At the Ipex ‘World Print Summit’ theatre, pundits Frank Romano, Benny Landa
and EFI’s Guy Gecht mused over the unceasing question whether print was doomed or on the verge of a new renaissance. Whereas this discussion was more of a publicity gig for Landa’s nanographic presses driven by EFI Fiery servers, the main conclusion was that print was not going to die because most commercial and packaging applications cannot be replaced by other media – unlike publishing which was bound to shift from print to digital.
According to Gecht, “Print using digital technology such as for direct mail, is on the rise. No other media gets attention in the same way, and digital lets our industry add value. We have to realize that in five to ten years from now, there may be less print, but what is left will be higher in value.”
Meanwhile, on the exhibition floor, others were debating whether it was not just Ipex which was doomed. The show’s decline over the past two decades has been consistent and dramatic: of the once 1500 exhibitors, 450 were ‘expected’ this time and a mere 320 turned up – including two dozen trade associations and trade publishers. The number of both overseas and UK visitors has come down to hardly a quarter of those 16 years ago. Ipex 2014 filled just 36% of the ExCel’s exhibition space, leaving 13 of the 22 hall segments empty, fencing off two parts of the remaining space, and leaving 20 stands empty.
Anyone facing the facts would have expected a change of strategy.
North Print & Pack is a bi-annual fair for the UK printing industry. It is a compact but well attended show held over three days near Leeds in the heart of the country. It is owned by the Informa Group which also acquired Ipex eight years ago. Acknowledging the changes in the exhibition industry and the fact that Ipex’s main customer base consists of UK printers, would make it logical to merge the two into a single UK focused exhibition. Many printers and suppliers I talked to are thinking exactly that. However, the Ipex organizers continue to see themselves as an international show (“the world’s biggest English-speaking event for print, publishing and media”), positioned among the likes of drupa, IGAS and China Print. An uphill battle that could end up further down the hill than anyone would wish them.
It was not a lack of effort by the show organizers which kept exhibitors and visitors away. They have gone to great lengths to save what could be saved after some of the biggest names in offset and digital printing had announced their retreat from the show. They managed to get two of these back to the show: Komori and Xerox. And although Heidelberg, KBA, manroland and Mitsubishi did not participate, Goss and, with several running presses and HansGrohne kept some heavy metal going. HP, Kodak and some of the Japanese players in digital printing were not there, but Konica Minolta, with 12 systems running at its 2,000 square metre stand, made up for these as the show’s largest and most acclaimed exhibitor. Fujifilm had the second largest stand. And although all exhibitors clearly spent less money on exhibition space and PR materials than in previous years, a large gamut of equipment, materials and software made the show interesting enough for those trying to update their industry knowledge.
Fujifilm’s tie-up with Ryobi resulting in the Jet Press 720, a B2+ inkjet press with an offset-like sheet feeding and guiding system, inspired Konica Minolta to join forces with Komori for the development of the KM1, a similar press in the same size and slightly faster. Both presses were running at Ipex and achieved multiple orders during the show. Fujifilm also showcased its webfed Jet Press 540W, a high performance inkjet press running at up to 130 metres a minute, together with a host of third-party inline postpress modules. Konica Minolta, although emphasizing the KM1, showcased a series of color and mono devices geared at the web-to- print market. These included its latest
high volume C1100 bizhub press and the C1060, 1070 and 2250 series. It also launched its first label press, the bizhub C70RLC. In addition, the company announced it had taken a 10% stake in MGI, which produces postpress systems for digital presses. MGI had a large stand of its own at Ipex, where it introduced three new developments: the DF Pro inline finishing unit, the Jetvarnish 3DS spot coater for special digital coating applications, and its own digital press the Meteor DP8700XL+.
Xeikon focused its presentations on its folding carton suite based on the Xeikon 3500 and the Thermoflex CtP, and announced the first install of its Trillium press targeted at the direct mail and transactional market. Xerox used UK reseller Xeretec’s stand to show an iGen 150, which was sold on the first day of the show. Screen also sold the press it had on its stand, a Truepress Jet L350UV label press. IGS, a new player based in Croatia, presented a new low-cost UV inkjet printer, the Azon QUV in different sizes and capable of printing on flat as well as 3D objects.
Goss sold an M600 hybrid press with integrated inkjet capabilities during the show. TPH sold a 4 x 4 tower configuration of its Orient line. Presstek introduced three new types of plates, while insisting it is still around after a difficult consolidation period which limits its DI activities to reconditioning existing DI presses.
Lumejet with its Lumejet S200 press presented its unique photonic printing technology based on silver halide LEDs introduced a year ago.
Apart from MGI, postpress and inline unit manufacturers at the show included Advanced Dynamics, CP Bourg, Duplo, Horizon, Shanghai Pripack, Uchida and others.
Auxiliary equipment and systems were shown by Atlas, Hangzhou, Just Normlight, Techkon, Technotrans and several Chinese companies. Esko and Zünd both showcased their wide format flatbed cutting systems. Two sectors also well represented at the show were the software and twenty- some used-equipment suppliers. On the software side, Alwan, Apex, Bodoni, Chili, Esko, Hybrid and the MIS developers (Accura, EFI, Imprint, Optimus, Shuttleworth, Tharstern) dominated the scene.
The 55 in total exhibitors from Asia-Pacific, included 34 from China, eight from India, five from Japan, three from South Korea, two from Taiwan, two from the Philippines and one from Australia. TPH, Ronald and Grafitek represented the Indian web offset press manufacturers. Print-O- Graph came to the show with spare parts for offset presses. Cosmo showcased its range of substrates and laminating films, while Sigma and Zenith offered several roller types – new and refurbished. A handful of Indian dealers attended Ipex without their own stand.
Over the six-day show, an estimated 300 visitors from India attended, less than last time and less than expected with the London Book Fair just around the corner. What was that song again? “I know it doesn’t end, it just gets better yet.”
The next Ipex has been planned for 19 to 24 March 2018.
