Graph Expo 2008 — No Reason to Stay Home
Bolte, the principal of C. Clint Bolte & Associates in Chambersburg, PA, notes that another area that is piquing interest is wide-format printing. One application he saw in Germany was the use of building wraps used to cover scaffolding while construction or refurbishment is in process. The textile wraps portray the image of what the building will look like upon completion.
“The wide-format market is ignoring the [weak] economy; it’s just roaring,” Bolte contends.
Not everyone will be window shopping in Chicago. Those attendees armed with purchase plans are reminded that the government’s economic stimulus package includes provisions for bonus depreciation on capex acquisitions purchased and installed by December 31 of this year.
“There’s no question that will help and be a Graph Expo stimulus,” Lamparter notes. “But you still need to have the wherewithal to buy the stuff. The credit crunch will make lenders exceedingly cautious.”
With Graph Expo being the prime exhibition to see new ink-jet technology in North America and some buzz holdover from Drupa, Dennis Mason, president of Mason Consulting, is optimistic of a strong showing at the turnstiles.
“I’m expecting a very good Graph Expo in terms of attendance. Even though people get information from the Internet, nothing beats touching the equipment and hearing it run.”
Graph Expo is built to serve the ever-widening base of the printer definition: package and specialty printers, book manufacturers, quick printers, in-plant operations, mailing and fulfillment providers, enterprise printers, wide-format shops. . .even creative professionals are being targeted at the show. With 600 exhibitors occupying 450,000 square feet of space, and 70 seminars covering nine educational categories, the Graphic Arts Show Co. seems to have all the bases covered.
Among this year’s highlights:
| JDF Works Print Shop Live! CIP4 will construct a live printing operation that will allow attendees to start their own print job and follow it through production—online job customization, order management, scheduling, prepress, imposition, printing and finishing—to the final product.
