Denise Gustavson
Denise M. Gustavson
Editor’s Note: Denise M. Gustavson has been writing about reprographics, and large-format graphics in general, for 21 years. In this interview with APDSP Managing Director Ed Avis, she describes her career and her current work with the one-year-old Wide-Format Impressions magazine, for which she was the founding editor.
Avis: Denise, you and I have known each other since you became editor of Modern Reprographics in 1998. What were you doing before then?
Gustavson: I was just out of college at that point, and I worked with a temp company. I attended college at Long Island University's C.W. Post. I have a BFA in communication arts, with a specialization in journalism, and a minor in public relations.
Avis: Modern Reprographics changed its name several times over the years you edited it. Please tell us about that.
Gustavson: We changed it to Wide-Format Imaging in October 2003, the magazine’s 10th anniversary. And then in April of 2016 we changed it to Wide-Format & Signage.
Avis: How do you think those names reflected the changes in the industry itself?
Gustavson: The readers of Modern Reprographics were the reprographics shops, some of the first adopters of large-format and wide-format printing. But, a lot of the times when you think of a reprographer or blue printer, you think of black-and-white drawings. That was not exactly what we were writing about anymore. We were talking a lot about color and signs. And so there had to be another way to express exactly what we were covering. By the time we were in the 2000s, it was different than when the magazine started. You started the publication in '93, correct?
Avis: Right.
Gustavson: So, 10 years later, the industry had changed and shifted dramatically at that point. So Wide-Format Imaging was the name we picked, because it was a little bit more than just printing. It was Imaging because it was a lot more graphics-heavy, and then Wide-Format to explain the technology.
And then at the beginning of 2016 there was another change. The hard signage market and the soft signage or the printing market were starting to come together. It’s a much different animal when you're building something out of concrete versus something that you are printing on paper, ink on paper.
We wanted to address that market, but Imaging didn't resonate with folks that were building signs, so hence the name change to Wide-Format & Signage. The new name said, “Yes, we're still doing wide-format in terms of printing, but Signage really addresses the larger market.”
Avis: Your magazine was bought and sold several times while you were there, and then in 2016 you left the company and joined NAPCO Media, which publishes several print-related titles. Tell me about that transition.
Gustavson: When I started at NAPCO Media in October ‘16, my title was special projects editor for the print, packaging, and publishing group. I worked with clients to build and create custom editorial pieces — newsletters, white papers, articles, blogs — whatever they needed. In January of '17, I added the editorial director title, managing the five brands within the printing, packaging, and publishing group. And then January of '18, when we were starting to get ready for our launch of our new publication in the summer of ‘18, I added editor-in-chief for Wide-Format Impressions.
Avis: So Wide-Format Impressions was a new title that you launched while you were there?
Gustavson: Yes, it was a brand new title that I launched. NAPCO Media had titles in the in-plant space with In-Plant Impressions, and we have Printing Impressions for commercial and Packaging Impressions for all segments of the packaging space. Within our portfolio, we saw a gap for the wide-format niche, so we launched Wide-Format Impressions to address the needs of those in the sign and graphics market.
Avis: What makes Wide-Format Impressions stand out in its market? How does it differ itself from other magazines in the space or near the space?
Gustavson: It’s a crowded market, so we needed to really look at what the competitors were doing and decide what made sense for us. We asked, “How can we make our publication different?” One thing we noticed is that that there was nobody covering the market in terms of vertical markets. So, we focused on that. Our first issue revolved around the retail segment and how wide-format print can serve that market. In the second issue we talked to hospitality and the hospitality market including hotels and restaurants. In our first year we also covered the education market, transportation, and media and entertainment.
It’s a very different way of looking at the market. We look at each vertical market and detail the opportunities in wide-format, of course, but we also look at adjacent markets, like garment, industrial, and commercial. As market convergence continues, we’ll see more and more printers looking for opportunities outside their core services and offerings.
Avis: What topics will you be covering in 2020?
Gustavson: We’ll be covering retail and hospitality again, because those are big topics with a lot of innovation. And 2020 is an election year, so we’ll be covering government and political printing. That should be very interesting in terms of what's going to happen in that space.
Avis: What's your digital strategy?
Gustavson: We have a digital edition of course, and we have a robust website as well. We produce newsletters. We create video. We engage on various social media platforms. We run webinars. It's all complementary. We need to be able to provide a platform for however our audience wants to engage with us.
Avis: I understand your magazine has again changed ownership. Tell me about that.
Gustavson: Yes. As of August 2019, NAPCO Media is now owned by SGIA.
Avis: How has that affected things?
Gustavson: Honestly, I’m excited for the future and the collaboration. I had already been working very closely with the SGIA staff for PRINTING United and the PRINTING United Daily, because we are a partner with the company on that event. We announced at SGIA in 2017 that SGIA and NAPCO had partnered to create a new show experience, which was built upon the robust foundation of the SGIA Expo. And that's exactly what PRINTING United is. The show covers convergence in the market, how everyone’s playing in everybody's backyard. You'll see commercial. You'll see industrial. You'll see apparel and garment printing. You'll see wide-format. You'll see wrapping. You'll see packaging. So, it's kind of exciting to get to see everything all under one roof. Make sure you tell APDSP members to attend.
Avis: I sure will. PRINTING United is the same week as our convention, and both are in Dallas, so I’m sure many of our members will be attending both. And I hope to see you at the Opening Reception of the APDSP Convention, which is from 5 to 7 on Friday, October 25 in the Anchor Pool Area of the Doubletree by Hilton.
Gustavson: Great, I’ll plan on it. See you in Dallas!