If you guessed that it’s a medication to treat your treat high cholesterol or acid reflux, well, you would be wrong.

Nope. It’s a printing company. Who would have guessed?

Carlson Craft® Business Solutions, Label Works® and Regency®, providers of stationary, label and invitation products, have combined into a new company called “Navitor™.” According to their new website, “The name Navitor invokes a sense of confidence, potential and a course of action.”

Live your life with confidence again! Only you and your doctor can determine if Navitor is the proper course of action for your specific symptoms. Potential side effects include spontaneous laughter, confusion and/or outbursts of “What the —!?” from dealers.

The more likely explanation for the new name? All the good dotCom names were already taken.

Now, that’s a pill that’s a bit easier to swallow!

I bought this Kelsey Excelsior 5×8 Printing Press a few years ago, and it is setup in our “mini-museum” in our front lobby.

If I remember correctly, this press was still in use in Texas two years before I bought it, until the printer passed away. As near as I can tell, it’s in real good shape. It didn’t include rollers, but included everything else, as well as some old metal dies of letters and artwork, which I’ll present in a future post.

I believe that this particular model was made in 1928. Whether the actual unit was made in 1928, or if that was just the year the model was introduced, I’m not sure. But, it is the older Model-N.

If you’d like to learn more about the Kelsey Excelsior Printing Press, pay a visit to this page, where you’ll find a great introduction as well as some links to other sites: The Kelsey Excelsior Table Top Printing Press. If you’re interested in other older printing equipment as well, be sure to check out the whole site as well.

One day, we’ll have our own mini-museum online. I already have a timeline and a photo, but haven’t put it up yet. Real world printing projects often force other things to the backburner!

We have a letterpress on display in our mini Printing Museum located in our front lobby. Hasn’t been used in years. Just lacking a set of rollers, though. It was in use by the previous owner up until two years before I purchased the press on eBay!

But, is that the best way to reach your customers?

A recent study says no.

Last month, International Communications Research (ICR) reported the results of a study commissioned by Pitney Bowes. They found that 73% of customers prefer to receive new product announcements and offers by mail rather than by eMail. The same holds true for prospects: 70% of consumers prefer to be contacted by mail than by eMail by a company they’ve not previously done business with.

People are also less likely to toss mail than they are to delete eMail. They find mail less intrusive than phone or eMail communications.

Despite the trend toward a paperless society, there is still something to be said about holding a printed piece in your hand versus staring at pixels on a monitor. The majority of people still feel that way too.

So, if your marketing efforts are including less printing and mailing, perhaps you should reconsider, especially if you’re not getting the sales you would like.

“Research Shows that Mail is Still the Best Way to Reach Consumers”
ICRSurvey.com, June 11, 2007

Please visit again soon for new postings.