer
Champ Direct Mail Printing uses state-of-the-art direct mail printing equipment to meet the printing needs of nearly 2,000 clients nationwide. The company prints in-house the components needed for most direct mail packages.

Everything About M&As
Mergers, Acquisitions & Business Combinations covers issues such as reasons to merge, acquire or sell, determining the worth of a business, negotiation tactics, the nuts and bolts of agreements, financing considerations, and more. Code: MASH. Member Price: $39.95. To order, click here or contact Tina Davis.

Sell Excess Inventory
DMIA's Excess Inventory Depot enables members to sell items such as excess inventories, blank forms and labels, pre-converted material, paper stock, converted material, new or used equipment and other business-related items. Take advantage of this offer and post your items for free. Find out what's for sale. DMIA members can view postings 24/7 at no charge.

Top 10 Unusual Source Requests Received by DMIA: Electronic billboards, hula hoops, MICR toner. See the complete list.

Wendy Weiss, owner of Weiss Communications

Successful Prospecting Starts in Your Mind
If you believe you have something of great value to offer and prospects will be interested in talking to you, you're setting yourself up for success, says Wendy Weiss, the self-proclaimed Queen of Cold Calling. Weiss helps entrepreneurs and sales professionals reach more prospects, close more sales and make more money. She talked to Print Matters about cold calling and more:

How can salespeople avoid burn out?
Salespeople do get burnt out. You've got to take care of yourself by eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep. You've got to do all those things so that you are physically fit. The other piece is that you have to take care of yourself emotionally and mentally. There's a perception that in sales there's a lot of rejection. However, that feeling of being rejected, although it's very real, isn't necessarily reality. It's like there are facts and then there are the stories. The facts are that if you are a salesperson, then you need to pick up the phone and make those phone calls and prospect. When you talk to them, they will say what they have to say and you will say what you have to say. The story is--I am bothering them, I am interrupting them, they don't want me to bother them, they will say no, they don't like me, etc. People make this stuff up in their head and it's not necessarily true.

Read the complete interview.

Product: Scratch 'N' Sniff Card

Company: Arthur Blank & Co., Boston.

Features and Benefits: The Scratch 'N' Sniff card is available in 120 scents, including hazelnut, cappuccino, cinnamon crunch, spearmint and orange spice, and custom-designed scents. Available in any size or shape, each card is 6-color offset printed and has a clear film over-laminate with thermal or high-resolution imaging for personalization. All personalized cards have ScanGuard guarantee/Scratch Off Label/SecureScratchOff/On-Site Protection. The cards are ideal for direct mail programs, promotional programs, and specialty cards and signs.

Applications: Loyalty, rewards, membership or gift card program

Ensure Trade Show Success
Here are four tips to make the most of trade shows:

1. Take the time to familiarize your team with the lead collection technology you'll be using before the show.
2. Make sure at least some of the people going to the show are prepared to answer technical questions.
3. Send friendly people with a genuine enthusiasm for your company, its products and services. They may not be the most senior staff. Make your choices based on effectiveness, not seniority.
4. Check in with your team throughout the show to assess performance, reward positive behaviors, and stop negative trends.

Source: Business Know-How

Xerox Paper Erases Itself
Xerox Corp. has invented erasable paper--a way to make prints whose images last only a day, so that the paper can be used again and again. The technology, which is still in a preliminary state, blurs the line between paper documents and digital displays and could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in paper use. In its current version, the paper self-erases in about 16 to 24 hours and can be used multiple times. The technology, a collaboration between the Xerox Research Centre of Canada and PARC (Palo Alto Research Center Inc.), could someday replace printed pages that are used for just a brief time before being discarded. Xerox estimates that as many as two out of every five pages printed in the office are for what it calls "daily" use, like email, web pages and reference materials that have been printed for a single viewing. More details.

Using VDP to Sell VDP
Boomerang Hawaii wanted to generate leads for its personalized URL and marketing services. It sent 125 postcards to people who expressed an interest in the company's services and received more than $50,000 in new business. A follow-up mailing involving a personalized case study helped the company win another project worth $30,000.
Read the complete report.