GRAPH EXPO® “Books & Bound Documents Day” Showcases Expanding Digital Print Market Opportunities

RESTON, VA—08/01/07—Providing graphic communications professionals with new opportunities for diversification that play into key market trends, GRAPH EXPO, the largest annual digital and offset printing show in the Americas, will feature a special “Books & Bound Documents Day” on Sunday, September 9, as part of the event being held in Chicago’s McCormick Place South, September 9-12, 2007.

Aimed at nearly all types of print providers, “Books & Bound Documents Day” will showcase applications that demonstrate how digitally printed books and bound documents - from manuals and directories to training materials and consumer titles - can deliver lucrative new opportunities for today’s printers. Throughout the event, these demonstrations will be supplemented by a series of interactive and hands-on educational seminars and market research presentations to provide attendees with strategic market information and tactical insights.

The trend toward printing short-run books and bound documents is becoming well established. Bowker, the official U.S. agency for issuing International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs), reported in 2006 that over half of all commercially sold book titles produced between 2005 and 2006 were printed in quantities under 5,000 units, and 30% of all titles printed were produced in quantities of less than 100 units-volumes particularly suited to digital printing. According to research firm InfoTrends, print jobs arranged through the Internet made up more than 12 percent of the total U.S. printing market in 2005, and e-printing was projected to increase at a rate that will more than double by the year 2010. Meanwhile, data from digital research pioneer Interquest suggests that the books on demand market is expected to grow nearly 50%, from about 20 billion pages in 2006 to some 38 billion pages by 2009.

“Information technology has become a driving force in the world of printing and publishing. As the adoption of digital and on-demand print technology becomes even more widespread, a significant opportunity exists for specialty printers and commercial printers to expand their range of services,” said Ralph Nappi, President of the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC®).