Written by Vladimir Gendelman
Founder & CEO, companyfolders.com
Research shows that using Twitter helps foster communication, promotes informal learning, and allows shy personalities a forum for increased participation and engagement. As the founder and CEO of Company Folders Inc., the standard bearer in online folder printing, I’ve experienced the value of keeping up to date with the latest print news and research, seeking out helpful tools and resources, and engaging with other print providers on Twitter.
In light of #NationalPrintDay as well as the 75th Anniversary of Xerography (#XeroxNext75), I’ve compiled a list of over 40 print-related Twitter accounts to help you build social links and create streams of helpful information. With Xerox’s reputation for valuable content (as well as encouraging fellowship and solidarity through #PrintWins), Digital Printing Hot Spot blog seemed like the perfect place to share this resource.
If you’re a reader of the DPHS blog or participate regularly on Twitter, you may recognize many of these accounts. However, for someone new to the industry (or just Twitter), this list will provide a baseline for getting to know the “Printerverse” on Twitter. I focused mainly on the U.S.-based community, but if you feel I’ve forgotten anyone, feel free to leave info in the comments below.
Print industry experts
Xerox Production
Follow @XeroxProduction
Follow @XeroxCorp
Follow @XeroxOffice
Follow @XeroxEvents
Follow @XeroxSupport
Follow @ServicesatXerox
Stay up-to-date with everything Xerox and share your voice with the rest of the print community. You can also discuss the strengths of the print industry with the #PrintWins hashtag. Be sure to check out the complete list of Xerox Twitter feeds.
Print Media Center Follow @PrintMediaCentr
Print Media Center is not only a go-to source for industry news, resources and integrated marketing strategies, but a place to find printing-related humor and fun articles. Use the #PrintChat hashtag to join in the conversation Wednesdays at 4PM EST.
Deborah Corn Follow @PrintPros
Deborah Corn is a self-described print BUYERologist, an integrated marketer, and one of the brains behind Print Media Center.
Sandy Hubbard Follow @SandyHubbard
Sandy Hubbard is the co-moderator of #PrintChat, a publishing strategist, and a marketing guru. She’s a friendly face in the online print community and a champion for the power of publishing.
Help Print Thrive Follow @HelpPrintThrive
The brainchild of Sandy Hubbard, Help Print Thrive is exactly what it says on the box – a campaign to help promote the effective marketing power of print.
Jamie McLennan Follow @JamiePrints
Jamie McLennan is a printing specialist who shares his years of experience with followers, along with lots of inspiration posts and a bit of entertainment.
Janine Simmons Follow @JanineSimmons
Janine Simmons is the account executive of ESKO, a package marketing innovator and a big supporter of #PrintChat.
Julie Shaffer Follow @JulieShafferPIA
Julie Shaffer of Printing Industries of America is passionate yet down-to-earth, with tons of great information to share about print.
PrintFirm Follow @PrintFirm
PrintFirm’s online marketing director Katherine Tattersfield is friendly and personable, sharing helpful articles from a wide range of sources. She’s also an active participant in #PrintChat.
Christopher Price Follow @CPriceGASC
Christopher Price is the VP of GASC, the organization behind Graph Expo. Follow him for industry news and information on the GASC community.
Print Media Network Follow @PrintersLounge
Print Media Network’s Printer’s Lounge is a large online community of printing experts and a go-to source of print design tips and inspirations.
Brian Ruiz Follow @BrianRuizXerox
Brian Ruiz is a Xerox print and workflow solutions executive who occasionally treats his followers with free gifts, but always delivers effective strategies and print business news.
Gina Testa Follow @GinaTesta
Gina Testa is the vice president of the graphic communications industry for Xerox. Follow her for tips on how to use print to grow your business.
Bob Wagner Follow @RobertGWagner
Bob Wagner is the director of global communications for Xerox Technology Business and a great source of information on getting the most out of your print marketing collateral.
NAPL Follow @NAPLconnect
The National Association for Printing Leadership focuses on helping printers grow their business through better business practices. Also follow Howie Fenton for insight on technology, operations and workflow.
What They Think Follow @WhatTheyThink
What They Think provides industry news, commentary and analysis from top names in the printing community. Follow Randy Davidson and Cary Sherburne if you want to know more about who “they” are and why they think that way.
Printing Focus Follow @PrintingPages
Printing Focus is an extensive business directory for the print and design industry. Connect to learn more about the other printers out there and their approach to the business of print.
Printing Hub Follow @PrintingHub
Printing Hub has a massive collection of articles to help printers evolve their business, with helpful tips on a daily basis and plenty of thought-pieces to help you broaden your business horizons.
Matthew Parker Follow @PrintChampion
Matthew Parker of Print and Procurement offers fantastic advice for both printer and print-buyer alike. If you work in print sales, he is a must-follow.
Printing research and resources
People of Print Follow @People_of_Print
A virtual who’s-who of the printing industry – follow People of Print to find even more great printer resources and community members on Twitter.
Choose Print Follow @ChoosePrint
Need help convincing a client that print marketing is the way to go? Choose Print has the facts and figures you need to show them the big impact print can have.
Printchomp Follow @PrintChomp
Have an idea for a print job, but nobody to print it? Offer specialty print services that nobody seems to be taking advantage of? Printchomp is a service that pairs people with unique print needs with their ideal printer.
Print in the Mix Follow @PrintInTheMix
Print in the Mix is based out of the Rochester Institute of Technology and features plenty of academic studies, alongside print-related news stories on the effectiveness of print.
MyPRINTResource Follow @MyPrintResource
A spin-off channel from Printing News, this account provides you with the tools to stay socially connected to the rest of the print world and on top of industry intelligence.
Printing impact and environmentalism
Print Grows Trees Follow @PrintGrowsTrees
Print Grows Trees promotes ecologically-responsible printing and the positive effects the print industry has on the environment, with a focus on reforestation. Follow them on Twitter, then go out and join in the cause by planting some trees!
Clampitt Paper Follow @BarneyFiber
Not only does this paper company promote environmental issues, they also have a lot of resources on the paper industry itself – plus some fun inspirational posts thrown into the mix.
Two Sides U.S. Follow @TwoSidesUS
The Two Sides organization helps to educate people on the sustainability and versatility of the paper medium. Follow them to learn more on how to print responsibly.
Print is Big Follow @PrintIsBig
Print is Big offers a unique look at the impact the printing industry has on the global economy, with daily factoids comparing print to other large-scale industries.
Specialty printers
SGIA Follow @SGIA_Community
The SGIA is the world’s only international association of specialty graphic printers. Get on board to get connected to the specialty graphics community. Follow SGIA Expo for information about the annual SGIA convention.
Company Folders Follow @CompanyFolders
My business, Company Folders, specializes in presentation folder printing and provides an abundance of free templates, mock-ups, design tips, giveaways and more. Our feed is updated with print designs, tips, resources, case studies, and general promotion of print.
Quad/Graphics Follow @QuadGraphics
Quad/Graphics celebrates the innovation and technological achievements of the print marketing industry. Follow them for a glimpse of what the future holds for print.
The Dieline Follow @TheDieline
The Dieline is a celebration of clever and creative packaging design that consistently updates with plenty of packaging eye candy.
Fine Print NYC Follow @FinePrintNYC
Fine Print NYC is a veritable online art gallery of inspiration posts that not only show you gorgeous print jobs, but give you tips on how to make yours look just as good.
Printoolz Follow @Printoolz
If your interest in printing centers around the production tools themselves, then you’ll want to follow Printoolz, your daily news source for stories featuring the top developers of print production tools.
Quick Printing Follow @QuickPrinting
This monthly online magazine for small commercial printers and in-plant printers features daily updates with “quick printing” industry news and information.
Trish Witkowski Follow @FoldingFanatic
Trish Witkowski is the Chief Folding Fanatic of Fold Factory. Her Twitter account is dedicated to demonstrating the creative and fun ways you can fold a piece of printed marketing collateral.
Kallima Paper Follow @KallimaPaper
Kallima Paper is a paper stock company focused on high-quality printing, beautiful design, and environmental sustainability. Their Twitter feed is frequently updated with facts, tips, and techniques related to print and graphic arts.
Printing magazines
American Printer Follow @AMPRINTMAG
The experts at American Printer Magazine have been writing about the commercial print industry since 1883, so they know a thing or two about sharing stories that are as interesting as they are informative.
Print Magazine Follow @PrintMag
Get your daily fill of news, opinions, inspirations and other stories of interest to the print design community. Print Magazine caters to all graphic designers, but runs daily features on imprint design.
Graphic Start Follow @GraphicStart
This graphic arts news source caters to both digital and print designers, releasing daily blog updates filled with inspirations, tutorials, freebies and fun.
Print Week Follow @PrintWeek
This weekly publication features stories on every aspect of printing, from business and industry analysis to environmental impact and even print design.
Printing News Follow @PrintingNews
This news feed helps you stay connected to all the top names in the print industry, while also plugging you into the top print stories of the day.
Print Monthly Follow @PrintMonthly
Don’t be fooled by the name – although this print magazine only publishes on a monthly basis, their Twitter account can be relied upon for daily news and interest tweets related to the printing industry.
Printing hashtags
We’ve only scratched the surface of quality printers to follow on Twitter, but if you’re looking for more, try using the following hashtags in your search.
- #PrintWins
- #PrintChat
- #HelpPrintThrive
- #PrintMedia
- #DigitalPrint
- #PrintIsAlive
- #PrintIsNotDead
- #PrintisBig
- #PrintAndBeyond
- #Printerverse
Is there a Twitter account that you think is a must-follow for anyone in the printing community? I’d love to hear your suggestions! Please leave them in the comments below.
–
Vladimir Gendelman is the founder and CEO of Company Folders, Inc. He leads a team of talented graphic design and printing specialists who help clients create their ideal print marketing collateral. Follow @vgendelman
This is great to see. I see a lot of familiar faces on the list, and a few new folks to follow. I am honored you included us in this list. The hashtags are also a nice touch.
THIS IS SO COOL! Thanks Vlad for your kind words and putting me at the top of your list. You know Im a fan of yours, and really appreciate what you have done with your site to help the community. Shout out to Xerox as well for posting this and proving that #printwins – even online 😉
Deborah, it is my pleasure. I am a fan of yours, and yes, #printwins everywhere, on and offline.
Katherine, it was my pleasure to include you as well.
Thanks Vladmir, was very nice of you to include Printchomp
What a fantastic resource 🙂 I am honoured to be included. I’ll be sharing this with my community and hope others will too.
Thank you for the kind words, Matthew. We are indeed very grateful to Vlad and CompanyFolders for putting together such a robust and valuable resource for the print community. Thank you to everyone who has commented and please feel free to share with others!
Bill (Xerox)
Great resource, Vladimir! This is very helpful, thanks. We would appreciate your adding @catalogondemand, as well as the hashtag #PrintCatalog (to differentiate from the online catalogs). We are an information resource and champion for e-businesses to utilize automated publishing, especially print catalogs and brochures. Here is a link to our blog.
Thank you for including me and my #HelpPrintThrive campaign. You really captured the essence of the many tweeters who love print!
This is a killer resource for printers on twitter (like me.) Thank you!
I am glad everyone likes this resource, makes me feel like all the effort to put this together is appreciated.
Tim, I can’t change this article, but will definitely keep it in mind for the future. Thanks for letting me know and for reaching out on LinkedIn as well.
Sandy, it is my pleasure to include you and #HelpPrintThrive campaign. Thank you for connecting on multiple media.
This is a great list, I am developing my company’s social media I look forward to seeing what you all have to say! feel free to follow us as well Follow @CreativPrintPub or find us on Facebook Creative Printing & Publishing.
our website is being updated but the url is http://www.cpponline.com
I would also encourage people to follow @PD_Engage which is Precision Dialogue – a customer engagement firm that integrates digital marketing, user research, analytics and more with direct mail. Their integrated bundled solutions are really innovative http://www.precisiondialogue.com/services/direct-mail
Great list – lots of new accounts and hashtags to follow. Any Print related Twitter lists you’d recommend?
Hi Vladimir,
Its a pleasure reading your articles. Since you have been an expert in the field of print media, I being a marketing professional would like to know more on the various creative options for promoting in the print medium itself. I want youth to grab our product and if you could suggest some options apart from the general promotions like being in social media and so on.
Thanks
Does anyone know if any tools out there exist for monitoring what competitors are advertising in print, preferably in the Boston and Metro West area? Thank you!