GRAPH EXPO: Show-n-Tell on Steroids!

Remember how much fun show-n-tell was when we were kids? Industry tradeshows are a lot like performance-enhanced, high-tech versions of that old school game—produced on a mega scale for grown-ups. And this week, on the southeastern shores of the great Lake Michigan, the words of a Native American saying ring true: “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may not remember. Involve me and I will understand.”

Engaging demonstrations are, after all, the strengths of GRAPH EXPO’s 500 exhibitors, each of whom is vying for the attention of attendees walking the floor. As the 2010 edition of North America’s largest printing exhibition opened yesterday morning, McCormick Place began to fill as the world’s graphic arts community commenced its annual autumnal migration to Chicago. But something is decidedly different this year.

A tale of two technologies

“This is a digital show,” proclaimed InfoTrends’ Jim Hamilton at Saturday’s EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK conference. Indeed, entering the hall feels different for many people, as the massive Heidelberg presence is absent front and center—replaced by a different “H”: Hewlett-Packard with its T300 inkjet web press. This year’s GRAPH EXPO is smaller, to be sure—but it’s not so much the scaled-back size that is striking. It’s more the tone. 

“For the first time in a strong way, the industry is going digital,” observes Udi Arieli, product management director for EFI PrintFlow. “Intelligent workflow automation is needed because it can increase profits and allow all printers to be more competitive.” EFI is positioned to the right of HP, with Xerox to the left, flanked by Xante. Situated behind HP are Oce, then Kodak, creating good traffic and quite a buzz with its own inkjet web, called Prosper. Ricoh and Canon are next. 

Offset innovation

Digital growth aside, there’s no denying the sheer size of the mammoth, $50 billion offset print market. Enhancements abound in areas such as speed, resolution, formats and overall productivity, points out longtime consultant Ray Prince. Mainstays Goss and Muller-Martini are here, side by side, as are Presstek and Chinese press manufacturer Hans Gronhi.

KBA and manroland come into view on the periphery of the new, 6,000-square-foot News Print Pavilion. (Look for the red carpet.) This strategic location puts these two offset press manufacturers within a stone’s throw of the 25 exhibitors serving the newspaper segment. There, Sam Hightower and Robert Rogers of Media General were engaged in a 15-minute conversation with Steve Stone and Mark Blancas of Phoenix-based Masthead International (booth #1572). Masthead’s business is press installation and reconfiguration, including web-width reductions and broadsheet-to-tabloid conversions.

“It’s our first time at GRAPH EXPO,” says Rogers, explaining that the co-located International Newspaper Group annual conference is what brought him to Chicago this past weekend. The two communications company executives are here to get new ideas for revenues and savings. “We’re looking for great ideas that we can apply to our business model.” They’re also on the lookout for ideas they can brand to create new business models, Hightower adds. “We’re ‘opportunity shopping,’” he says. And their scope extends beyond the News Print Pavilion. “My main purpose here is to look at the digital side regarding future opportunities. 

Lean and green

Nearby, in the GREENspace Pavilion, Juan Pablo Mendez was at the Mohawk display learning about a new twist on lay-flat binding that he could run on his firm’s HP Indigo 5500 digital press in Guatemala. Potentially shopping for related software at the show, Mendez says this marks his third GRAPH EXPO. “We’re looking into the photobook market,” the GM notes.