This year’s Graph Expo show at McCormick Place in Chicago promises “four days of comparison shopping, networking, live equipment demonstrations, seminars and critical decision making.” The show floor will be divided tinto four main sections: prepress, press & converting, wide-format, and mailing & fulfillment. To be held from October 3-6, 2010, Graph Expo is the year’s largest display of “live” running equipment in the Americas. With the exception of a few well-known press manufacturers, the show’s exhibitor attendance is looking exciting this year. More than 450 companies are scheduled to show off their stuff in Chicago this year – including most of the “big guys.”
The Executive Outlook Conference, taking place the day before the show opens on October 2, will be focused on the show’s theme of “The Challenge of Change in the New Era of Print.” The annual one-day technology and trends update conference is an in-depth, educational event that will identify and explain the newest technologies on the forefront of print’s emerging future. NAPL’s chief economist, Andy Paparozzi, and media consultant, Steven Schnoll are among the industry experts that will be speaking at the conference. A printer’s panel, moderated by NAPL’s Howie Fenton, will shed some light on how to achieve success with a mix of press technologies. Afternoon sessions will include “how-to” tutorials that get down to the nitty-gritty of how to harness the technology to cost-effectively produce an end product that provides a competitive edge and profit. A special announcement of the “MUST SEE ‘EMS” nominees will also be revealed at the conference. Looks like an action-packed day – before the show even starts!
There are also a few brand new things at the Chicago show this year, such as the News Print pavilion, which is dedicated exclusively to all things newsprint. According to GASC President Ralph Nappi, it will feature “Not only a full array of exhibitors, equipment and products covering all aspects of the newspaper publishing industry, but also innovative ideas for cutting costs and boosting profits.” Another first-time floor pavilion is called Digital Document Drive. This 1,200 square-foot show floor section is devoted to the needs of print professionals who create, manage and deliver transactional documents. Other interesting pavilions offering business diversification opportunities include PackPrint, GREENspace, Future Print and the Mailing & Fulfillment Center.
Also noteworthy is the G7 Summit, which is occurring in conjunction with the show. Held by IDEAlliance, the Summit will be presented live from the show floor, focusing on the entire workflow and all areas of print production. Experts will be on hand to conduct educational sessions exploring the G7 calibration process and how it fits into digital workflows.
With hundreds of exhibitors, over 50 different educational programs, and a variety of free presentations, the GASC website calls Graph Expo “a problem-solving adventure designed to help you make informed purchasing decisions.” So without further adieu, let the adventure begin!
Agfa (Booth 844)
Agfa will feature a number of exciting things at its booth this year. The :Anapurna M 2050 high-speed 6-colour plus white, UV-curable inkjet printer is great for display printing and boasts a resolution of up to 1440 dpi. Also on display are the :Jeti 1224 UV High Definition Colour inkjet printer, which features the widest colour gamut and highest productivity in its class; and the :Jeti 3324 Aquajet, an eco-friendly alternative to solvent-based fabric technologies.
Visitors will see the brand new :Apogee 7.0 Workflow Suite that includes Apogee Impose, an Agfa-developed imposition module. Agfa is also highlighting its environmentally-friendly Amigo TS thermal printing plates, which are up to 50 percent faster than the original Amigo plate, and have a run length of up to 200,000 impressions without post-baking.
Avanti Systems (Booth 1061)
Avanti is continuing to focus on expanding its third-party integration portfolio with partners such as HP SmartStream, Xerox FreeFlow, Heidelberg Prinect, Kodak Prinergy and Printable Technologies. At the company’s booth, live demonstrations of all of these integrations will be featured. Version 12 of Avanti’s award-wining Print MIS system will also be showcased, which includes the Avanti CRM/Microsoft Outlook integration.
Bowe Bell & Howell (Booth 3612)
BBH will feature solutions and presentations that target the number one issue facing mailers today: reducing cost per mailpiece. The solutions demonstrated will represent a wide range of options for mailers of all sizes. At the company’s booth, show attendees will see the BBH MAILStream Inveloper, which combines envelope manufacturing and mailpiece assembly into a single, efficient process at speeds up to 30,000 mailpieces per hour. The Combo14 inserting system will be on display as well, which combines the functionality of multiple inserters and is able to change from flats to letters in minutes rather than hours. BBH is also showing the Criterion APEX sorter that can be configured as a multi-line optical character reader or barcode reader.
Canon (Booth 2027)
At press time of this issue, Canon is keeping its specific show line-up under wraps (might be some interesting surprises!). New technology from the award-winning imagePRESS and imagePROGRAF product lines will be highlighted, as well as the imageRUNNER ADVANCE series products, targeted for small to mid-range print production environments.
C.P. Bourg (Booth 2036)
At its 32’ x 50’ booth, C.P. Bourg will showcase a range of innovations including the Bourg BSF Sheet Feeder, BCMe Bleed Crease Module and the award-winning BME Booklet Maker. This production line will fold, trim and saddle stitch 14×22.5-inch sheets to form unique 14×11-inch finished landscape booklets. Also showing is the new BSTE collator/feeder with ultrasonic sensors feeding into the BME Booklet-maker. Also on display are the C.P. Bourg BB3002 fully-automated perfect binder and the Ibis Smart Binder 2 with Pile Feeder.
Duplo (Booth 2617)
One of the key products being showcased in Duplo’s corner is the DC-745 slitter/cutter/creaser. This is Duplo’s fastest digital colour finisher to date. It is an all-in-one device that can perform up to 10 slits, 20 cuts and 15 creases in a single pass. It eliminates white borders and toner cracking on digital colour documents at incredible speeds of up to 50 sheets per minute. The company is a leader in digital colour finishing and also offers sheet feeders, full-bleed booklet makers, perfect binders, folders and UV coaters. Also on display will be the new DKT-200 two-knife trimmer configured with a System 5000 collating and booklet-making system.
Dynagram (Booth 108)
This software solutions provider will be introducing two significant upgrades for its imposition packages – Dynastrip and inp02 for Adobe Acrobat. Dynastrip 6.5 will be launched at the show with its new dynamic template reflow. The company says this feature will dramatically reduce the number of templates needed for imposition work from different trim sizes and length by adjusting to the job’s source documents. The product’s automation is also updated for sheetfed and web-to-print applications. A significant update to inp02’s Optimization Module will be showcased, providing more flexibility and control for optimized gang runs.
EFI (Booth 2000)
For the first time at Graph Expo, EFI says it will display its solutions around vertical markets that match customers’ business needs. The segments are display graphics, packaging and labels, enterprise office solutions, ad agencies/creative services, commercial, on demand/print for pay, CRD/small commercial and large commercial and publication.
Visitors to EFI’s booth will see some familiar equipment such as the VUTEk superwide printer, Rastek wide-format printer and the Jetrion industrial inkjet system. The company is also showcasing its award-winning product portfolio, including print production workflow and management information software such as PrintSmith, Pace, Monarch, Radius and Digital StoreFront.
Epson (Booth 617)
Epson is another exhibitor that is keeping the contents of its booth in secrecy. The company is expected to make some very exciting announcements during Graph Expo. It will be revealing something new in Computer-to-Plate that it says is poised to dramatically improve the way small-to-medium sized print shops do business. We’ll have to wait until the show to find out!
Fujifilm (Booths 627 & 1469)
The main attraction at Fujifilm’s booth is of course the much- anticipated J Press 720, which will be demon- strated live for the first time in North America! This ground-breaking sheet-fed digital inkjet press will run live in five presentations daily throughout the show. Fujifilm says this device has the look and feel of an offset press, with the versatility and job handling of a digital device. It is capable of variable data printing and has an incorporated infrared drying system. Once imaged, sheets can be treated like an offset sheet, making the range of finishing options for this press much wider than any other digital print technology.
The company will present the mantra, “why stand alone?”, that it says demonstrates how Fujifilm, together with its print partners, can uncover growth opportunities for all types of commercial printers through its complete portfolio of products and solutions. Many of these products, including the latest in CTP, digital printing, solvent printing, wide-format and software solutions will be present at Fujifilm’s booths.
GBC (Booth 423)
Known for its document finishing technology, GBC will be featuring its 620os laminator during Graph Expo. The single-sided laminator is easy to use and is ideal for short to medium, narrow-format production runs from digital colour printers and offset presses. The company will also showcase its Octiva single-sided films. This line consists of three different film substrates including polyester (PET), polypropylene (OPP) and nylon. GBC’s Plockmatic booklet-making equipment will also be a highlight.
Goss (Booth 1237)
Goss is aiming to present unique solutions that will allow its customers to differentiate themselves and pursue new opportunities. As a leader in commercial web offset, the company is focusing on technologies that automate the process and reduce waste, extending the advantages of web offset to an expanding range of shorter-run applications. Additions to the company’s portfolio in North America include Akiyama Mega Jprint and M-600 Folia presses for perfecting applications, Sunday Vpak web offset packaging presses and Goss Purlux saddlestitchers.
Hans Gronhi (Booth 4452)
Gronhi International will be exhibiting a GH524 fully automated 4-colour press, running live with its Speedy 52 CTP system. The company says this press has been accepted around the world for its reliability, high print quality and ease of operation, and is priced at a much lower capital cost than the competition.
Hewlett-Packard (Booth 1200)
At Graph Expo, HP will be presenting the industry’s broadest portfolio of colour commercial and industrial printing solutions. Among other products, the company will showcase its innovative and compact T200 colour inkjet web press. It can integrate with existing near- or off-line finishing, or new in-line finishing. It supports multiple applications with a 20.5-inch print width. HP will also highlight the Indigo 7500 digital press, which features the ability to print up to 120 A4 pages per minute in full colour.
InfoPrint Solutions (Booth 2017)
The InfoPrint 5000 MP will be on display at Graph Expo, which is the newest member of the InfoPrint 5000-series family, and also has the smallest footprint. It can run a variety of inks and fluids and can be used in various configurations. This digital high-speed inkjet printer boasts a low level of power consumption without compromising its features. The company will also highlight its award-winning InfoPrint 1357 MICR technology, as well as its marketing and workflow solutions.
INX International (Booth 2512)
Several items will be featured this year from INX International, the third largest producer of ink in North America. The company has a new line of EVOLVE Advanced Digital Solutions including the CP100 UV can printer and MD1000 UV flatbed printer. Both devices are for metal decorating customers and use INX Digital EVOLVE brand inks. The CP100 is designed for short-run cylindrical printing and, according to the company, it is ideal for any printer looking to create specialized packaging and a new revenue stream. The MD1000 delivers real-metal sample proofs quickly and inexpensively for short-run production of decorative tins, general line containers and aerosols. INX International will also have its environmentally-friendly line of inks on-hand, including EcoTech and EcoPure.
KBA (Booth 1255)
This year, KBA will highlight its range of award-winning press models (from 20-inch to 81-inch), and show off their ability produce jobs on a wide variety of substrates including plastic, lenticular, lightweight paper and board for commercial, packaging and advertising specialty markets. KBA will be presenting its two newest press models, the Rapida 106 41-inch and the Rapida 75E 29-inch presses. The Rapida 106 boasts speeds up to 18,000sph and make-ready minimizing automation, while the Rapida 75E is an ecology-minded press that saves on energy and comes with a power consumption display.
Kodak (Booth 1227)
At last year’s Print 09 show, Kodak noticeably didn’t bring any equipment, but chose to go for a more individual solutions-based approach. This year, the company still has a focus on helping its customers grow their business, while bringing some of the shiny new equipment we all love to see at trade shows! At the booth, visitors will see the Kodak Prosper 5000XL press, based on Kodak Stream Inkjet Technology. It has 100 percent variability, which the company says will enable print and marketing service providers to dramatically improve return on investment. The press provides a solution for short-run books with economics that drive operational and supply chain efficiencies for run lengths up to 7,000 books. Kodak will also present its K-Zone experience again this year, which is a forum featuring industry experts and peers discussing trends driving the industry today and into the future.
Konica Minolta (Booth 2244)
At Konica Minolta’s booth this year, visitors will see the company’s latest advances in output quality, document finishing and workflow efficiencies. The bizhub PRESS C8000, Konica Minolta’s new flagship device, will be highlighted, as well as the bizhub PRO line of digital presses. At speeds of 80ppm for colour production printing, the PRESS C8000 accepts a wide range of heavy and coated stock, and uses an advanced humidification system to tame the most challenging stocks.
Lake Image Systems (Booth 4307)
At Graph Expo, Lake Image Systems is presenting its Discovery Suite of software and hardware solutions, that it says provides printers, converters and mailers with assurance that their printed product is 100 percent accurate. Discovery components can monitor print webs at speeds in excess of 1000 feet per minute, checking across the entire web. The Discovery Web Monitor is a high-definition, full-featured video viewing station displaying the full web width. The Discovery PQ is a camera and software system with all the tools necessary to automatically and continuously inspect a variety of printing processes. Lastly, the Discovery Multiscan is a flexible camera and software system that can verify printed data such as addresses and bar codes. This Discovery suite works on sheetfed offset, flexography, digital, toner and inkjet presses, and even on difficult substrates such as films, foils and flexible packaging.
manroland (Booth 858)
The message of “believe in print” will be present at the manroland booth this year, with the company focusing on PRINTVALUE. As with last year at Print 09, manroland is using its booth not to display products, but to educate visitors on its printservices, printcom, printnet and printadvice programs. Those who stop by will also get to experience new innovations from the company in several presentations (including one in 3D!). Products to be highlighted in these presentations include wide-format perfecting on the ROLAND 900 XXL, cold foil indexing with the PRINDOR inline device, the 18,000 sph ROLAND 700 HS and also the ROLAND DD press. The DD (Direct Drive) press can be seen in operation before and after show hours at the company’s Chicago Print Technology Centre location.
MGI USA (Booth 3217)
Well-known in the industry for its unique devices, MGI will be launching a new product this year – the DF360 5-in-1 paper finishing unit. This is the only multi-functioning finishing unit on the market that includes a lamination function, along with cutting, creasing, slitting and perforation. It is designed to complement both digital and offset presses and can bring many common finishing techniques together. The company says it is ideal for applications such as book covers, brochures, tickets, business cards, photo books, invitations, menus and more. MGI will also feature its flagship Meteor DP60 Pro multi-substrate digital press and the JETvarnish digital inkjet spot UV coater.
Mimaki (Booth 3212)
Mimaki will have a number of its flatbed and roll-to-roll printers at its booth. A device from its CJV series will be running Eco Sol Silver and White Inks. The company will also showcase two flatbed presses from its UJF series including the 3042 model that features UV LED curing technology. Visitors to the Mimaki area will also see a printer from its JFX line, as well as the company’s UJV-160 hybrid UV printer.
Muller Martini (Booth 637)
This year Muller Martini is highlighting several products. The Primera E110 is the latest addition to its family of saddle stitchers. It is fully automated and produces 11,000 cycles per hour. The company’s Orbit three-knife trimmer for perfect bound production will be at the show, featuring high levels of automation and extremely fast make-ready. A static VSOP press unit will also be an attention-grabber.
Océ (Booth 1217)
The new Arizona 550 GT UV flatbed printer will be on-hand from Océ with speeds more than twice as fast as previous models. The company says this year it is introducing the graphic arts market to breakthrough innovation for short-run books, transaction marketing, personalized mailings, display graphics and more. Featured products include the Océ JetStream 1000 continuous-feed full-colour inkjet system, the Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra digital perfecting system and Océ PRISMA workflow software.
Pitney Bowes (Booth 3601)
The focus for Pitney Bowes at Graph Expo will be innovative ways that mailers can lower operational costs, make production processes more efficient and enhance the value of customer communications. On display will be the IntelliJet Printing Systems family, that can help transactional mailers migrate to digital inkjet printing in monochrome, full colour and even MICR. Visitors to the company’s booth will also learn about its Production Intelligence suite of output management and automated document factory software. Both the Mailstream Productivity and Mailstream Evolution inserting systems will be featured, as well as the FlowMaster RS Flex inserting system.
Presstek (Booth 2600)
The Presstek 75DI press will be shown in North America for the first time at the Graph Expo. The company says that the press features “extreme automation” – job-to-job turnover in only eight minutes. With speeds of up to 16,000sph, it has a small environmental footprint with waterless printing technology, chemistry-free imaging on-press, fast run-up for minimal waste and consistent quality. Other highlights at the Presstek booth include the 52DI-AC with an in-line aqueous coater, the DPM Pro 400 and Vector FL52-AL CTP machines, as well as a Compass platesetter.
Ricoh (Booth 2017)
At the Ricoh booth, the company says that visitors will experience different solutions that address issues and needs facing both customers and the production printing industry overall, as well as bridge the gap between the realm of print and advanced document management solutions and services. Ricoh will be releasing a brand new product at the show that’s under-wraps for now, but its booth will also feature the Ricoh Pro C900 and Pro C720 colour production systems, as well as the Ricoh Pro 1357 EX copier, scanner and production printer.
RISO (Booth 3111)
At Graph Expo, RISO will showcase several innovative and unique value-add graphic arts and transaction applications. The ComColor inkjet printing system will be used to demonstrate the printing of a full-colour transpromo marketing offer letter, showing an integrated MICR check. Full-colour variable data envelopes will be printed on a RISO ComColor 9050, and a range of 2-colour single-pass materials will be printed on RISO’s new MZ1090 digital duplicator – what the company calls a “mini 2-colour digital press.” The ComColor series from RISO prints up to 150 colour ppm and are ENERGY STAR qualified, consuming minimal electricity.
Screen USA (Booth 1637)
Highlights at the Screen booth include the Truepress Jet520 high-speed continuous inkjet press, which Screen says is the best-selling device in its class. The Truepress Jet2500UV will also be on-hand, delivering images on both roll-fed and flatbed-format substrates. Screen’s Truepress Jet1600UV-F features two types of UV ink (for flexible and rigid media) that can be stretched by up to 200 percent, as well as cast or bent. Other products at the booth include CTP and workflow solutions.
Standard Finishing Systems (Booth 1244 & 1644)
Standard will showcase 5,000 square-feet of feeding, finishing and mail inserting solutions under the theme “Think Intelligent Automation.” A product premier is the 17-clamp Standard Horizon CABS 6000 perfect binding system, which produces up to 6,000 books per hour. The company will also show the all-new HT-80 automated three-knife trimmer, and the new Standard Horizon large-format AFC-746F folder, with record-setting throughput speeds up to 787 feet per minute. Other products on display are the BQ-160 binder, CRB-160 cover creaser and the Horizon Stitchliner 6000 Digital, among others.
Xanté (Booth 201)
The iQueue Intelligent Color Workflow will be showcased at Xanté’s booth, which is a free, multi-faceted content and production management solution that was designed to support Xanté Ilumina Digital Color Press users. Xanté says iQueue provides up to 25% savings on toner cost due to special screening processes. Key features include spot colour matching, unlimited screening control, independent CMYK control, full colour management, flexible queue management, archiving and highly maximized output quality. Also on display will be a number of devices from the company’s Ilumina family of presses.
Xerox (Booth 400 & 600)
With the broadest portfolio of market-leading digital production products, Xerox will feature many different print applications at the show. Look for the Xerox iGen4 Press, as well as the Color 1000 Press, 700 Digital Color press and the Nuvera 288 Perfecting Press. Visitors to the booth will also get to see the Espresso Book Machine. Real-world examples of what customers are producing with Xerox technology and solutions will also be on-hand.
X-Rite & Pantone (Booth 448)
Exhibiting together, X-Rite and Pantone will show a variety of new technologies in the world of colour science. X-Rite will feature the i1Profiler, its brand new colour profiling software that ensures quality, consistency and standards compliance. Pantone will highlight its PLUS series – the next generation of the PMS system for multimedia graphic design. It contains hundreds of new colours for greater design flexibility and contemporary impact, as well as several new features and digital tools.
Attendee registration for Graph Expo is now open at the GASC site www.gasc.com. You can also sign up on the website to access your own free Graph Expo Planner, which allows you to sort through exhibitors, search and select educational sessions, participate in networking events, and map out your show to make the most of your time. You can even make a copy to take with you in one neat printable planner.
As well, in mid-August a Virtual Preview of the show was revealed, offering an interactive sneak peek that includes videos, chat rooms, webinars and previews of some of the equipment, products and networking opportunities that will be found at Graph Expo. Check it out here: www.graphexpo.com/virtualpreview.
Remember to stay tuned to graphicartsmag.com before, throughout, and after the show for up-to-date coverage, tweets, live blogs, photos, news, and more!
