May 10, 2010— In this installment of our Executive Q&A series, Printing News talked to Ron Potesky, senior vice president and general manager at Pantone.

PN: Tell me about your firm, the segment of the market it serves, and who you consider to be your "core" users.


RP: Pantone, which is most famous for the Pantone Matching System, is the dominant spot color matching system for the print market, and has been since 1963. Today, the Pantone name is known worldwide as the standard language for accurate color communication, from design concept to manufacturing, across a variety of industries. We also have a unique perspective on color trends, which is critical to many of our creative customers.

Pantone is part of X-Rite Inc., the global leader in color science and technology. X-Rite and Pantone's combined expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite and Pantone serve a wide range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. We have a powerful story to tell—with color inspiration, management and measurement at the center of everything we do. Our recently announced iPhone applications, called myPANTONE and X-Ref, have been extremely popular and are small examples of the power of the Pantone brand and X-Rite technology.

Because we strive to stay ahead of our customers' needs, we are constantly evolving our products as technology and working styles advance. In fact, we recently announced the Pantone Plus Series, the next generation of the Pantone Matching System that provides printers and designers with what they have been asking for—more colors with an intuitive, chromatic arrangement, digital tools and the same base inks, with no new equipment or workflow needed.

PN: How did you get involved with the company? What is your background?

RP: I'm fairly new to the company, having started in September 2009. My attraction to X-Rite and Pantone was based on the terrific product portfolio and value proposition, along with a great Pantone brand. Prior to joining Pantone, I enjoyed 10 years at Ricoh Americas, where I was the senior vice president of marketing. Earlier in my career, I spent seven years with Canon USA as director of the graphics division.

PN: What do you consider your greatest achievement in this market?

RP: My greatest achievement is that I've chosen high-quality companies to work for. During my seven years at Canon, I was part of the digital revolution in the color print market. The CLC color copier offered the first professional quality digital cut sheet color printing and copying with high performance and a clear ROI within a short time frame. At Ricoh, I was part of the democratization of color, as we delivered color printing and copying to a corporate customer base that was unaccustomed to high-performance in-house color. Now I'm looking forward to an equally exciting time as Pantone and X-Rite introduce new products, services and value into a rapidly changing digital world.

PN: If there was anything you could change, either about your career in regards to the print industry, your company, or the market as a whole, what would it be and why?

RP: I've been very lucky in regard to my career. I've been riding this color technology wave at exactly the right time and it's been enjoyable. I know it's a broad statement, but, if I could change one thing it would be the boom and bust cycles that drive capacity up during the boom (and, therefore investment in equipment and people) only to dislocate companies and people during the bust. The economic downturn of the last few years was in direct response to an inflated upturn. I vote for moderation in good times. Hopefully, we are on our way to some good times!

PN: What do you consider the greatest challenge to be for the industry right now?

RP: No surprise: The economy is the greatest challenge. The economic reality has created too much print capacity and not enough demand for X-Rite/Pantone's core customer base of commercial printers. Couple that with the slow, steady transition to digital printing and digital media and you have a significant challenge. We want to help printers find alternative, sustainable solutions for their businesses and foster color expertise in segments that still offer the potential for growth, like digital printing and packaging applications.

PN: What do you consider the greatest asset to be for the industry right now? Why?

RP: Again, no surprise: technology and innovation. Variable data printing (VDP), TransPromo printing, package printing and print electronics, Web-to-print workflows and more nimble short-run digital engines—all of these trends allow printers of all sizes to leverage personalized and demographically targeted marketing and customer relationship management trends in a faster digital world.

PN: What have been the biggest changes to the way we communicate with one another in the past few years? How would you recommend this industry take advantage of that?

RP: The social networking revolution is here, and here to stay. Multimedia, multi-dimensional marketing and Web-to-print programs are pervasive. The print industry needs to embrace new technologies, such as variable data printing, that augment a company's presence on the Web with printed media leveraging the other go-to-market platforms.

PN: Looking ahead, what major innovations or technologies do you believe will shape the future of the industry? Why?

RP: The future of hardcopy is a part of a digital eco-system in which Web and print work together. Web-to-print platforms will evolve and short-run, customized digital print will continue to grow. The opportunity for printers who embrace these trends will be in capturing print output for bloggers, social networkers and online businesses who want a physical print element to support the online presence. While the corporate market for print will pick up with an economic recovery, the commercial print industry's long-term growth will depend on embracing new technologies and new customer types.

PN: What advice do you have for printers and others involved in this industry?

RP: First, know your customers. Understand what is important to a specific customer on that specific job. For most of my career, I've been in marketing at big companies with complex print requirements. If we went to press for a 10,000-piece run on a new product brochure, our expectation was completely different than if we needed 10,000 direct mail pieces to support an ad campaign. The product brochure needed to highlight the product—the photos had to pop and the corporate logo had to hit the Pantone Color perfectly. Price and speed were secondary to quality. On the other hand, the direct mail piece needed to be fast and cheap, utilizing our Web-to-print portal. Price and speed were more important than quality.

Also, find ways to speed your time to press, and your customer's time to market. Learn new ways for communicating color across your workflow, and your customer's supply chain.

Lastly, identify your own company's strengths and communicate them to current and potential customers. With the overcapacity in the industry right now, you need to make sure customers know about your capabilities and how you can help solve their problems.

PN: Is there anything else you would like to share with my readers?

RP: I'd suggest that all your readers consider the benefits of the new Pantone Plus Series. With more than 500 new colors, including Premium Metallics and Neons, printers can now offer their customers more specialty printing options. And our Chip-in Rebate Program makes it affordable for printers to upgrade to the most up-to-date color tools.