G7+ Exchange Returns — With a Global Standard on the Horizon
The G7+ Exchange returns to PRINTING United Expo (Sept. 23-25, Las Vegas) for a second year after a sold-out debut that drew more than 240 registrants.
“The biggest lesson from the inaugural G7+ Exchange was that the industry is looking for more than presentations — they’re looking for conversations,” says Jordan Gorski, VP, global standards & certifications, PRINTING United Alliance. “The sessions that resonated most combined technical expertise with real-world implementation stories, giving attendees practical ideas they could immediately apply in their own operations.”
That feedback shaped the 2026 program, which adds expanded peer-to-peer discussion, more real-world case studies, and sessions built around challenges attendees face today — from prepress and workflow automation to expanded color, sustainability, and production optimization in challenging print environments.
Networking opportunities have also been expanded after attendees identified peer-to-peer learning as one of the most valuable elements of the inaugural event.
The format serves everyone from people unfamiliar with G7 to certified G7+ Experts. “We designed the Exchange around the idea that everyone is somewhere on the same color management journey,” Gorski says.
Newcomer sessions establish the fundamentals: why process control matters, what G7+ is, and how it creates a common language for print quality. Experienced practitioners will delve into automation, expanded color workflows, specialized applications, and the evolving role of standards across multiple print technologies.
Shared sessions that bring everyone together round out the program, giving press operators, production managers, brand owners, or technology providers an opportunity to hear how organizations are solving common challenges.
The most forward-looking topic on the agenda may be the Unified Dataset (UDS), now in development, which would replace GRACoL 2013 and other regional standards.
Gorski describes the UDS as a huge opportunity. G7 and GRACoL users will see minimal to no visual change, while users of localized standards such as Fogra and Japan Color will gain an aim point in the UDS — one global aim for print production, paired with the visual consistency across print applications that G7+ delivers.
For global print buyers and brands, he says, the payoff is supply chain management built around one aligned colorspace for their printers to target. G7+ workflows could then support optimization and efficiency not only for the brands themselves but for their print manufacturers as well. The flexibility within G7+ will allow its algorithm to work with the UDS as production evolves to serve print buyers with global consistency expectations.
Brand owners and print buyers who have never run a press may be among the Exchange’s biggest beneficiaries, Gorski argues.
“They may not be running presses, but they’re responsible for ensuring that their brand is reproduced consistently across multiple print providers, technologies, and applications,” he says.
The Exchange helps them understand what drives print consistency, what questions to ask suppliers, and how standards like G7+ can reduce variability, waste, rework, and approval cycles. It also gives them direct access to printers, technology providers, and industry experts. And the theme carries into the main education lineup through the session “G7+ Without Borders: How a Common Standard Is Changing Global Print.”
The 2026 Exchange agenda moves from G7+ trainer Ron Ellis’ foundations session on what G7+ is and why it matters, through design and prepress (where most color problems start), to Alliance Manager of EHS & sustainability Sara Osorio on the overlap between consistent color and sustainable operations.
Six expert-led roundtables rotate attendees through topics ranging from certification paths to difficult substrates. Gorski will moderate the closing panel, “Why Color Still Breaks — Even When Everyone Knows Better,” a candid cross-role conversation featuring printer, designer, brand, and OEM perspectives.
The Exchange runs Tuesday, Sept. 22 — the day before the Expo opens — from 2 to 5 pm in Room N109 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, followed by a networking and cocktail reception from 5 to 6 pm. Click here for registration, which is $49 and separate from Expo registration.
Keep the Learning Going with iLEARNING+
The Alliance’s iLEARNING+ platform has crossed a milestone, now serving more than 9,500 users — and the growth has no single driver.
“Many companies are building it into onboarding; some individuals are pursuing a certification for their own careers; and members are using their discount to train up their whole team,” says Joe Marin, senior VP, member services, PRINTING United Alliance.
Marin sees the absence of one dominant driver as a healthy sign, indicating the platform is working for many different reasons at once.
The 2026 catalog has expanded again. DTF Production Techniques walks through how artwork setup, RIP settings, film, powder, curing, and pressing all connect — treating direct-to-film as a complete production system.
Getting Started with Signage, developed with industry expert Wendy Graves, and Promo Products Essentials, designed to help printers assess whether promotional products are a fit before investing, round out the new course offerings. On the certification side, the new Bindery Professional Certification serves anyone new to bindery or cross-training into finishing roles.
Among existing certifications, Marin points first to G7+ Expert Certification.
“Wide-format is dealing with more substrates and more color variables than ever, and brands are increasingly expecting G7+ calibrated output to get the right color,” he says.
Color Management Professional: Wide-Format follows for the same reason, while Customer Service Professional remains consistently popular “because employers are realizing that how your team talks to clients matters just as much as how they operate the equipment.”
At the Expo, iLEARNING+ (Booth N6743) will feature large touchscreens where attendees can test drive the platform. “It’s not just a demo, we sit down with people, talk through what their team actually needs, and help build out a real training plan,” Marin says. “We do that all day, every day of the show.”
For Marin, the two halves of the Expo belong together. “One of the things I love about Expo is that it’s where you see the new equipment and new technology,” he says. “iLEARNING+ is the other half of that investment: it’s how you actually get your team trained up to run that equipment well and get the return you’re expecting from it. You can walk the floor and see the solutions, then come to our booth and figure out how to make sure your people know how to use it.”
