Adhesive Binders — Short and Sweet

BY ERIK CAGLE

If it is September, this must be Chicago. Change is in the air, and where else but the Windy City is more apropos for taking a reading of this change?

It is a special year for the graphic arts industry, as it seems to be in transition. Layoffs have rocked many of the big printers as a swooning economy has touched all. Manufacturers are crossing their fingers in the hope that PRINT 01 is successful; some have gone as far to call this a "make-or-break" show in light of some poorly attended trade shows this year. Manufacturers, suppliers, printers, trade finishers, publishers—each propping up one another, hoping there is sustainable strength all along the partnership chain. More than ever, equipment manufacturers are listening to printers, gauging their needs and, ultimately, the needs of print buyers.