The Print Show 2017 confirmed as a sell-out event after global brands announce attendance   

The Print Show 2017 has been confirmed as a sell-out event, after the final few stands on the floorplan for this year were snapped up by companies keen to be part of the UK’s leading print industry event.

This year’s exhibition, which runs from October 11th to 13th at the International Centre in Telford, will be the largest-ever edition of The Print Show. The show floor will feature a record number of companies exhibiting across the largest area of floorspace we have ever had.

In addition, there will be an immense array of in-depth talks, seminars, workshops, and business advices sessions running every day in the Business Seminar Theatre, Training Theatre, and Canon Seminar Theatre.

Two other major education and cultural attractions are the now famous Printers Bazaar and Traditional Print Masterclasses, which across them will have 12 separate ongoing live demonstrations of working equipment, as well as providing free training and the ability for visitors to get hands on themselves.

And do not forget the new addition, The Grafityp T-shirt Printing Demo’s, which will be giving free business advice and training on how to get into this highly profitable sector.

Just a snapshot of the leading brands among 130+ exhibitors that will appear at The Print Show include HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Epson, Mimaki (Hybrid Services), EFI, InkTec Europe, Manroland Sheetfed, OKI, KBA, Xeikon, Intec Printing Solutions, RISO, Duplo, Morgana Systems, Renz, Vivid Laminating Technologies and Grafityp.

Reflecting on the months of hard work to ensure a first-class floorplan for the show this year, event director Chris Davies comments: “I’m immensely proud of our team for putting together such a fantastic show this year. The secret to any successful event, no matter what the industry, is to build on previous editions to make it better year-on-year, and that is exactly what we have done.

“Nowhere else in the UK are you able to see such a wide range of companies at the same venue on the same day. The Print Show is the only event where you can cross over from commercial print machines, to wide-format print technology, on to finishing solutions, and even 3D print innovation, all in one day.

“And of course, for those visitors who are little more adventurous and keen to see how the ‘other half’ lives, then SignLink Live next door will offer an excellent insight into the world of sign-making and its links with the print market.”

Returning now to the Printers’ Bazaar, which organisers confirmed would be at The Print Show for a second consecutive year after its immensely successful debut in 2016. This feature will once again house six areas, each of which focused on a certain sector of the industry that has been highlighted for its growth opportunities.

Visitors can drop in on the ‘Special FX Station’ for information on adding value to print, or the ‘Packaging Pavilion’, to learn more about the opportunities in this expanding sector. Also set to feature is the ‘Textile Trading Post’ for all visitors’ textile print and soft signage needs, as well as the ‘3D Print Express’, which is set to be one of the most innovative areas of the show. In addition, ‘The Branding Box’ will showcase promotional and personalised print, with the ‘The Label Loft’ looking at the profitable diversification areas in this sector.

Expanding on the Business Seminar Theatre, it will again play host to a wide range of speakers, each of which will be offering advice and help on a number of industry issues. Whether it is sales training to increase your raw revenue income, gaining insight into how to craft your social media marketing strategy, or understanding the commercial value of environmental certification systems, there will be a talk or workshop to suit you.

If you are keen to polish up on your ‘soft’ skills and picks up some helpful hints on the way, then the Training Theatre is for you. With input from leading developer Adobe, as well as a number of key MIS, RIP, CRM and e-commerce platforms, this zone gives visitors the chance to learn how to improve the profitability and efficiency of their business.

Meanwhile, at The Traditional Print Masterclasses, one of the most popular features since the show’s debut back in 2015, those in attendance will have the opportunity to cast their mind back in time and see some of the technology that helped shape the modern print market.

Build it and they will come, and return

Meanwhile, a number of visitors that attended The Print Show in 2015 and 2016 have spoken of their admiration for the event, and their plans to return to the show this year.

Brian O’Donoghue, owner of Mojo Imagery, says he will “definitely” be visiting The Print Show this year, noting that the new venue will have a positive impact on the event.

O’Donoghue said: “We did enjoy The Print Show last year; it was good to speak with manufacturers and suppliers, especially some of those involved in the wide-format print side of things. It was a really good show.

“We'll definitely be coming to the show in Telford this year, more so because of the new location. The International Centre is a really good venue; it's easy to get to and is a really nice place.

“I'm looking forward to speaking to some of the Epson guys and some of the other big manufacturers that will be at Telford.”

Also attending his year will be Parmjit Ragi, director of Interdezine, who cites a heavy presence of major players in the digital print market as a key highlight for him and his business.

Ragi said: “We really enjoyed visiting The Print Show last year. We are a small business that mainly deals in digital printing so, for me, to have a look at all the digital printing kit, it is a good experience. All we do is digital print, no litho at all, so it's a valuable event for us to see what is out there and what we might be able to adopt in the near future.

“We’re very much looking forward to speaking with Xerox and Xeretec at The Print Show this year, to see their machines in action and learn a bit more about what they can do. It will give us a real insight into how these machines function and what they can do for us as a digital print business.”

Setting the scene for success in Telford

Meanwhile, a number of exhibitors have announced details of their plans for the show, revealing the technology and services they will be promoting at the event this year. Many of these will also be unveiling technology commercially for the very first time such as Hybrid Services (Mimaki), RISO, Konica Minolta, Canon, Morgana, and HP to name a few.

To take Hybrid Services as an example, it will display newly launched Mimaki LED UV, solvent, and textile printers.

Hybrid Services says that its stand will core products from the Mimaki collection of wide-format inkjet printers and cutting plotters, and is inviting visitors to get up close and personal with this technology at the October event.

John de la Roche, national sales manager at Hybrid Services, comments: “Hybrid has been a supporter of the Print Show since its launch in 2015 and working with our reseller partners have presented Mimaki’s solutions to what has turned out to be a very engaged and knowledgeable audience.

“For 2017, we’re keen to show how Mimaki’s product range continues to expand, so increasing our presence gives us a great opportunity, alongside our resellers, to meet with more visitors and present the very latest kit.”

KAS Paper Systems will demonstrate how printing companies can diversify into direct mail or add value to their print offering with a fulfilment service with the help of its Mailmaster Compact solution. The envelope inserter will feature on the company’s stand throughout the event.

Steve Jarvis, UK sales director at KAS Paper Systems, comments: “Designed to offer flexibility and simplicity, ease of operation and changeover, it is ideally suited to anyone used to running printing presses or print finishing equipment.

“With its compact footprint, the Mailmaster Compact is a cost effective 5000 DL to C4 per hour production machine.”

Elsewhere, Ashgrove Trading will demonstrate how to produce your own bespoke kiss-cut labels and die-cut shapes from SRA3 sheets, using the new I-mark suction fed cutter and specialist materials from Ashgrove such as Mastertac polyester outdoor labels and Picofilm outdoor permanent film card.

Visitors can also drop in on Ashgrove to find out how to print white and produce colours onto specialist metallic boards, envelopes and transfer media using the OKI Pro9542 production digital printer.

In addition, visitors can learn more about printing onto super-versatile polyester textiles using any kind of wide-format inkjet printer, as well as how to add foil effects to digitally printed sheets using desktop foiling technology with metallic Tonafoil.

Rolf Smith, senior partner at Ashgrove, comments: “Situated in the Telford International Centre this year, The Print Show is an ideal platform for Ashgrove to showcase our ever-expanding range to digital printers and printrooms throughout the UK.  

In addition, Ashgate Automation has revealed that visitors to The Print Show will be among the first members of the industry to see its new KASfold bookletmaker. The machine is able to produce short run digitally or litho printed A4 landscape booklets, as well as 12”sq, A5 and A6 booklets—which can then be trimmed online.

Also due to feature on the Ashgate stand is the range of Fastbind binding kit, including the PUREVA XT perfect binder. In addition, Ashgate will show how bespoke and paper over board hard covers can be produced on the Fastbind Casematic range of case makers, while visitors can see the Fastbind Fotomount lay-flat binder and its edge-to-edge binding capabilities.

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