PRINT 13: Mood: A Breath of Fresh Air

"To me, there was a palpable difference (in the industry) during Dscoop and PRINT 13," Hudson observes. "There was an energy (in Chicago) like, wow, these people must be making some money. That point of view may have been filtered through my optimistic outlook."

If Hudson is guilty of viewing the show in terms of his own good fortunes, well, he's not alone. While pundits have pointed out in recent years that PRINT/Graph Expo is not a buying show, but an educational event and a networking opportunity, there's an argument to be made that the latest edition of PRINT had a distinct transactional flavor to it. Judging by anecdotal testimony, this was the largest buying show since before the Great Recession.