The Dscoop Podcast

One of the greatest strengths of the Dscoop community is what happens when ideas become relationships, and those relationships become opportunities. Every year, printers meet peers from around the world who quickly stop feeling like competitors and start becoming trusted collaborators. The story of Guinness World Records is one of the clearest examples yet of what can happen when that community goes to work together.

When Guinness World Records needed to produce and deliver premium printed materials into multiple countries, the challenge wasn't simply finding print providers around the world. It was finding partners who could consistently deliver the same quality, reliability, and customer experience no matter where an order was produced. Through the Dscoop community, Patricia Magill, VP of Global Production and Supply Chain at Guinness World Records, connected with Jon Tolley of Precision Proco, who helped assemble a network of fellow Dscoopers — Manuel Stefan of Elanders in Germany, Rosemarie Breske Garvey of Blooming Color in the United States, and Vatche Kavlakan of NDigitec in Saudi Arabia — to serve the brand's customers more efficiently and effectively.

As Patrician shares in this video, the operational benefits are significant. Guinness World Records' products are printed near their final destination, reducing shipping distances, shortening delivery times, lowering transportation costs, and shrinking the company's global carbon footprint. The group explains how those advantages only exist because years of conversations, introductions, and shared experiences. Guinness World Records trusts that every partner in the network shares the same commitment to quality, communication, and customer success.

The conversation also reveals that the collaboration doesn't stop with one customer. The relationships formed through Dscoop continue creating opportunities for the PSPs themselves. They exchange ideas, refer business, solve problems together, and increasingly look to one another whenever a customer needs capabilities beyond what any single company can provide. In many ways, the network has become greater than the original project.

The story is a powerful reminder of what makes this community different. Education brings members together. Trust keeps them connected. And when that trust grows over time, it creates possibilities that simply don't exist elsewhere. In this case, five organizations came together to help a global brand serve customers more efficiently, more sustainably, and more consistently — a result none of them could have delivered alone.

Several years ago, print provocateur Richard Askam gave a presentation at Dscoop's flagship event and encouraged attendees to "get off Print Island." His point was that it's common and comfortable to act inwardly, without realizing the effects of rapid change occurring all around you.

In this episode of "Unvarnished," Richard revisits the issue of institutionalized thinking in our industry, and talks about the beauty and opportunity of print leaders who embrace constant change and seek outside perspective.

Stop trying to sell, and start trying to educate.

That’s the message Colin McDermott, The Online Print Coach, will bring to Edge Long Beach this May as a speaker in the SELL track. He believes print companies need to shift from a traditional sales mindset to an educational approach — guiding clients, building trust and using content marketing to generate long-term business.

In this episode of the "Unvarnished" video interview series, Colin shares his journey in the print industry, from working in estimating and production to launching and running his own businesses. He has faced firsthand the challenges of losing major clients overnight, navigating economic downturns and rebuilding from scratch. Those experiences have shaped his approach to helping companies grow and become more resilient.

Now a certified corporate coach and founder of The Online Print Coach, Colin works with clients to help them fine-tune their sales processes and build stronger client relationships. At Edge Long Beach, he’ll share tangible strategies to help printers stand out, generate leads and keep customers coming back.

“People don’t want to be sold to — they want solutions to their problems. If you can teach them something valuable, they’ll trust you and eventually buy from you,” Colin says.

Colin is also hosting an exclusive pre-event webinar for Edge Long Beach attendees, "The Top 10 Mistakes Print Companies Make," which will cover key business pitfalls and how to fix them. One of those mistakes, he shares in this interview, is not creating a strong feedback loops with customers. He has seen print companies unknowingly leave millions of dollars on the table simply because they never asked their clients the right questions.

Commercial print has been shrinking for years, and Marco Boer does not sugarcoat that reality. As vice president of IT Strategies and a nearly 40-year veteran of the industry, Boer has spent decades helping manufacturers like HP understand where print is heading and why.

His view: Traditional commercial print is consolidating fast, offset volumes continue to decline and about 3%–4% of print providers disappear each year across both the U.S. and Europe. But the businesses that remain are often stronger, leaner and far more capable.

Marco explains that many private-equity firms see print as a cash-generating business with operational inefficiencies that can be fixed. When investors acquire multiple companies in one market, they eliminate duplicated departments, improve purchasing power and force sharper financial discipline. It creates pressure, especially for smaller PSPs, but it also pushes the industry toward smarter operations and better decisions.

That same mindset drives his strongest argument for digital print. As run lengths continue shrinking — from thousands of sheets to hundreds — the economics of offset become harder to justify. Marco points out that waste that once felt normal suddenly looks expensive. He points to the example of offset makeready waste and how digital presses remove much of that friction. Combined with job-level profitability dashboards and better production data, printers can now see which jobs actually make money instead of waiting until month-end to find out.

Marco also sees self-service ordering portals as one of the biggest opportunities for profitable growth, especially for printers serving small businesses. AI-assisted preflight, upfront payment and low-touch ordering allow short-run work to scale without unnecessary labor. Many printers say they have portals, but Marco notes that top leaders treat them as core infrastructure. The less friction in ordering, the stronger the economics become.

Despite tariffs, rising paper costs and shipping inflation, Marco remains optimistic about what he calls the “haves” — companies with strong balance sheets, clear strategy and the discipline to keep reinvesting. He points to HP Indigo users adopting high-productivity technology like the V12 label press as proof. When printers recognize real opportunity for gains, they do not hesitate to double down, and many already have, he says.

Mehzabin Nair, managing director of Skanem India, has spent two decades in packaging, and she brings a rare mix of commercial instincts and technical curiosity to her job. In this "Unvarnished" interview, she shares how she’s strengthened performance by rebuilding culture, speeding up decision-making and making sustainability a lived discipline. Her approach is hands-on and people-first.

Mehzabin has worked across flexible packaging, procurement and consulting. When she joined Skanem India two years ago, she said she didn’t face a long ramp-up because she already knew the industry and had a clear view of what needed to change. That meant tightening operations, controlling cost, optimizing resources, and quickly improving sales and marketing visibility.

Those moves worked, and today Skanem India is more streamlined, focused and culture-driven. It's a shift you can feel when you walk in, Mehzabin says: “I see faces coming, smiling. They are proud of stepping into the office.”

A big driver of that turnaround is how she builds confidence at every level. Mehzabin described a rebuild that included adding new talent while also elevating people already in the organization. She promoted second-line leaders into key functions and backed them with authority. That trust-forward style extends to daily communication with the company's leaders, factory workers, customer support staff and others.

Sustainability is another thread she speaks about with conviction. “We're creating responsible packaging,” she said, pointing to Skanem India’s tagline and how it shaped a rebrand. “Whatever we manufacture, we manufacture with love, care, responsibility." She highlights examples ranging from responsible supplier selection to simple operational choices like using LED lights for energy savings.

Mehzabin wants Skanem India to stand apart in a crowded packaging market by behaving like a partner. “We don't at all call ourselves as a supplier of labels,” she said. “We call ourselves partners in helping you sell better, partners who are reliable and committed to ensure what is required is delivered.”

It’s a mindset recognized across the Dscoop community: keep learning, keep moving and boldly move in new directions.

Geostick has a wonderful 100-year history in the Netherlands, evolving from a traditional label printer into a cutting-edge provider of self-adhesive labels and packaging solutions. The company continues to grow through innovation, strategic acquisitions and a strong commitment to customer-driven solutions.

For this episode of the "Unvarnished" video interview series, Dscoop’s Chris Hyde visits Cees Schouten at Geostick’s headquarters in the Netherlands.

As the company's operations director, Cees believes in the power of continuous innovation and investment in people. He discusses Geostick’s journey from early adhesive labels to becoming a digital printing pioneer with HP Indigo technology, as well as the impact of sustainability regulations on the industry and how the company is fostering a culture of growth and automation.

"We keep investing — not just in technology, but in our people and processes, so we can stay ahead of change," Cees said.

Watch the full episode to hear Cees’ insights on navigating industry challenges, embracing digital transformation and the exciting road ahead for Geostick.

In this episode of “Unvarnished,” Ferry Lammerts, founder and owner of Peter Print in the Netherlands, reflects on leadership, innovation and the power of staying curious. He believes growth follows curiosity, connection and courage.

Those traits have shaped Peter Print’s digital-first, customer-driven model. Peter Print’s site lets creatives specify custom sizes, stocks and finishes. A curated paper sample book showcases designs from actual customers, and the team shares standout work in a public “Masterpieces” gallery. Rather than relying on a field sales force, the company leans on brand, online marketing and stellar service.

In the conversation, Ferry explains how obsessing over the designer experience became a competitive advantage, why Peter Print expanded into Germany and how his team approaches the fast-paced world of online self-service in the print industry.

Karen Kimerer has spent her career helping print leaders see sales from a new perspective. In this episode of "Unvarnished," she joins Dscoop’s Chris Hyde for a discussion about how today’s most successful companies are rethinking how they communicate value.

Drawing on decades of experience in business development, strategy and market research, Karen emphasized that the print industry’s greatest challenge is how businesses talk about themselves. Too many teams still rely on outdated product language that fails to connect with what buyers truly care about. Her approach starts with a clear understanding of customers’ goals and pain points, then builds a message that speaks their language.

Karen’s business, K.L. Kimerer & Associates, helps organizations translate technical expertise into meaningful stories that win attention and trust. She works with clients to sharpen their value propositions, strengthen their go-to-market strategies and arm sales teams with content that resonates through every stage of the buyer’s journey.

During the conversation, Karen reflects on her own journey from corporate leadership roles to entrepreneurial advisor. She speaks about the power of curiosity, the importance of intentional growth and why leaders must carve out time to think strategically even in the rush of day-to-day demands.

This isn’t Karen’s first time sharing her expertise with the Dscoop community — she recently led this education session on insight selling , where she guided print professionals on how to replace product pitching with conversations that spark trust and urgency.

Caroline Routledge has seen what happens when data is treated as a strategic asset instead of a background tool — businesses grow, clients succeed and relationships deepen. As a data consultant for digital printers and marketers, she’s helping companies shift from “we have data” to “we’re using data to make money.”

In her "Unvarnished" episode with Dscoop’s Chris Hyde and Darin Painter, Caroline shares why data-driven personalization is such a powerful growth lever. “If you understand the customer and what they’re trying to achieve, you can make their messaging more relevant and effective,” she said. “That builds loyalty and opens the door to additional opportunities.”

Caroline is head of data sales at PDV, one of the UK’s leading data-driven direct marketing agencies. The company helps blue chip brands and startups enrich and connect their data so campaigns are more targeted, measurable and repeatable. PDV also provides lead generation, campaign execution and other agency services.

By showing clients how better data can improve response rates, raise lifetime customer value and inform broader marketing strategy, printers can position themselves as indispensable partners, she said. And as technology enables more precise personalization and automation, printers who lead the conversation on data strategy will differentiate themselves from competitors.

Whether you’re handling direct mail, packaging or cross-media campaigns, Caroline's advice is clear: The more you know about your client’s audience, the more valuable — and profitable — your work becomes.

At Trigon Digipak, a family-run print and packaging provider in India, the future is taking shape in bold and innovative ways, and two emerging Dscoopers are at the forefront. Director Isha Deshpande and Customer Success Manager Anushka Namugade represent the next generation of packaging professionals: ambitious, adaptive and unafraid to embrace change.

Trigon’s business model is as versatile as the packaging it produces. The company thrives on its ability to deliver premium quality and shorter turnaround times for customers ranging from established consumer brands to emerging direct-to-consumer players. Its agility is rooted in a willingness to rethink traditional processes, leverage digital tools and put customer needs at the center. Trigon has long been known as a company that invests in technology to stay ahead of customer expectations, and its installation of India’s first HP Indigo 200K underscored that reputation.

Within that forward-thinking culture, Isha and Anushka are third-generation leaders who play essential roles in Trigon’s strategy and execution. Isha leads the company's data division, while Anushka focuses on business development and client relationships.

In this episode of "Unvarnished," they talk about ...

• How they both grew up around the business, and their earliest memories of Trigon
• How they balance the guidance and wisdom of family with the need to bring fresh ideas
• Why brands are turning to short-run packaging
• What new markets and opportunities they're most excited about
• The best piece of advice their fathers ever gave them

Together, Isha and Anushka are shaping Trigon's path forward.