Graph Expo 2015 Overview

Graph Expo 2015 OverviewGraph Expo is a trade show in flux, in more ways than one. As the headline North-American exposition for the printing industry, it represents a changing marketplace. Changes like customer expectations, never-before-seen applications, shorter run lengths and quicker turnarounds make shows like this more important than ever.

For those who haven’t heard, Graph Expo will be moving to Orlando in 2016 and the show will be held much later in September. This is a strategic move by the show organizers to help bring in more attendance from the Latin markets. Orlando International Airport is a great hub airport and coming landing place for flights from the south.

This year at the show we saw an incremental growth in the inkjet market. There were more inkjet engines than before and quality continues to improve. As inkjet matures it becomes more clear that web printing is the natural method. Inkjet combined with powerful VDP and inkjet software combined with roll-to-roll printing and roll-to-finish has become a huge draw for engineers in our industry.

The Standard Horizon and Hunkeler booth was exceptionally busy with interested parties watching roll to book solutions and the New SmartSlitter. MGI dazzled passersby with their beautiful spot-coating and digital foil machine called the Jetvarnish 3D. Oki demonstrated the New 5 Color C942 which prints a stunning white base color for unique applications on special substrates.

We are all looking forward to next year’s expo in Orlando. We’ll wait to see if there will be new energy from the changed venue and fresh audience. The schedule shows that in 2017 we will be back in Chicago for Print 2017. This four year occurrence is somewhat of a super show with a trend to international business and more foreign exhibitors.