Last week I participated in Media Days, a two-day event promoting PRINT 09 (www.print09.com) which will take place Sept 11-16 in Chicago. More than a dozen vendors detailed their plans for an audience of international journalists. (Generally “international” just means that my Canadian friends Filomena, Doug and John attended.) But this was truly a cosmopolitan group, with editors from Asia, Europe and Latin America on hand.
Most people attend PRINT 09 because they know it is an excellent chance to mingle with the Chicago-based staff of AMERICAN PRINTER. It’s also a great opportunity to see a lot of equipment in action. The show’s organizer, The Graphic Arts Show Co. (GASC) is offering special incentives to encourage vendors to bring their equipment, and yes, this does include some press iron.
If you want to know what’s going on in the printing industry, this is THE show to attend. I’ll be there and I hope to see a lot of readers there too!
I thought it would interesting to do a Twitter overview of Media Days. For those who aren’t following me at http://twitter.com/APKOB, here’s a recap:
manroland stresses R700 (Makeready Monster); PrintValue; CutCon Plus web cutoff, inline inspect & color. See www.manroland.us.com
“manroland is a healthy company,” says CEO Vince Lapinski. “2008 was profitable and few in the [printing] industry can say that.”
Look for Konica Minolta’s next generation bizhub PRO color engine. See http://kmbs.konicaminolta.us
Lake Image Systems’ IntegraVision PQ ids print errors in real time, such as voids and misaligned images. Can id defects as small as 0.04mm.
Lake Image Systems’ vision control & verification systems target commercial printers and label manufacturers. See www.lakeimage.com
Don’t pick and pray! Mail matching system essentials: http://bit.ly/3G8ZTO
Riso’s new ComColor line ranges from the 90-ipm, A4-format 3010 to the 150-ipm, A3-format ComColor 9050. See www.newinkjet.com
Got a UV press? MiraFoil coating means no more double bump for more opacity. See this “printable foil” at Print 09. www.henkelna.com
Henkel’s MiraFoil liquid coating is a sustainable alternative to foil board laminating and hot foil stamping
Xerox Prem. Partners will vie for U2 tickets @ Print 09. Who will be “Best of the Best?” More importantly, can u cadge a U2 ticket from them?
Xerox’s Print 09 plans call for a 28,000-sq. foot booth and real world apps on equipment ranging from cut-sheet to continuous feed.
Print 09 Special Areas: PackPrint, FuturePrint (RFID), Wide Format, Mailing & Fulfillmnt & GREENspace (eco-friendly prods)
Stay tuned for more updates!
Have you ever tried printing with a steamroller? While it might not do much for your budgeted hourly rates, the steamroller printing process certainly draws a crowd. So it proved to be a showstopper demonstration at the 6th Annual Printing Arts Fair at the Museum of Printing (Andover, MA).
Crowds cheered as the paper was lifted from the tiles. “For more than 550 years, printing was done with raised images, ink, and pressure in printing presses,” says Romano. “Today, the letterpress craft is continued by hobbyists and artists, and the Museum of Printing is one of the last three museums that preserve this ancient art.” 
