Winning a podium place for printers 

It’s summertime and the living is easy as the Gershwin song goes. It’s the time to unwind watch the Olympics in a Mediterranean bar surrounded by French citizens, whooping every time a medal is gained. Paris 2024 is their London 2012. Only we know the UK did it better for all sorts of reasons. But in our relaxed state, perhaps in the pool, on the terrace under a vast sun umbrella or whiling away the time watching the world pass by, it is time to think about the Print Olympics.

Obviously the 100 metres is the equivalent of the fastest makeready and to 100 good sheets on the floor. The decathlon is a basket of ten jobs from a report and accounts to a direct mail piece, to a carton, multi-section catalogue and labels. The shooting disciplines are about personalisation and targeting, the print medal winner being able to match the message to the profile of the target in the most effective way. The three-day event is something of a marathon and involves running a digital press, coaxing it to produce great print on the most awkward substrates as the dressage stage; then the cross country is the long run, multi-section perfect bound book followed by print’s equivalent of show jumping producing a glamorous cover decorated with foils, spot varnish and die cutting.

No doubt a bottle of rioja or two will unleash a number of other events where gold medals can be won for print performance. They never will be of course – judging any print award these days is an impossible task and subjectivity inevitably takes over. There is no harm in the thought experiment though, nor in trying to work out what event, what discipline your business stands the best chance of winning gold. And then training to do just that.