WASHINGTON, DC—May 14, 2012—The U.S. Postal Service is offering the 2012 Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion to encourage commercial mailers to use mobile marketing tools—such as QR codes—on their mail.

During July and August, the Postal Service is offering an upfront 2-percent postage discount on Standard Mail and First-Class Mail letters, flats and cards (presort and automation) that include a two-dimensional barcode or print/mobile technology that can be read or scanned by a mobile device. When scanned, the technology must activate a link directly to either a mobile-optimized Web page that allows the mail recipient to purchase a product or service or to a mobile-optimized and customized Web page uniquely tailored to the mail recipient and accessible by a personalized URL.

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It is a little-known but undisputed historical fact that Johannes Gutenberg did not invent the printing press. Though the Gutenberg Bible was certainly the first mass produced printed work, it was hardly the first printed book — nor was it even the first made using movable type. Chinese and Korean inventors had been producing printed books for centuries before Gutenberg was born.

One of the truisms of Western history is that a German guy named Gutenberg invented the printing press, changing the course of civilization forever. There is no doubt that Gutenberg’s printing press was a novel technology. But to say that he invented the printing press is like saying Steve Jobs or Bill Gates invented the computer.

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This is a slightly updated version of the article that appeared in the June issue of PDN with the title “Film Frenzy.”

When Eastman Kodak Company announced the discontinuation of its line of professional color reversal films on March 1 it was the latest disappointment in a months-long string of miserable news from the company. The slow march toward Kodak’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in the beginning of 2012 was preceded by weeks of gloomy rumors and news stories about shares of the company’s common stock dropping below $1.

After Kodak’s bankruptcy announcement, photographers who over the past several years had seen film and paper stocks discontinued, labs shuttered, and analogue photography equipment and resources dwindle could be forgiven for believing that the drawn-out “death of film” was finally reaching its conclusion, and that the discontinuation of Kodak’s slide film was the beginning of the long-rumored end.

The reality, however, is that the film business remains profitable for Kodak and other film manufacturers, and film is showing glimmers of a resurgence among professional photographers and analogue enthusiasts.

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A 1992 photograph by Jeff Wall sold for $3,666,500 yesterday evening during a Post-War and Contemporary art auction at Christie’s in New York City. The previous record sale for a work by Jeff Wall was $1.1 million.

The work “Dead Troops Talk (A vision after an ambush of a Red Army patrol, near Moqor, Afghanistan, winter 1986)? depicts a grisly scene in which Soviet Red Army soldiers killed by the Afghan mujahideen have come back to life and are conversing with one another.

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Image by Matthew Spiegelman

What Do You Believe In is a featured exhibition curated by Amy Smith-Stewart as part of the New York Photography Festival in DUMBO, Brooklyn, May 16 – 20, 2012.

Artists included in this exhibition are Jen DeNike, Hank Willis Thomas, Leah Beeferman, Stuart Hawkins, Yamini Nayar, Fay Ray, Luke Stettner, Anissa Mack, Kenya Robinson, Xaviera Simmons, Nicole Cherubini, Nyeema Morgan, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Matthew Spiegelman, Daniel Gordon, and Ignacio Lang.

Exhibition Location
56 Water Street
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

This select group exhibition of sixteen artists explores how photography shapes our ideas—who we are, why we do the things we do, how our thinking happens, and where it evolves. Works in the exhibition will range from collage, installation, video, sculpture, and photography and span the mystical, ideological and political. Many of the works explore self-perception from an existential or spiritual perspective to popular culture’s impact on personal development. But what all of the artists attempt to show us is where we are and where we might be heading. – Amy Smith-Stewart

Panel Discussion: What Do You Believe In

Thursday, May 17
3:00 – 5:00 pm
POWERHOUSE Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn 11201
New York Photo Festival

Moderator:

Amy Smith-Stewart, Curator

Panelists:
Jen DeNike
Xaviera Simmons
Matthew Spiegelman

WASHINGTON, DC—May 10, 2012—The Postal Service ended its second quarter (Jan. 1 – March 31, 2012) with a net loss of $3.2 billion, compared to a net loss of $2.2 billion for the same period last year. Despite ongoing management actions that have grown and improved efficiency, the losses will continue until key provisions of the Postal Service five-year business plan move forward.

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Water from flooding at Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum has been cleaned up, but the extent of the damage still isn’t clear. Museum Director Jim Moran said hundreds of gallons of water was removed after Thursday’s rains and between 500 and 1,000 pieces of wood type were damaged, along with a couple of presses and displays.

He said the museum will have to wait until many of the pieces dry to determine whether or not they’re still usable. The museum was closed Thursday while six people worked to remove the water that leaked through the second and third stories…

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TOKYO—Komori Corp., based here, and Landa Corp. of Rehovot, Israel, announced a global strategic partnership whereby Landa will license Komori to manufacture and market digital printing presses for commercial and other printing markets using Benny Landa’s Nanographic printing process. Landa Nanography is a new digital printing category employing water-based inks. It combines the versatility of digital with the qualities and speed of offset printing, with a low cost per page.

“We see growing demand for variable data printing and personalization, especially for niche applications, which we are addressing with our already-announced DigitalOnDemand solutions,” noted Yoshiharu Komori, chairman, president and CEO of Komori.

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WASHINGTON, DC—Not everyone is in agreement as to the potential effectiveness of S 1789, the 21st Century Postal Reform Act. The Senate loved it, as evidenced by Wednesday’s 62-37 bipartisan vote that, among other things, makes cuts to workers’ compensation benefits, transitions delivery from door to curbside in some instances, and tables eliminating Saturday delivery for two years.

The Printing Industries of America (PIA) is pleased with the bill, but USPS management and the Board of Governors aren’t quite so happy.

Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General and CEO of the USPS, feels the Senate bill does not allow the Postal Service to return to profitability or reconcile its staff and facilities in accordance with mail volume. “Today, the Postal Service incurs a daily loss of $25 million and has a debt of more than $13 billion. Based on our initial analysis of the legislation passed, losses would continue in both the short and long term. If this bill were to become law, the Postal Service would be back before the Congress within a few years requesting additional legislative reform,” he said in a release.

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Frieze New York to Host City’s Biggest
Temporary Art Bookstore

An Unprecedented Collaboration Between America’s Premiere Distributor of Books on Contemporary Culture and Europe’s Leading Specialist Art Bookstore

Featuring over a thousand books from around the world as well as a large selection of limited editions, rare and out of print titles.

Open May 3 – 7, 2012
Frieze Art Fair, New York
Randall’s Island
Southern Entrance