All Things Print

Every four years, it replaces Graph Expo, only occurs in Chicago, and this year it is occurring September 11-16 at the McCormick Place exhibition center. 

Yes, it’s almost time for Print 09, and show offcials are predicting more than 650 exhibitors to occupy the 740,500-square-foot show. The quadrennial event covers just about every printing industry genre, including commercial, in-plant, high-volume, package and specialty, mailing and fulfillment, book and newspaper, and, of course, wide-format.
 

What’s new
Print 09 will again feature its wide-format pavilion, showcasing some of the latest
and greatest in wide-format technologies and products. Unlike past years, however,
don’t be surprised to see a lot more wide-format exhibitors spilling out into the
main show floor and opting out of the pavilion. “Now the pavilion, which acted like an incubator, is getting smaller while the wide-format printers are growing within the booths on our overall show floor,” says Ralph Nappi, president of the Graphic Arts Show Company, which is responsible for the show. “Most of the printer manufacturers want to showcase all their offerings in one booth, and this is much more convenient for the attendee…Today there is much more wide-format equipment demonstrated on our show floor than ever before. It is ‘mainstream’ in booths throughout the show and not restricted to the wide-format pavilion.” 

There are also a few new additions to this year’s show. One of those additions being Rap City, a vinyl-wrap demonstration area, which allows attendees to learn best practices in the printing and installation of vehicle wraps, window graphics, and wall coverings. David King of MarketKing will share his knowledge of vehicle wrap
and wide-format installations, leading two “wrap” sessions a day during the show, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. 

“Vehicle wraps, window graphics and wallscapes are now some of the most
popular and exciting ways for organizations to market themselves,” Nappi says.
“Rap City offers attendees the rare opportunity to learn these skills hands-on, while
gaining inside knowledge from someone who has expertly worked through the nuances of wide-format production and installation.”

Also making its debut at Print 09 is Greenspace, a showfloor feature designed to address the ever-growing issues—in the wide-format and printing industry as a whole—surrounding sustainability. Created as an informational and educational resource, Greenspace will allow attendees to speak one-on-one with sustainability experts and consultants offering personalized, sustainability-focused services; receive information about which show exhibitors are offering “green” products and services; and attend the Green Theater, which offers educational seminars on a variety of sustainability topics. 

“The driving concept is that many professionals want to participate in becoming green or sustainable and don’t know where or how to do so,” Nappi explains. “[With Greenspace], a show attendee can learn how to start or advance their sustainable initiatives with a number of strategically aligned areas.” Also, printed pieces by the winners of the Print 09 Environmental Excellence Awards will be on display in the Greenspace area the length of the show, with the awards gala taking place September 11. 

For the first time, show offcials also are rolling Pack Print into the Print 09 lineup. Targeting package-printing professionals, PackPrint is a show within a show, featuring its own conference and seminar tracks, as well as package-printing printer manufacturers, converting equipment, substrates, software, and other package-printing-related products.

And Print 09 wouldn’t be the same without a glimpse into the future. Future Print will be located at booth 5417, and will again feature emerging technologies in printed electronics and RFID. At the booth, show attendees will have the opportunity to attend free educational sessions and meet with industry experts to discuss those emerging technologies and their potential affect on the print industry.
 
Learning curve
If you’re planning on taking in some of the free educational seminars at Print 09, choose wisely. There are more than 90 seminars taking place over the six-day show, making it virtually impossible to attend even a third of the offerings. Here’s a list of several seminars that might be of interest to wide-format professionals (a complete seminar list can be found on the Print 09 website):
 
Trend Update: Wide & Flatbed Printing News: This session aids in making informed decisions about how a business positions itself in this constantly changing technology platform. Comprehensive reports on trends in solvent and UV-curing printers—based on site visits to print shops and manufacturers of UV-cured, inkjet printers—provides not only information, but sets the stage for a lively discussion of solvent and UV printers. September 14, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Speaker: Nicholas Helmuth, FLARR.

The Magic of Color Management Revealed: Focused on the dominant desktop publishing applications used for digital color output and publication/commercial printing, this session clarifies the fundamental CMYK color terminology, processes, and controls with step-by-step examples that demonstrate how CMYK color works. September 11, 10:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Speaker: Lloyd Carr, New York City College of Technology.

A How-to Tactical Plan for Sustainability Success: This session highlights printers that have successfully increased or maintained sales while reducing costs by protecting the environment. Gary Jones from Printing Industries of America and a panel of printers and industry experts will review key factors influencing the success of sustainability efforts, and discuss the value of sustainability across all facets of a business. September 13, 2-5 p.m. Speaker: Gary Jones, PIA.

Best Practice Primer: Winning Digital Printing Workflows: Because most workflows simply evolve over time, a business’ current workflow may be a major drain on its effi-ciency and profits. This session reveals actionable steps to analyze and improve workflow, and the tools that are available to help implement a workflow. September 13, 8:15-10 a.m. Speaker: Frank Kanonik, Digital Print Info.

Technology Forecast: What’s Hot and What’s Not: There are numerous new technologies and products that can add value to print, increase productivity, and allow diversification into new markets. This session reviews the best of the new, cutting-edge technologies, and the possibilities they hold for a business. September 15, 8:15-10 a.m. Speakers: Dr. Mark Bohan and Michael Makin, PIA.
 
Mastering Color from Design to Production: Design and color tools used by today’s graphics professionals can positively—or negatively—affect the entire pre-production workflow. Learn the impact of common decisions regarding color profile handling, image editing, and image rendering, and learn how to improve production efficiencies, quality, and color predictability of the printed result. September 12, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Speaker: Michael Riordan, Rochester Institute of Technology, Printing Industry Center.
 
Building and Profiting from Digital and On Demand Printing Services: Considering the purchase of on-demand or digital printing equipment?  Already own equipment and searching for new opportunities and/or profits? This session reviews trends, products, how technologies are interrelated, and how personalized and customized approaches are being applied. September 12, 2:15-4 p.m. Speaker: Howie Fenton, National Association for Printing Leadership.
 
How to Excel in a Soft Market: Even during a major recession there’s no shortage of opportunity, you just need to know where to find it. This session outlines how to take a more strategic approach to growing your sales, from contacting hard-to-reach decision makers and getting top dollar when funds are tight, to dealing with discount requests and growing sales. September 12, 2-5 p.m. Speaker: Peter Ebner, Ebner Seminars.
 
Building Perfectly Practical Workflows that Work: Increasing productivity is a key attribute of most successful companies, where throughput is high and rework is low. For some companies, hi-tech solutions are the missing link—such as computer-to-plate, a PDF workflow, color management, or remote preflight or proofing. For other companies, procedural solutions are the answer—such as “fast response preflight” or quality-control inspection steps. This session examines the best workflow solutions for your particular business. September 13, 8:15-10 a.m. Speaker: Howie Fenton, National Association for Printing Leadership.
 
The Future of the Printed Product: What will the printing industry look like—in terms of firms and equipment use—over the next decade?  What role will creative professionals and non professionals play? Results of an investigation into the future of more than 100 printed products—from forms and magazines to marketing collateral and greetings cards—will be presented, along with other insights into what the future holds for print. September 13, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Speaker: Frank Romano, Rochester Institute of Technology, Printing Industry Center.
 
How to Win the Competitive Pricing Game: This seminar reveals why the marketplace acts the way it does and how industry profit leaders react and succeed within a highly competitive marketplace. Also, learn what innovative companies are doing to increase prices and market share simultaneously. September 12, 2:15-4 p.m. Speaker: Stuart Margolis, Margolis Becker LLC.
 
September 10
Finally, if you arrive on September 10, you might want to attend Print 09’s Executive Outlook conference, which takes place 8 a.m-5:30 p.m. at the show site. Themed “Technology Harnessed: Driving the Road to Recovery,” this year’s Executive Outlook takes a technology-first, product-information-second approach, examining how printers from every market segment can utilize today’s technologies to prosper in a recovering economy. William C. Lamparter, president of PrintCom Consulting Group, will moderate the various morning sessions, topics of which include Setting Your Sights on Recovery 2010: Print’s Economic Landscape, Computer-Centric Print Production: IT, MIS, W2P and More, and Are We There Yet? Digital Printing Debate, to name a few.
 
The afternoon will feature eight concurrent tutorials, emphasizing “how-to” information that attendees can apply when they return home. Topics include color management, proofing techniques, data for variable imaging, social networking, sustainability, and ways to harness emerging technologies.