To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, “This is the way the show ends/ not with a bang but a whimper.”
Graph Expo 2007 (a sold-out show, I might add) was larger than last year’s show and was of course full of fabulous events and informative booths. But for most of the major players, the theme seemed to be “wait and see.” With drupa coming up in the first half of 2008, it only makes sense to delay major announcements for another 8 months in order to get the worldwide coverage that drupa will afford.
But even without big announcements by the big players, this year’s Graph Expo showcased many items sure to amuse and excite printers, particularly those interested in digital print or workflow systems. The following pages contain a sampling of the highlights, as well as some pictures for those who didn’t make it out to the show.
JDF-compatible? Really now?
“Automated workflow,” “Lights-out automation,” “JDF-compliant/compatible,” and other such workflow-related phrases permeated the show like ink spilled on uncoated paper. For those of you still hesitant to implement an automated workflow system, companies from Avanti to Xerox (and nearly every letter in between) are promising a solution tailored to your business. If you’re shopping for a workflow solution (or even just a workflow please-make-it-a-bit-simpler), find out what service you get with your purchase. Service is important with any purchase, but with workflow automation, it can make the difference between a smooth-running, well-integrated company and one where each department still doesn’t know the names of the others’ software.
Proofing me softly…
Coincident with the emphasis on workflow is the emergence of soft proofs as a viable form of proofing, especially in the early proof stages, when clients are looking for accuracy and placement rather than specific colours and margins. Proof-it online (distributed by xpedx—see the screenshot accompanying this article) offers a JDF workflow-compatible proofing solution with an easy-to-use (even for non-techies!) dashboard that is entirely web-hosted—meaning neither you nor your client need install any software. You purchase a per-proof subscription, and the program time and date stamps each proof as it’s read by your client, so you no longer need to worry whether a proof got there, or was read, or which version is the most current one.
FFEI was also showing RealVue 3D at the show—an excellent proofing tool which simulates the format (complete with page-turning) of the final product. This product would be excellent for designers in particular, as you can present your concept to a client without having to print a physical proof of the idea.
The fastiron district
Big iron is still big in the industry, and MAN Roland, Heidelberg, and Komori all made their presence known at the show with machines that cut makeready times and drive up the digital/offset breakeven point. MAN Roland chose Graph Expo to premiere its new 700-series Direct Drive and Hi-Print in North America (check out our archives—specifically our April issue—for more on these two presses), and Heidelberg’s booth was by far the biggest (and certainly one of the busiest) at the show. Heidelberg also promised some major announcements coming up at drupa—watch these pages for a possible preview next spring.
Environomics
Everyone’s talking about the environment, but not everyone is doing something about it. Digital printer manufacturers are touting their lower waste (if you’re not making plates, that’s a lot of material saved right there!), but solvent-based printers emit VOCs at high rates, diminishing the environmental benefit of no plates. (For more on VOCs, see the second half of Larry Miller’s article on Solvent Printers and Air Quality in this issue.) Environmental initiatives exist at most major companies, but none has so far emerged as the one true “green” choice for printers looking for a consistently eco-concious supplier.
Digital World
Variable print is of course on everyone’s lips, but—at both the Executive Outlook the day before the show and in my conversations at the show—most vendors acknowledge that few business are equipped to take full advantage of variable possibilities. It takes more than a spreadsheet with names and addresses to do true 1:1 print, so if you’re in the market for variable, find a supplier who will work with you in creating a usable database. It’s a lot of work—just ask Fuji and Terminal VanGogh, our partners on this month’s variable cover!
DI presses also got coverage at this year’s Expo, with HP premiering their Indigo 3500 and 5500 in North America.
What am I adding again?
In addition to the buzz about workflow, there was of course the ubiquitous discussion of Value-Add and the transition from printing to nebulous-sounding businesses such as “media consulting.” It is important for printers to realize the business potential of actively reaching out to current and potential clients to craft a media campaign of which print is a part rather than merely providing a print product to clients who seek you out. Unfortunately, such a transition is overwhelming, and printers are often not equipped to expand their business, with the result that many are squeezed when other industries—such as advertising and graphic design—use the low upfront cost of a digital printer to hone in on the print market. The show winners in my mind are those businesses that offer their clients tangible help rather than merely platitudes. For example, HP offers business consultants, Logo Works (an online business profiling tool), and, to certain accounts, “Premier Account Management”, both of which help clients to succeed in what HP terms “Print 2.0”. Xerox offers their Profit Accelerator pricing tools and Business Planning tools, as well as the analysts to get such packages up and running. And both companies offer usergroups—Dscoop for HP and Premier Partners for Xerox—to exchange best practices on their flagship products.
The Marketplace
Print growth in developed markets (ie North America and Europe) is expected just to keep pace with economic growth, while the so-called “BRIC” countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and other developing countries) are forecast to experience phenomenal growth in almost all print spheres in the next five to ten years. The Executive Outlook the day before the show provided a summary—complete with new studies by PIRA International—of printing trends, and Evan Cambray of Spicer’s talked specifically about the Canadian print market at the Pan-America breakfast on the 10th. Packaging is forecast to be one of the biggest growth areas in all markets—print may be squeezed by digital media in advertising and other domains, but you still need a box for your cereal!
In summary, Graph Expo 2007 was a show of many little innovations, with companies both big and small introducing small improvements to existing devices or new products that strove to integrate seamlessly into an established workflow. It was certainly not a bang, but perhaps not a whimper either; it was a show of small innovations presaging (we hope!) bigger ones.
