Hi! I’m Chloe and I’m a print addict. I admit it. If there is a show and there is printing involved, I have to be there. We just ended the week at Graph Expo in Chicago, and it was an amazing amalgamation of printing, software, announcements, introductions, catch-ups, and education. You don’t get this just anywhere; not all print shows are created equal. Graph Expo has the powerhouse called The Printerverse; and in the Printerverse magic happens. No really, it does!
The first thing that happens is that vendors from all over the show floor agree to come and participate on panels to help educate our industry in the latest trends, newest ideas, finishing and file prep, and even the tough topic of color! The other thing that happens is National Girls Who Print Day, and since I’m a Girl Diva who Prints, you know I was there and enjoying the crowning of the 2015 Girlie Award Winner, Cary Sherburne. Wow… years in the industry, educator, consultant, writer, and general do-er! It doesn’t get better than this.
And the mentorship panel that followed was worth its weight in gold. Where else can you see professional women discussing what it takes to get where they are? Go watch that Livestream replay on YouTube. If you have daughters, make them watch it. While you are at it, make your kids watch all of the Livestreams – they will learn a lot. Oh, all of your staff should watch them, too!
In addition to the Printerverse you had to walk the floor. All of it. It was a bit light this year on 3D printing… there was some good education but not as many vendors bringing the neat printers as I expected. But there were a lot of companies bringing cool solutions for creating printed media beyond paper! The people with the printed tiles were amazing. Yes, you can print tiles to meet almost any requirement! And did you see the things Scodix brought? Just WOW. They sold their machine right off the floor! And Scodix isn’t just raised, rich printing, but now you can foil – the possibilities are endless.
There was a good array of print devices of all types and finishing devices of all types, but sometimes the most fun is to walk the smaller aisles where the specialty print products folks live. Die cutters, folders, specialty products like printing on magnets, and a host of interesting variations on linking online and offline through barcodes and augmented reality populated the aisles. Every aisle brought new ideas for things to pitch.
I know there were awards at the Gold Ink Gala and the EDSF Scholarship Dinner – all worthy of attendee time, but for me it’s the show floor, with great software companies like Compart and Solimar and GMC and Avanti who add flavor to the great print machines brought by all of the hardware vendors and the great finishing machines that turn our print into a true final product.
If you think print shows are getting old or that they are not worth the investment in your time, it’s time to rethink! I hope I see you in Orlando for next year’s edition of Graph Expo 2016. I’m off to Brussels for Label Expo – more cool solutions with a bit of an accent!
Until next time… Watch this space for more from the life of a Print Diva.
Chloe Mahendra-Fuji practices the fine arts of design critique, content creation and editing, and communication consulting. She has decades of experience working in online content delivery, print delivery, and content development.
Connect with Chloe: @ChloePrintDiva / ChloePrintDiva@gmail.com
