Q&A


CHIEF FOLDING FANATIC Staff, Printing Industries of America


TRISH WITKOWSKI


No matter what kind of business you’re in, there’s always a way to spice it up and make it new again. Take Trish Witkowski for example. As the owner of the online folding template customization company, Fold- factory, she needed to fi nd a way to make the industry and other printing companies excited about the work her company does. How did she do that? Witkowski used her folding knowledge and her extensive library of paper folds to brand herself as the Chief Folding Fanatic.


The Magazine 6 05.2016


When asked about how she got her start, she usually tells a quick story about a thesis project at RIT in Rochester, New York. However, what most people don’t know is that her professional career started under the instruction of the legendary Werner Reb- samen—master bookbinder and world-re- nowned technical expert in binding and print fi nishing. He was a professor at RIT when she was a graduate student and he ultimately became her thesis advisor.


To fi nd out more about how she came to aff ectionately refer to herself as the “folding fanatic,” we sat down with her in this month’s Q and A.


Q:


So, what was it like work- ing with the great Werner Rebsamen?


TW:


nature of the course, he would provide us with the loose book block. He’d say in his thick Swiss accent with a playful wink, “If you want to learn bookbinding, you’re going to have to bind the book yourself!” His classes were tangible and fun and rich with content. And beneath the fun activi- ties was always a lesson in the science, materials, and quality required to make the perfect product.


Of all the classes I took, his were some of the most memorable of my time spent at RIT. I think Werner understood that engagement and learning comes from tangible experiences—and this is one of the principles that guides me in my career today.


Q:


Entrepreneur Trish Witkowski develops products, services, and resources for the print and direct marketing industries.


I remember classes with Werner were always a


surprise. You never really knew what he had in store for you. Sometimes we would be smacking book covers


on table tops to test the strength of the adhesive, or putting books into a tumbling, library testing machine to mimic the eff ect of usage over time. Sometimes he’d bring out his Victorian pop-up books or his mountain of blank folded samples. We’d compare adhesives and binding styles, sew signatures together, and run folding machines. His slide presentations were entertaining and fi lled with visuals, and his books contained decades of his industry research.


How many classes have you taken where the textbook you used for the class was actually written by your professor —because he happened to be the world’s authority on the subject? With his own clever spin on the


As the Chief Folding Fanatic, you have an incredibly unique title on your business card. For those who don’t know you, what does a Chief Folding Fanatic do?


TW:


Great question! I read, research, ask questions, collect, and monitor trends. I pick up on


patterns, tricks, and techniques. I study successes and failures. Over the years, I have collected and analyzed thousands of print and mail samples from around the globe, and I share those fi ndings with my customers. I have also done extensive research on the technical side of production folding and print


fi nishing, even documenting folding compensation mathematics for the printing industry.


I am a professionally trained designer with a master’s degree in print, and I feel that gives me a unique perspective combining aesthetics and production. I have authored many resources, most recently Direct Mail (Simplifi ed) and Paper Folding Templates for Print Design. I write for magazines and blogs, and have given webinars and presentations to international audiences. I also love to share my passion for mail, which has led to online courses for Lynda.com and a popular weekly e-video series “60-second Super-cool Fold of the Week.”


Q:


Along with all of your speaking and consulting work, you’ve also founded two companies. Can you talk a little bit about them?


Q & A


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20