It is with pleasure we announce that the Binding Industries of America has named Pacific Bindery Services Canada’s Top Graphic Finisher for 2008. The award is presented by the Binding Industries of America (BIA) in association with the annual Product of Excellence Awards – and we are the inaugural recipient!

We entered six pieces into the Product of Excellence Awards this year and won four awards in the competition. They included two Best of Categories (one for Stitching and one for Adhesive Binding), one Certificate of Merit in the Mechanical Binding category and one Certificate of Merit in the “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done!” category.

While we take great pride in the quality of work we do, we could not win international awards year after year (more than 30 in the last seven years – but who’s counting!), without the opportunities that our customers provide to us – you give us exceptional work to bind and finish. Thank you.

All of the work we do is important to us and, of course, to you – we strive for perfection and continuous improvement in every job. We are proud to receive this recognition from our peers and we are proud that it reflects so well on the commitment and the skills of our employees. We share these awards with you!

Most of our staff are long-term employees and all are well trained and experienced in bindery and finishing. In addition to on-the-job training, all employees have the opportunity to gain additional knowledge – whether it’s through certified in-house training or through local industry technical programs.

For more information: 1-888-873-4291 or e-mail info@pacificbindery.com or k.bovay@pacificbindery.com.

Next week: We will showcase one of our four award pieces.

During my trip to Japan a couple of months ago, (Wow! It’s been that long?) I learned a lot about Japanese technology and every day life just by staying in Tokyo alone. Printers always talk about how the internet and technology is taking over print and print will become obsolete one day. However, in Japan, they have figured out a way to integrate print with technology using a new two-dimensional code in every day marketing pieces.

Bar codes are already very popular in our every day lives. From supermarket groceries to book store magazines, bar codes encrypt information in a small area. However, as more and more information become available, people are looking for an alternative to store more information and more character types that won’t take up more space than it does right now. QR is short for Quick Response and the technology was developed by Denso Wave in Japan and was released in 1994. It has gained international acclaim in Asian countries and is now moving its way into North America.

Advantages of QR Codes

Capacity

Unlike barcodes with information only in one direction, the QR Code is a two-dimensional code with information stored on the vertical and horizontal direction. As a result, the QR Code can hold up to 7089 Numeric data, 4296 Alphanumeric data, and 2953 Binary data. Compared to barcodes that can only hold approximately 20 digits, the QR Code is far superior to the traditional barcodes.

Footprint

QR Codes can hold the same amount of information as traditional bar codes but in one-tenth of the space it takes for barcodes. For an even smaller printout size, there are Micro QR Codes available. The symbol size ranges from 21×21 (Version 1) to 177×177 (Version 40) and grows by 4 modules/side.

Dirt and Damage Resistant

QR Codes can be restored even if the symbol is damaged or dirty. Up to a maximum of 30% of the data can be restored.

Readability

QR Codes can be read in any direction thanks to the position detection patterns. These patterns are located on three corners of the symbol and it helps reduce background interference. In addition, a single QR Code can be divided into multiple data areas then reconstructed as a single symbol when needed. This allows the user to print up to 16 symbols in a more narrow printing area.

Standardization and Use

On June 2000, The QR Code standardization received approval from ISO International. The QR Code System can be generated using QR Code Printers and software to generate the code. There are scanners that are designed for a variety of applications. Cellular phones are the most common form of QR Code scanners used in Asia as teens capture QR Code information from posters of their favourite Rock Star’s upcoming concert to advertisements on the Subway. The uses for QR Codes are limitless, groceries stores print it on their receipts, marketers print it on their ads to increase interest, and stores print it in their ads to generate maps and hours of operations. Honestly, this is such an exciting technology that I can’t wait for Canada to catch up on it!

Here are some samples of QR Codes Usage in Japan

McDonald’s in Japan Use of QR Codes

Disneyland Advertisement Using QR Codes

Courtesy of http://blog.cliffano.com/2009/05/18/qr-code-usage-in-japan/

Survey Results of QR Codes Usage in Printed Materials Japan

http://whatjapanthinks.com/2005/09/26/qr-codes-extremely-popular/

Disclaimer: Most of the information used for the blog post was drawn from the website http://www.qrcode.com/ developed by Denso Wave. Please visit their site for more information.