I’m giving a free Webinar next week. Brought to you by Paperspecs, the greatest paper database and community on earth, “Beyond the Tri-fold” is going to be a blast. Here’s what I’ll be talking about:

• Folding and Paper (A match made in heaven or hell - it’s up to you.)
• Folding Relations (The eight families you need to know!)
• Folding Compensation (It’s not money, but if you do it wrong, it’ll cost you.)
• Folding Inspiration (You won’t believe your eyes!)
• Folding Lingo (Speak “fold” with the best of them.)

Thursday, September 24, 2009
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

Space is limited - click here to register now!

Just got back from the Print 09 show in Chicago. I would say it was definitely not the mobbed Print show of the past, however, there are some great things going on in print. There was a strong focus on technology, digital print, web to print, and social media. I was part of the Reinvent:Print theater, and spoke about Harnessing the Power of Direct Mail, and New Ways to Connect with Creatives. Great presentations by Emma, Paperspecs, Network PDF, Social Media Moves, Grow Sales, Inc., Prestia Color Consulting, Trekk Cross-Media, Adobe Systems and Adobe Certified Consultants, Sells Printing, Point Balance, and Seneca Design and Training. Great show!

I was chatting with my good friend Sabine Lenz of Paperspecs.com - she’s awesome. If you haven’t been to paperspecs, you must go there to see what she’s doing. She has the most comprehensive (and current) paper database, and offers a wealth of information on her site. We were joking about the need to be in constant contact with everyone, and I told her that I always forget to keep my cell phone on, but that I couldn’t imagine a folding emergency that would warrant my attention. She thought it would be great if my next spoof video was about a “Folding Emergency”. I love it!

I’ve started to get some really cool folds in the mail - and I can’t wait to show them to you. Please keep your eyes open for neat things. Doesn’t have to be something you did, I’ve had people send me things they’ve found in the mail, in their doctor’s office, from client work stored in sample departments. Folding is everywhere!!

Our resources page on the site is getting longer! Since the visitors of foldfactory run the gamut between design and print industry professionals and students, I thought it was really important to offer resources to help both sides of the industry. Our resources page now lists comprehensive information about folding machine technology, suggests a list of experienced bindery consultants and links to the Binding Industries Association’s Findabindery resource. For designers, I have links to some of the most comprehensive binding and finishing resources, glossaries, illustrations, and enewsletters offered by printers and binderies who have generously posted their valuable information. If you have anything to add, please send it to me.

http://www.foldfactory.com/resources.php

I’m totally geeked about the Print ‘09 show in Chicago this year. It’s only a few weeks away, and it’s shaping up to be an exciting event for the bindery. Focus has turned to finishing and automation and there will be a lot to see in September. I’ll be reporting from the show floor, so watch for it!

I’m having fun coming up with ideas for the folding-related slogans on my shirts for my videos, but I’ve also gotten some really clever ones from viewers, so please keep them coming! Send your slogan ideas to me at trish@foldfactory.com.

My feature article for Graphic Arts Monthly is out - click here to read it.

Then go to foldfactory to learn about exciting technologies that have been developed to streamline, automate, and improve the print finishing process. View offerings from BAUM, Duplo, FOLDRite, Heidelberg, Mathias Bauerle, MBO, Lithotechnics, Morgana, Rollem, SoftSolutions’, Standard Horizon, and Technifold.

I finished my feature article for Graphic Arts Monthly, and I created a resource page on foldfactory that links to the exciting technologies profiled in the article. Check it out! Very interesting stuff. When the magazine releases, I’ll include a link to read all about it.

http://www.foldfactory.com/smartfolders.php

Does anybody remember that old Tootsie Roll commercial where the kid sings “everything I see becomes a Tootsie Roll to me”? Sometimes that’s what I feel like with folding. It’s everywhere I look, and it’s cool.