If you have ever played with Lego sets, then you know that modules are an ingenious invention. They open up countless possibilities. Small, combinable elements even make up the foundation for the entire universe. So it’s no wonder that these individual building blocks are practically everywhere – and not just in the nursery, but also in more and more machines, furniture, cars, prefabricated houses etc., etc. And yet – what is it about the building block principle that makes a simple idea so successful?

The answer is easy: Modular concepts significantly expand your leeway. Thanks to the building block principle, more and more products can be configured precisely the way you want. The modular building style also provides enormous flexibility. Many manufacturers profit from being able to fulfill their customers’ individual demands efficiently. Last but not least, the building blocks lead to innovations – the clever linking of available components leads to further progress.

The best example of this is the alphabet, which started to develop in the second millennium B.C. The ABCs show us that the combination of just a few symbols is enough to present and maintain very complex concepts captured in words and sentences in written form. Ever since Gutenberg, we have also been capable of spreading our thoughts and ideas to the masses – thanks to movable “printing modules.” The rest is – quite literally – history. And the future remains to be seen.

Through the development of information technology, something very similar is happening today. And that without even a couple dozen letters as a foundation. Instead, a code reduced to zeros and ones is enough to create texts, photos, movies, music or even virtual worlds. As different as the listed examples may be, they all demonstrate that the building block principle holds utterly inexhaustible possibilities. Whether a play building block, a delicate letter, a single bit or a barely visible screen dot: An unbelievably powerful potential lies in every module. It’s up to you how to use it. The possibilities are as limitless as your imagination.

To read more download the article

To read more download the article

To read more download the article

This whitepaper is intended to educate IT and production managers about the
TransPromo opportunity that is emerging worldwide. A business-to-consumer direct marketing
strategy, TransPromo combines personalized marketing messages with must-read
statements, invoices, and other documents to help you:
● Increase revenue
● Extend and deepen customer relationships
● Lower direct marketing costs
Transactional documents, a recurring form of customer communications, can be powerful
direct mail tools for one simple reason: these documents are opened and read on a regular
basis. With a TransPromo solution, you can turn each step of your integrated marketing
campaigns into an opportunity to strengthen and grow customer relationships.
Instead of plain statements and messages, you can create vivid, personalized, customercentric
communications that:
● Strengthen brand image and create competitive distinction
● Improve bill clarity and reduce call center traffic
● Include special offers to up sell, cross sell, and drive business results
● Generate revenue by selling advertising space
● Incorporate personal messaging to build brand loyalty
● Strengthen and expand multi-channel marketing
This paper describes, in detail, the research and technology behind TransPromo and the
steps you can take to enable your enterprise to begin strengthening your brand, your customer
relationships, and your marketing campaigns.

More in full, downloadable version.

The New  Leaf Paper Eco Audit

The New Leaf Paper Eco Audit shows the tangible positive effects—savings in trees, water, energy, solid waste and greenhouse gases—of using post-consumer recycled paper instead of virgin paper.

The environmental benefits stated in the Eco Audit are calculated based on research by Environmental Defense Fund and members of the Paper Task Force who studied the environmental impacts of the paper industry. They performed life-cycle analyses of post-consumer waste vs. virgin fiber, which revealed the tangible environmental benefits of using post-consumer recycled content instead of virgin content. The Paper Task Force members included senior executives from Environmental Defense Fund, Duke University, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Prudential Insurance and Time Inc. For more information, go to www.edf.org

Designation Logos in the New Leaf Paper Eco Audit

New Leaf Paper relies on certification and designation systems that make legitimate claims and establish the highest environmental standards for the paper industry. When your customers see the New Leaf Paper Eco Audit, they’ll know that you’re as serious about environmental protection as they are.

is a designation to get excited about, as it represents the most comprehensive standards for environmental responsibility in the paper industry. To earn the AFF designation, a paper must be manufactured with a high percentage of post-consumer waste and not contain any virgin fiber from old-growth, ancient or endangered forests. Any virginfiber in the paper must be both FSC certified and assessed to not originate from endangered forests. Bleaching methods must be “chlorine free,” meaning without the use of chlorine or chlorine compounds. www.marketsinitiative.org
Why Protecting Ancient Forests Matters: Every day, ancient, old-growth and endangered forests worldwide are being chopped down. It’s more than the individual trees at stake—it’s the forests, which are as critical to the world’s climate as your lungs are to breathing. Once logged, forests with all their plants and wildlife can’t simply be replanted. They’re gone. When you use an Eco Audit for papers that are designated AFF, you reassure customers that you chose to protect these forests.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification logo identifies paper whose virgin fiber comes from responsibly managed forests. FSC sets the highest standards for defining “responsible forest management,” namely, forestry that is environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable. While the FSC focused on sustainable virgin fiber sources for most of its history, it recently began certifying papers with high post-consumer recycled content. The FSC requires certification from everyone in the supply chain—from logger to printer. One environmentally weak link in the chain and it’s not FSC certified. www.fsc.org
Why Good Stewardship Matters: When you buy FSC certified products, you promote responsible forest management across the supply chain. The FSC is highly regarded because they developed these standards with everyone’s input: environmental groups, logging companies, governments, indigenous peoples and labor.

Green-e® Certified Renewable Energy Our inventory products are made with 100% renewable energy certified by Green-e®, the nation’s leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy products. The Green-e® logo is a nationally recognized symbol that identifies superior, certified renewable energy products. www.green-e.org

 The wind certification logo verifies that energy for manufacturing paper is sourced from wind power RECs, whose high efficiency has made it one of the fastest-growing clean energies in the world.

 Why Clean Energy Matters: Environmental leadership extends beyond recycling. To reduce greenhouse gases and prevent climate change, we invest in energy credits that offset the energy needed to manufacture many of our papers. When you invest in paper made with wind power, you’re helping to grow low-emission energy industries that will decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce the emissions that cause global warming, and alleviate the air pollution that causes diseases such as asthma.