Printable Technologies

Several vendors recently revealed their plans for the big September show. By Bob Neubauer The Print 05 and Converting 05 trade show is right around the corner. To get a taste of what's in store, IPG was recently invited to Chicago along with other journalists to hear a handful of vendors discuss their plans for the show, which will take place September 9-15 in downtown Chicago. The two-day press conference, called MediaDays 2005, was organized by the Broadford & Maloney PR firm. Dave Poulos, of the Graphic Arts Show Co., told attendees that 80,000 people are expected to attend Print 05 and visit

In part two of our variable data printing coverage, Vic Barkin explains how your in-plant can move into this lucrative business. By Vic Nathan Barkin During the American Revolution, every rifle was what today we would refer to as a customized model. A master craftsman produced each lock, stock and barrel individually. No two were exactly alike. Finding the optimum load for each rifle meant that a rifleman had to test the accuracy of different powder volumes, patch thicknesses and ball size combinations to ensure, when the time came to hit his mark, he could trust his tool to do the job. Marketing

More than 38,000 people attended this year's expo. Here's a glimpse of what they saw. By Bob Neubauer Integration was the big theme of this year's Graph Expo and Converting Expo. Individual manufacturers like Heidelberg and MAN Roland showcased computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) technologies connecting prepress, press and finishing. And vendor partnerships, both small and multi-faceted, foreshadowed future integration between multiple vendors' systems. Notably, at a large press conference touting the Networked Graphic Production initiative, 27 companies proclaimed their commitment to defining, developing, testing and delivering JDF-based integration between their systems. They plan to define a standardized set of interfaces to create plug-and-play solutions

A beautiful beachside location and the chance to mingle with university printing peers lured more than 80 in-plant managers to ACUP 2003. By Bob Neubauer It was hard to avoid catching some of Keith Walker's overflowing enthusiasm at the recent Association of College and University Printers' (ACUP) conference down in Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Walker, assistant director of Printing Services at Wake Forest University's School of Medicine, had spent the better part of two years planning ACUP 2003—and he spent much of the four-day conference making sure everything went right. At times he seemed to be everywhere at once. But despite the stress, his

At the recent IPG Conference and Expo in the Big Apple, in-plant managers wanted fresh ideas for dealing with tough times. by Mike Llewellyn CHANGE WAS on everyone's mind at the recent In-Plant Graphics Conference and Expo. Whether that meant breaking into digital technology or rolling with the punches in a down economy, most in-plant managers in attendance wanted to know what they should do differently to stay ahead of the curve. The turnout was solid at the debut of the IPG Conference in midtown Manhattan last month. Held in conjunction with the established BookTech show, it featured an exhibition of more than

If you want to keep your customers, you'd better make life easy for them. Many in-plants say online job submission is the answer. by Mike Llewellyn Just try telling a Los Angeles city employee he's got to get in his car, drive across town during rush hour and drop off a print order at the municipal in-plant when there's a quick printer right next door. Great price or no, he's not going to do it. "One of the challenges for in-plants is to offer the most convenient service possible," says Mike Leighton, director of Publishing Services for the City of Los Angeles. "Customers

In-Plant Graphics hosted the second annual Top 50 roundtable in Chicago recently, bringing together managers from around the country for some intensive discussions. By MIKE LLEWELLYN For the second year in a row, In-Plant Graphics hosted a roundtable luncheon for the Top 50 in-plants. Managers from some of the largest in-plants in the country met in Chicago during Graph Expo to discuss the challenges they share, and to learn from each other's experiences. For some it was a reunion. For others there were a lot of new names and faces to remember. But for everyone it was a welcome break from the crowds

Higher-than-expected turnout made Graph Expo 2002 an exciting four days for both vendors and attendees. By Mike Llewellyn &012;and Bob Neubauer Graph Expo was back in action last month in Chicago, and from the look of the 380,000-square-foot show floor, the printing industry may soon spring back, as well. Close to 38,000 people attended the show, including buyers representing over 9,600 companies. After last year's big-ticket event, Print '01, was brought to a halt by the September 11 terrorist attacks, it was reassuring to see crowded exhibit areas and overflowing equipment demos this year. David Poulos, director of communications for the event's organizer,

At a recent IPG roundtable in Chicago, representatives of some of the Top 70 in-plants compared notes and shared ideas in a lively exchange. by Bob Neubauer It was a landmark event. Print managers from corporate giants like Allstate and Boeing mingled with representatives from leading universities. The supervisors of the Ohio and Washington state printing operations chatted with managers of the top insurance company in-plants, like Blue Cross, Safeco and Cigna. For the first time, the leaders of some of the country's largest in-plants sat together in one room to share their views. In-Plant Graphics organized this meeting during the recent

Print 01 featured numerous innovations in prepress, offset and bindery technologies. Find out all about them in part two of our show report. &002;by Bob Neubauer Walking the show floor at Print 01 was a printer's dream. Presses were churning out color posters, software was being demonstrated on large screens for small crowds, books were being folded, stitched and trimmed—wherever you looked, something was happening. Though the September 11 attacks brought the show to a halt, show management said about 66,300 people attended overall. Vendors reported a number of sales. Heidelberg's NexPress subsidiary sold more than 70 NexPress 2100 presses, part of