GRAPH EXPO 2007 Must See ‘Ems Committee Announces Top Six Survival Technologies for Printer Success

RESTON, VA—08/29/07—What technologies are most critical for a printer’s success in today’s competitive marketplace? According to the GRAPH EXPO 2007 MUST SEE ‘EMS Technology and Product Selection Committee, management information systems (MIS) top the list of six “survival” technologies printers will most need to be profitable in the future. The announcement offers a ‘sneak preview’ of the much-anticipated MUST SEE ‘EMS, a list of the most compelling emerging and evolving technologies to be found at GRAPH EXPO, the largest graphic communications industry exhibition and conference in the Western Hemisphere.

The MUST SEE ‘EMS are a highlight of the 12th edition of the EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK® Conference, to be held September 8 in Chicago’s McCormick Place, on the eve of GRAPH EXPO. The full-day conference, themed “The Printers’ Success Quartet: Economics, Markets, Technology, People,” offers insights into critical industry issues and previews of significant trends attendees will see at the trade show. GRAPH EXPO, which will showcase products and services from 640 exhibitors, runs September 9-12 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

“In this era of stiff competition and tight profits, graphic communications professionals want help in determining which ‘hot’ trends will have lasting impact on their businesses,” noted Kip Smythe, vice president of NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies. “The EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK Conference and the MUST SEE ‘EMS give printers a blueprint for determining which industry issues and emerging technologies deserve the most attention for future success.”

A 2006 ‘encore’, MIS was ranked foremost among the six top survival technologies for printers. It was chosen by the MUST SEE ‘EMS Technology and Product Selection Committee, a panel of 16 industry consultants and trade magazine editors, because it has become the core technology around which customer interfaces, scheduling, production control, integrated automation and business workflow are built. The other top five technologies include:

• Digital production printing (encompassing all digital printing technologies, including toner and inkjet-based systems, as well as color and monochrome machines)

• Workflow

• Information technology (IT) (includes the ability to properly install, use and maintain the equipment)

• Web-to-print capability (includes the ability for customers to submit jobs electronically)

• Color management (in choosing this technology, the selection committee cited the increasing use of color on print jobs of all kinds)

The Committee also identified four additional technologies as having a significant impact on printers’ success: litho press automation (not including JDF), computer-to-plate technology, preflight software and skills, and the application of a unique capability. RFID was also mentioned as an up-and-coming technology.

The complete list of MUST SEE ‘EMS products will be announced at the conclusion of the EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK Conference. A product recognition guide listing all MUST SEE ‘EMS award recipients and the second tier of compelling products, WORTH-A-LOOK®s, will be distributed throughout the GRAPH EXPO show floor.

The EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK Conference is sponsored by Heidelberg and Xerox.

Complete information and online registration for EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK and GRAPH EXPO are available at: www.graphexpo.com.

About Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC)
GASC is owned by the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL), NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies® (NPES®), and the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF). GASC is located at 1899 Preston White Drive, Reston, VA 20191 USA, telephone: 703/264-7200, fax: 703/620-9187, e-mail: info@gasc.org.