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Graph Expo and the shape of things to come - By Frank Romano
September 21, 2007 -- Although Graph Expo 2007 was light in new technology, it was high on sales of technology that works, and offset litho was way up there in sales. Printers wisely invested in automated, productive presses. But there was some new stuff at the show and some it may be omens of what is yet to come....More
Taking the Industry’s Prepress Pulse at Graph Expo: Platesetting, Proofing, and Workflow - By Patrick Henry
September 20, 2007 -- Nothing we heard at Graph Expo last week better summed up the technological transformation of the printing industry than comments by Joe Demharter, president of Pitman Company, during a media briefing on what he called "the new complexion of the Pitman Company" after more than a century as a graphic arts supplier....More
Graph Expo – E-enabling Everything! - By Barb Pellow
September 20, 2007 -- During the last decade, we've been to the top of the world-during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s-and back down again, when it all fell apart a few years later. However the Internet and e-enablement has forever changed the graphic communications world....More
On Tuesday I Had a 'You Gotta See This Moment' - By Noel Ward
September 19, 2007 -- The Second Rule of Trade Shows is "There is always far more to see than there is time available." Much as Pat Henry notes in his Friday story covering some of the offset players, the inability to detail every vendor's wares is as much a part of shows as tired feet and bad coffee in the press room. All reporters can do is cover those events and companies likely to be of the most interest to our readers. Many things are evolutionary, some invoke yawns. Some groans. Then there are "You gotta see this" moments....More
Never, Ever Say "Stop the Presses" to the Printers of New York City - By Patrick Henry
September 19, 2007 -- As the former editor and publisher of a trade newspaper serving New York City's printing industry, I found much to remember and reflect upon in Jean-Marie Hershey’s excellent post at PrintCEO.blog.com on the continuing disappearance of Manhattan's once-legendary printing districts....More
Workflow in Review Part Two - By Cary Sherburne
September 18, 2007 -- Continuing with my last article on workflow, in part two we take a look at solutions by Heidelberg, MetaCommunications, NowDocs, Objective Advantage, Pace Systems Group, Press-Sense, PrinterPresence, Proof-It Online, Screen, Xerox, and XPS Land...More
You Printed It, Now Mail It - Redux - By Gail Nickel-Kailing
September 18, 2007 -- It has become more and more clear -- and this Graph Expo brought it to the forefront -- that mailing services are a natural extension of printing services. After all, as much as 60% of all printed matter ends up in the mail sometime in its product lifecycle. Some experts estimate that as high as 40% goes directly into the mail system....More
Workflow in Review: 4Over, Adobe, Agfa, Alwan Color, Avanti, DALiM, EFI, EskoArtwork, FujiFilm, GMG, Hubcast, Kodak - By Cary Sherburne
September 17, 2007 -- Walking into Graph Expo this year, I was immediately struck by the way the show floor reflects the changes our industry has undergone as we continue to leverage more digital technologies for increased productivity, profitability, and a wide range of new products and services...More
Mondays with Dr. Joe Webb: Graph Expo, Who Should Go To Shows?, Dr. Joe's Inbox - By Dr. Joe Webb
September 17, 2007 -- It was refreshing to be at a GraphExpo this year, with such a positive tone. The kind of mood I saw there is one that I have only experienced at non-print shows like Siggraph in recent years. In my opinion, there has not been such an optimistic GraphExpo in this century (the last was 1998 - just making sure you were paying attention)...More
So Much Iron, So Little Time: A Reporter's Reality in McCormick Place - By Patrick Henry
September 14, 2007 -- Our perennial regret at the Graph Expo and Print shows is the impossibility of giving a detailed mention to every press manufacturer that supports these events by its presence at them. Mounting a trade show exhibit, even a modest one, is an expensive and arduous undertaking that does great credit to the exhibitor willing to make so serious an investment. A booth in McCormick Place—whether written about by the trade media or not—certifies the occupier as a company that takes great pride in its products and shows an equally passionate interest in what its customers are thinking. More
Visions of Graph Expo - Frank Romano
September 14, 2007 -- Graph Expo is a mirror; it reflects the printing industry. As such, the 2007 edition of this venerable event shows us in great shape. Use any metric you want — traffic (in the exhibits as well as getting into and out of the place), sales (everyone I ran into bought something; a Boston printer beamed when he said he acquired a Heidelberg 105), or even seminar attendance (the highest ever). More
The Vibe Goes On - By Noel Ward
September 13, 2007 -- The First Rule of Trade Shows is don't judge one by the first day. That's because the first day, especially because a Sunday with gorgeous weather and an international soccer match just up the street might exert a draw of its own that would result in a lighter attendance on the show floor. But this was not the case on Sunday at McCormick Place where attendance was better than I've seen it at this show in some time. At first I thought it was just the big stands that were well-stocked with visitors, but those of software companies were seeing plenty of traffic and even many of the small companies were busy if not always crowded. More
Trans Meets Promo at Graph Expo - By Barb Pellow
September 12, 2007 -- Consumers today are bombarded with thousands of promotional messages on a daily basis, from television and radio ads to out-of-home advertising, e-mails, and Web ads. Marketers face the challenge of communicating their messages in a way that cuts through this clutter and elicits a desired response in recipients. This response can range from simply recognizing the brand to changing investment strategies or purchasing the latest product or service that the marketer represents. Increasingly, marketers are using the tried and true monthly communications medium - the statement - as well as other transactional documents in innovative ways to ensure that their messages are being noticed. This type of communication is called transpromotional, or TransPromo, advertising and it created a significant buzz at this year's Graph Expo. More
At Graph Expo, Innovations in Offset Litho Are Not Far To Seek - By Patrick Henry
September 11, 2007 -- Those convinced that offset lithography is not a printing technology for the 21st century should be ready to confront much evidence to the contrary at Graph Expo 2007. This sold-out show is the setting for a long string of announcements from most of the major press manufacturers, including the premieres of several new platforms that take the process to new levels of efficiency. More
FedEx Kinko's Continues to Expand Footprint - By Cary Sherburne
September 11, 2007 -- In early August, FedEx Kinko's made two major announcements. First, the company announced an aggressive expansion plan to open 300 new office and print centers in the United States throughout fiscal 2008. The company also will redesign 110 existing centers and introduce 20 new locations internationally. A few days later, FedEx Kinko's announced plans to open five office and print centers in the McCormick Place convention center and historic Navy Pier in Chicago. So when you show up at Graph Expo in September, although the new FedEx Kinko's sites will not have been formally launched (scheduled for later in September), they will reflect the FedEx Kinko's brand. More
Three Questions: Industry Execs Sound Off on Trends and Opportunities -By Noel Ward
September 10, 2007 -- I usually do interviews with industry executives just prior to a trade show, but this year, with Graph Expo coming so soon after Labor Day it was a challenge to get the usual dozen or so questions with two or three execs done in any reasonable manner. But three questions was something they all had time for. So I asked execs from InfoPrint Solutions, Kodak, Océ and Xerox the same three questions to see how their firms are approaching this show and some of the challenges facing the industry. Here's what they had to say. More
What's New in the World of JDF? A Conversation with Industry Expert David Zwang - By Cary Sherburne
September 10, 2007 -- David Zwang is currently the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Ghent PDF Workgroup. The Ghent PDF Workgroup (GWG) is an international organization made up of graphic arts users, associations and developers building best practices for publishing workflows and has led the charge in ensuring a viable set of standards for PDF workflows for a variety of different industry segments. Also, since 1991 Zwang has operated an independent consultancy specializing in process analysis and strategic development for firms in the fields of electronic publishing, design, prepress, and printing across the globe. He is recognized as one of the leading workflow experts in our industry. More
The Vibe of Graph Expo - By Noel Ward, Managing Editor
September 7, 2007 -- There's a vibe about Graph Expo '07 that seems to run coast to coast.
And that would be Atlantic to Pacific, not just across Lake Michigan. Some cynics of our industry like to call Graph Expo a "regional show," citing the large number of attendees hailing from the mid-west. I say get a grip. Is drupa regional because most of its attendees come from Europe? When you sell out the floor space, expect somewhere around 20,000 people from all over the U.S. and Canada, fill a lot of hotel rooms, and have every aspect of the industry represented, that isn't a regional show...More
Mohawk Fine Papers: Third Generation of Industry Leadership: A Conversation with Tom O'Connor, Jr. - By Cary Sherburne
September 7, 2007 -- Mohawk Fine Papers Inc. has been busy of late. Following its acquisition of IP Fine Papers, the company has been working to integrate its portfolio and its operations. At the same time, it has continued its pursuit of environmentally friendly solutions and products that serve the digital market.More
Solutions to Save the Chief Marketing Officer - By Barb Pellow
September 6, 2007 -- Chief Marketing Officers have one of the most precarious jobs in the C-suite. Today's CMOs are faced with challenges such as new channels of distribution, a 24/7 global economy, pressure to deliver identifiable ROI on their marketing spend, and the need to deal with rapidly evolving technologies that are leading to new marketing methods. Today, marketers must more efficiently and effectively segment their markets, attract new customers with continuity campaigns that cultivate engagement, support multiple channels of distribution with comprehensive materials aligned to the specific channel, identify cross-sell and up-sell opportunities, and maximize the lifetime value of the customer. More
HP Charts the Expanding Universe of "Print 2.0" and the Profit-Making Opportunities It Will Create - By Patrick Henry, Executive Editor
September 6, 2007 -- (Editor's note: The graphic arts-related announcements at "Print 2.0: Extending the Power of Print" also will be among the themes of HP's exhibit in booth 1229 at Graph Expo. This year, for the first time, HP will present its entire graphic arts portfolio in one booth at the Chicago show. HP has posted a video preview as a guide to what visitors can expect to see.)
EskoArtwork at Graph Expo - A Conversation with Mark Vanover - By Cary Sherburne
September 6, 2007 -- Much has been written about Esko Graphics and Artwork Systems recently with the acquisition of Artwork Systems by Esko and the subsequent renaming of the combined companies to EskoArtwork. In order to find out what to expect from the companies at Graph Expo, WhatTheyThink spoke with Mark Vanover, EskoArtwork Director of Marketing. More
Pantone Makes Stunning Announcement: Is the PMS standard on its way out? - by Cary Sherburne
September 5, 2007 -- On September 5th, just before Graph Expo, Pantone made its second stunning announcement in a month, after surprising the industry with its acquisition by XRite. With 45 years of promoting and supporting what has become an industry standard - PMS, or the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® - Pantone is introducing a brand-new color specification system for the graphic arts industry, called PANTONE Goe (pronounced Go).....More
Behind the Scenes at drupa: A Conversation with Managing Director Joachim Schaefer - by Cary Sherburne
September 5, 2007 -- WhatTheyThink spoke with Joachim Schaefer, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf, to get the inside story and to learn how drupa management differs from U.S. trade shows, following Gail Nickel-Kailing’s recent inside look behind the scenes of U.S. trade shows.....More
When Technology Makes Sense, Technology Makes Money: An Interview with Dan Wish, General Manager, xpedx NTC - by Patrick Henry
September 4, 2007 -- No exhibitor comes to Graph Expo with a more multifaceted story to tell than xpedx (booth 3808), North America's largest marketer and distributor of printing papers and graphics supplies and equipment. Besides being a supplier of virtually everything that printers use in their day-to-day operations, the $6.7 billion company also is the exclusive North American distributor of RYOBI lithographic presses. xpedx and RYOBI, represented by xpedx Printing Technologies, will exhibit jointly at the show......More
Building a New Digital Business from the Ashes of the Old - by Andrew Tribute
September 4, 2007 -- FFEI was located next to the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead, England, one of the largest oil depots in Europe that provided fuel for much of the SE of England and also to Heathrow Airport. On Sunday December 11, 2005 there was a massive explosion within the oil depot and the result that a large part of the large Hemel Hempstead Business Park was put out of business with many buildings totally destroyed or seriously damaged. Most companies that were further away from the depot have been able to recover operations on their sites. ....More
Graph Expo prologue - by Frank Romano
August 31, 2007 -- The Graph Expo event is just around the corner and talking about it in advance is like premature elucidation. They should publish Bill Lamparter’s Must-see’um and Worth-a-look lists in advance so we know what to expect. I think there will be a few surprises.....More
XMPie: What’s New, What’s Coming - by Cary Sherburne
August 31, 2007 -- It has been almost a year now since the Xerox acquisition of XMPie closed in November of 2006. Xerox stated that XMPie would be operated as a standalone business unit in order to facilitate its continued relationship with the market at large, including Xerox competitors such as HP , Kodak, or Canon. WhatTheyThink checked in with XMPie President Jacob Aizikowitz to find out how things are going post-acquisition and what we can expect to see from XMPie at Graph Expo and beyond.....More
Graph Expo 2007: A Perfect Storm for Today’s and Tomorrow’s MSP - by Barb Pellow
August 30, 2007 -- The phrase perfect storm refers to the simultaneous occurrence of events which, taken individually, would be far less powerful than the result of their chance combination. Such occurrences are rare by their very nature, so even a slight change in any one event contributing to the perfect storm would lessen its overall impact. In today’s market, I liken what is happening with customized communications solutions to a perfect storm.....More
What to Expect at Graph Expo: A Conversation with CIP4 CEO Margaret Motamed - by Cary Sherburne
August 30, 2007 -- It is now approaching a year since Margaret Motamed took the reins as CEO of industry standards group CIP4. As we approach Graph Expo, where we are likely to see JDF implementations in almost every booth, WhatTheyThink spoke with Margaret to see what is new with CIP4. We also asked her about what we could expect to see from EFI, since she is Director of Software Platforms for the company.....More
Graph Expo Must See ‘Ems: More Than Products - by Cary Sherburne
August 29, 2007 -- We all look forward to hearing the Graph Expo Must See ‘Ems announcements at Executive Outlook. Attendees at Graph Expo can take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of the panel of experts who judge the submissions to help prioritize their vendor visits at the show. But there is another aspect of the work this 16- person panel does that GASC has not spent a lot of time publicizing in the past. The panel also identifies Commercial Print Survival Technologies - the most critical and fundamental technologies a commercial printer must have to profitably survive......More
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