Kevin Slimp Online
Kevin Slimp is a favorite speaker and trainer in the publishing world. He can be reached at kevin@kevinslimp.com.

Current Newsletter

When Less is More in Newspapers

Feb 01, 2024 at 06:30 pm by INT

In late January, I had such a good time visiting with the publishers of the Wyoming Press Association at their annual convention. I spoke on a few of my favorite topics: Growi.... Read More

Predicting 2024 for Newspapers

Jan 10, 2024 at 10:45 pm by INT

Making bold predictions is easy. This year, I’ve paid close attention to forecasts by respected sportswriters in national print and online publications to see how my foo.... Read More

Search Site

Kevin's Links

Recent Columns

Increasing Productivity by Upgrading Workspace

Apr 03, 2019 at 07:52 pm by staff

There's a question I get asked a lot by friends, colleagues and audience members at conferences. There are variations, but they all go something like, "How do you find time to.... Read More

Consider Yourself Told

Mar 23, 2019 at 07:22 pm by staff

It was a lot like other experiences I've had at conventions over the past couple of years. In March, as I gathered my backpack to head out of the room where I'd just spoken in.... Read More

Our Digital Future: I've Got It All Figured Out

Dec 12, 2018 at 01:16 pm by staff

Some of you will remember Facebook. If you're over 40, you probably visit Facebook on a regular basis. If you're like most of the college students in my life, ask a parent or.... Read More

Checking the Pulse of Journalism

Nov 01, 2018 at 01:11 pm by staff

Over the past two weeks, I've traveled from coast to coast speaking at newspaper conferences and meeting with Canadian and American journalists about what is happening at thei.... Read More

Tariffs are behind us for now. What's next?

Aug 30, 2018 at 09:41 am by staff

..... It's been two hours since I received word concerning the news that tariffs aimed at newsprint had been overturned. The first person to write me was Ron White, a retire.... Read More

Common Traits: What successful newspapers have in common

Aug 16, 2018 at 09:24 am by staff

I really didn't expect to do much traveling this summer but plans don't always work out as expected and that certainly has been the case for me. The truth is I really love wor.... Read More

Upton Sinclair would be pleased as GateHouse and Gannett build "stronger communities"

May 11, 2018 at 07:29 pm by staff

Four years ago, I decided I'd had enough. After hearing John Paton of Digital First Media speak at a few conferences, I couldn't take it any more. I wrote a column titled, "Ke.... Read More

RESEARCH: Daily vs Non-Daily Health

Mar 22, 2018 at 12:09 pm by staff

I've noticed a definite trend lately. It might be related to the increased number of industry activities I'm involved in these days, or perhaps it's just be one of those thing.... Read More

The Great Digital Divide: daily & weekly publishers view digital benefits very differently.

Feb 14, 2018 at 10:52 am by staff

During a keynote address at the Kansas Press Association convention in February, I presented the results of my annual survey of newspaper publishers in the U.S. and Canada for.... Read More

Differences between healthy and unhealthy newspapers

Jan 17, 2018 at 10:30 am by staff

As I sit in my hotel room in Gloucester, VA, I can't help but think about the 2018 version of our annual newspaper publisher's survey from the Newspaper Institute. As is often.... Read More

Front Page

What (or who) to believe about the state of newspapers

May 11, 2017 at 02:48 pm by staff

I don't know about you, but my life seems to get busier with each passing day. I just finished publishing my second book in a month, began work on a major project to help rais.... Read More

Closer to home: Health of newspaper largely depends on ownership model

Feb 23, 2016 at 01:00 pm by staff

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: "What do you get when you gather 760 newspaper executives and ask them how things are going at their papers?" That's just what I di.... Read More

Dancing with the one who brung me: Answering questions from readers

Jan 13, 2016 at 06:30 pm by staff

An editor in South Carolina wrote to me yesterday, "I'm always amazed at your productivity." I get that a lot these days. Since yesterday, I've written an opinion piece that's.... Read More

In 2015, I visited a lot of Successful Papers

Dec 22, 2015 at 01:08 pm by staff

I've been training and advising newspapers for 21 years, every since Larry Smith asked me to come look over his operation in LaFollette, Tennessee back in 1994. I worked with.... Read More

The best word to describe Minnesota Newspapers: PHENOMENAL

Nov 18, 2015 at 09:40 am by staff

The best word to describe Minnesota Newspapers PHENOMENAL There's a reason I love my work so much. There's a reason that there are folks around the country waiting for me to r.... Read More

Dead at Deadline!

Aug 26, 2015 at 09:00 pm by staff

In retrospect, I love the email subject line: "Dead at deadline." The email came to me at 6:15 last night, just as I was getting ready to take my two teenagers out for dinner..... Read More

Newspaper Hall of Fame unveiled July 17

Jul 20, 2015 at 02:58 pm by staff

The Tennessee Press Association Foundation did it. On Friday, July 17, 2015, the new Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame was officially unveiled at a celebration that included pu.... Read More

Adobe Bridge: There's a surge in interest

Jul 03, 2015 at 01:24 pm by staff

When a person visits as many newspapers as I do, he starts to notice similarities. It used to be that most papers wanted staff training in InDesign (or QuarkXpress in years pa.... Read More

Top four reasons some newspapers aren't having a good year

Jun 20, 2015 at 12:16 pm by staff

"It's a quarter to three," sang Frank Sinatra, "no one in the place 'cept you and me." I'm not sure why that song comes to mind. It might have something to do with the fact th.... Read More

Thinking about your newspaper's future

Jun 02, 2015 at 11:19 am by staff

I don’t know about you, but I’m not much of a sitter. By that, I mean I can sit through speech for a few minutes, but then I usually start to get bored. That’s when my mind st.... Read More

Slimp Recommends Three Books for Newspaper Designers

Nov 08, 2005 at 02:14 pm by staff

Three new design-related books caught my eye in recent weeks: Mac OS X Support Essentials (Peachpit Press 2005), by Owen Linzmayer, has been fully updated for Mac OS X 10.4.... Read More

ColorVision's Spyder2Pro Studio offers Complete Package for Monitor Calibration

Nov 08, 2005 at 01:56 pm by staff

Calibrating monitors is the first step in accomplishing accurate color throughout a newspaper. I receive more requests for help with monitor calibration than for anything else.... Read More

Disk Jockey Makes Duplicating Hard Drives Much Easier

Sep 30, 2005 at 03:02 pm by staff

OK. I need to sit down. I just had one of those ?Oh, wow!? moments that computer folks have from time to time. Unfortunately, ?Oh, wow!? moments have become less common as we?.... Read More

My Dell Story

Sep 16, 2005 at 03:26 pm by staff

I

Adobe Studio Exchange: Gems for the Designer

Sep 01, 2005 at 03:20 pm by staff

It never fails. After six or so hours of Photoshop or InDesign training, the students - usually newspaper designers - start putting away their outlines and pens. Knowing the e.... Read More

Creating Good PDF Files: It's All A Matter of Settings

Aug 15, 2005 at 01:24 pm by staff

Wow! What a response to my previous column concerning color settings in Photoshop. I received messages and invitations from publishers around the globe. Apparently, a lot of n.... Read More

Peachpit releases make perfect additions to any designer's library

Jul 01, 2005 at 08:59 am by staff

If you visit my office any time soon, you might have to step over the boxes. The recent release of Creative Suite 2, along with the upcoming release of Quark 7.0, has produced.... Read More

Remembering basic settings crucial to quality photo output

Jun 30, 2005 at 04:15 pm by staff

When you spend your life teaching classes most of the time, it

Shooting Photos in Camera Raw

May 31, 2005 at 12:40 pm by staff

One of the most powerful tools a newspaper designer has to work with these days - and one of the most ignored - is the Camera Raw plug-in available in Photoshop. Released as a.... Read More

Adobe improves a good thing with Creative Suite 2.0

May 05, 2005 at 11:57 pm by staff

Adobe began shipping the first copies of Creative Suite 2 in May and newspapers have a vested interest in this latest crop of design tools. Eighteen months have passed since.... Read More