Starting at the Beginning

Most of you have read Screen Printing over the years and have grown to appreciate the solid authority of well-written articles, the dedication of Tom Frecska as editor, the friendly approachability of managing editor Ben Rosenfield, the professionalism of group publisher Steve Duccilli, and the consistency of up-to-date topic coverage within the magazine. Tom’s untimely passing in May has touched so many of you.

Most of you have read Screen Printing over the years and have grown to appreciate the solid authority of well-written articles, the dedication of Tom Frecska as editor, the friendly approachability of managing editor Ben Rosenfield, the professionalism of group publisher Steve Duccilli, and the consistency of up-to-date topic coverage within the magazine. Tom’s untimely passing in May has touched so many of you. And, though I didn’t know him except from reading his editorials, talking to his friends at work and reaching out to readers in conversation, these interactions have made me aware that I have big shoes to fill. I intend to do just that to the best of my ability.

To give you a brief backgrounder, I was born and educated in the Midwest. For the past 20 years I’ve created magazines and directed the editorial side of high-tech trade journals such as SMT (Surface Mount Technology), Advanced Packaging, and Infection Control Today. In the past year, I’ve written more than 250 online articles for Electronic Design News (EDN) about solar-cell production, flex circuits, RFID, membrane switches, microprocessors, and business-related topics. I’ve also led webinars, produced videos, served as a director in the Surface Mount Technology Association, and conducted panels.

Now let’s talk about the publication and its companion Website. Screen Printing is an established magazine with 56 years of experience in providing printing companies in the display-graphics, industrial, and decorated-apparel industries with management and technical advice. Our Website, www.screenweb.com, is the most heavily trafficked online resource in the specialty graphics industry. In the next few weeks, we will introduce a blog on the Website so that readers and editors can interact freely on current printing topics of interest. In the mean time, you can help us build our groups on LinkedIn and Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Screen Printing’s Editorial Advisory Board has once again lived up to its name by discussing the state of the specialty graphics industry with me and sharing some of the strategies they’ve used to keep their businesses successful and growing. However, I still need to hear from you, the reader. How Screen Printing develops will depend on the information you need. I hope to talk to many of you at SGIA. Please call 800-925-1110 ext. 385 or e-mail me at any time with ideas for coverage or future growth. Stop by our offices in Cincinnati for a visit, or invite us to tour your plant. If we can’t make the trip, we can still publish a shop profile based on conversations and shared photos of your operation (see Ben’s editorial on p. 44 of the July 2009 issue). We understand that listening to your concerns will help us to continue producing articles that help you do your work better.

Just as a journey starts with a trip to Google Maps, an end address punched into a GPS device, and countless references to a detailed atlas, a friendship starts with a hearty handshake and a warm hello. As the new editor, here’s my hand. I hope to get to know you all in the next few years.

Gail Flower
Editor