The hottest new technologies, the industry’s most comprehensive educational slate, and debuting show floor features and attractions, plus a record number of co-located events highlight PRINT 13 which opens Sunday, September 8 in Chicago’s McCormick Place and runs through Thursday, September 12. This year also marks the first time that CPP EXPO which serves package printers and converters will be co-located with PRINT 13.
With the theme of “Integrate, Innovate, Communicate,” PRINT 13, together with CPP EXPO, will bring more than one hundred targeted educational sessions in twelve specialized learning tracks.
PRINT 13 will also feature fourteen show floor pavilions and specialty sections, as well as four show floor Learning Theaters. Plus offering individualized guidance and direction are four “Ask the Expert” stations for the twelve major graphic communications industry segments: Commercial Printers, In-Plant Printers: Corporate/Government/Education Print Centers, Sign & Display Shops/Wide Format Printers, Package & Label Printers & Converters, Quick/Small Commercial Printers, Photo Imagers & Retailers, Transactional Printers, Mailing & Fulfillment Professionals, Book Printers/Publishers, Newspaper Printers/Publishers, Marketing/Creative Services Professionals, and Media/Print Buyers.
Educational Opportunities:
Educational opportunities kick off September 7 with the popular EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK Conference which annually precedes PRINT [and GRAPH EXPO]. Sponsored by EFI, Xerox, and OutputLinks Communications Group and themed “Driving Profits Through Innovation, Integration, and Communication” this fast paced half-day session will showcase the issues and trends most relevant to graphic communications professionals.
At the conclusion of the session, the “Best of Category” awards from the PRINT 13 MUST SEE ‘EMS technology competition will be announced, along with The Legacy Award for a past MUST SEE ‘EMS winning technology that has had the most profound impact on the graphic communications industry. NPES President Ralph Nappi will then announce the winner of the 2013 Positively Print Award. Positively Print is a print advocacy program designed to promote the power of print in today’s media mix.
The sixty-six co-located conferences, users’ group meetings, workshops, and social events offer a record opportunity for networking and education having grown from twenty-two in 2010, to thirty-four in 2011, and forty-eight co-located events in 2012. The PRINT 13 and CPP EXPO one hundred-plus seminar sessions and computer labs plus continuous sessions in the Learning Theaters and individualized guidance in “Ask the Expert” stations on the show floor offer unprecedented learning opportunities for graphic communications professionals from every segment of the industry.
On the Floor:
Headlining the attractions at this year’s PRINT 13 is a host of new and “reimagined” show floor features. They include BIG – The Wide Format Pavilion with all of the latest output equipment, software, media/substrates, inks, finishing equipment and supplies plus new applications and solutions to expand and build profits. Also at BIG is the ISA Wide Format Innovation & Application Theater sponsored by the International Sign Association and “Ask the Wide Format Expert” station sponsored by Big Picture Magazine.
An exciting new show floor attraction making its world debut at PRINT 13 this year is The Inkjet Candy Store—a consolidated feature where show goers will see in action, side-by-side, live demonstrations of some the hottest Wide Format Inkjet Printers from many of the foremost manufacturers-all together in one featured space!
Also new for PRINT 13 is Photo Finish – The Photo Imaging Pavilion. Created to address the needs of this growing attendee segment, and other print pros seeking to expand their range of service offerings, the pavilion features manufacturers and suppliers of services for photo, photo book, wide format and all-sized imaging, creation, finishing related equipment, products, software, substrates, and more. The Photo Imaging International Business Forum and the “Ask the Expert” station is sponsored by Photo Imaging News. Another special featured activity here is “Shoot-Out Americas” sponsored by SPI Convention.
Another debuting pavilion is Sidelines – The Expanded Revenue Streams Pavilion, sponsored by Print + Promo Magazine, will highlight a range of profit opportunities via new and “turnkey” revenue sources from a vast array of specially printed products to advertising specialties.
Re-imagined for PRINT 13 is Deliver – The NEW Mailing & Fulfillment Center, still the world’s largest mailing show, now sponsored by the ultimate industry expert-the United States Postal Service. This is a one-stop resource for all the latest equipment, software and supplies, research, market data, best practices and solutions for bridging print with marketing. Also featured here is the Deliver ROI Theater sponsored by the USPS and the Association of Marketing Service Providers (AMSP) [formerly MFSA] and, for one-on-one personalized guidance and advice, the “Ask the Mailing Expert” sponsored by AMSP.
Hugely popular and highly-trafficked The Marketing Pavilion sponsored by Chicago American Marketing Association (CAMA) returns as the “how-to” hub for marketing education, resources, and networking exploring all the latest marketing and graphic communication tools and technologies. Inside the pavilion, The Marketing Theater, sponsored by Canvas Magazine, offers a robust daily schedule of thirty-minute hot-topic learning sessions.
Cornerstone pavilions of the show are the Prepress/Software: Workflow & Design section-offering the hottest new software and opportunities to test-drive the very latest equipment, and the huge Press/Finishing section-featuring cutting-edge innovations in digital, inkjet, hybrid, flexo and offset print technologies, as well as the complete array of binding and finishing equipment and supplies.
Returning to PRINT 13 is News Print – The Newspaper Pavilion, a dual marketplace and networking hub for Newspaper Production Pros and increasingly Commercial Printers. Sponsored by News & Tech, it features unique new applications and workflow solutions designed to help attendees cut costs, boost profits, make informed buying decisions.
Also returning is The In-Plant Place, a dedicated networking hub sponsored by the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) and exclusively for In-Plant pros from every industry segment-Government, Corporate and Education-to come meet, unwind, learn, share, and more.
GREENspace is also back for PRINT 13 and offers attendees the opportunity to discover what it means to “go green”. This single source show floor section is devoted to eco-friendly products, services, and education focused on sustainability. The pavilion, which includes an “Ask the Expert” station, is sponsored by Graphic Design USA.
Attendees wanting to explore emerging technologies will have that opportunity at Future Print where they will be able to discover the hottest new and emerging print technologies, featuring: RFID, Printed Electronics, and 3-D printing, and witness the actual production of printed electronics here. The pavilion and learning theater, dubbed the “Experiential Lab,” are both sponsored by FlexTech Alliance.
Attendees will also be able to participate in the pavilion’s all new lineup of learning and networking activities inside The Printerverse. Sponsored by PrintMediaCentr this is a highly interactive ‘home base’ to meet, tweet, learn, share, interact, and explore the latest innovations and applications that are driving our industry forward in exciting new directions.
Graphic communications professionals who visit Education Main Street will have the opportunity to meet their future workforce. Here representatives from colleges, universities and educational organizations will provide information on curriculum offerings, scholarships-and talented, skilled students seeking internships!
Expanding the show floor attractions and responding to the needs of a key industry segment is the co-located CPP EXPO which offers attendees unprecedented access to the world of package printing and converting.
Beyond the Seminars Program:
Six free industry presentations will be held during PRINT 13 that include on Sunday: “Keeping Print Strong in your Newspaper Brand” with pre-session “Production and Technology Trends for Newspapers and Hybrid Operations.” On Monday will be “Innovation in Digital Printing Solutions for Packaging” and “thinkMSP-Stories that Inspire a Market Based Mindset.” Tuesday’s sessions will be “Are we There Yet? A 2013 Multi-Channel Communications Industry Perspective” and “In-Plant Best Practices and Trends” lunch and learn. And Wednesday’s session will be “The BIG Challenge in Package Printing, How Best to Go Small.”
There also will be four free exhibitor presentations during PRINT 13. On Monday the sessions will be: “Five Surefire Ways to Fail When it Comes to Your Website” and “Cost Savings Through Streamlining Workflow and Color Management Automation”. On Tuesday the free sessions will be: “UV LED Curing Technology for Offset and Flexographic Printing” and “Profit Velocity – How to Make More Money on Lower Margins. Are Digital Printing and JDF the Holy Grail to Short Run Success.”
In addition, there will be two free International programs and networking opportunities—”Asia Day” on Monday, September 9 and “Latin America Day” on Wednesday, September 11, that will include a presentation by NPES on the newly released “World-Wide Market for Print” study highlighting the global and regional trends across the printing industry.
For more information and to register for PRINT 13, visit: www.print2013.com.
