IPEX 2006 — EYEING THE LATEST PRODUCTS
BY THIS time, the shipping crates are certainly well on their way to Birmingham (UK), if not already on the grounds of the National Exhibition Centre, laden with the latest and greatest that exhibitors at IPEX 2006 have to offer. Earlier this year, nearly a dozen companies gave the industry media a preview of their show plans at an event organized by the British public relations firm AD Communications.
The primary intent was to give those already committed to attending the international exposition a head start in developing a must-see list. But, it’s not too late for others to book a last-minute trip if the following details spark interest. (For information on attending IPEX 2006, visit www.ipex.org.)
Xerox is putting together a “customers stand” for IPEX that will highlight how shops are integrating digital printing capabilities and developing successful applications. Real-world applications, including several of its PIXI award winners, will be featured in each of four market segments—books, personalized for profit, print-on-demand and unified digital and offset workflows.
One of the headliners will be Greetz, an online consumer service for creating and mailing personalized greeting cards. Venspro, a Dutch company, has teamed up with Hallmark Cards on the content and marketing side and is lining up fulfillment partners to handle production on a regional basis, including a New York City facility. It is also looking to work with post offices to have cards automatically mailed for next-day delivery.
As for the technology component of its stand, Xerox will be displaying more than 70 pieces of equipment across the four market segments. Print engines will range from wide-format devices to Nuvera black-and-white productions systems and color solutions up to the flagship iGen3 digital production press. The company reports having installed more than 800 of those systems worldwide, with average volumes approaching 500,000 pages per month.
