Business Management - Industry Trends

On Sunday, I spent my day touring the exhibit hall of McCormick Place. It had been a couple of years since I did this, so I really took a fresh look at the landscape. What I saw really blew my mind.

Epson's Stylus Pro inkjet printer has been selected by the panel of 32 Must See 'Ems judges to receive the 2013 Legacy Award. The honor was announced at the end of the Executive Outlook Conference on the eve of PRINT 13 which runs September 8 through 12 in Chicago's McCormick Place together with co-located CPP EXPO.

At PRINT 13, Fujifilm North America Graphic Systems Division will debut the J Press 540W inkjet press that is fully variable content capable and ideal for the short-run production of leaflets, magazines, textbooks, manuals, and newspapers.

Mitsubishi Imaging (MPM) will be showcasing new grades and products of its instant dry, high-quality inkjet media for production printing applications at PRINT 13 in Chicago.

Konica Minolta and Komori Corp. will be showcasing the KM-1/IS29 inkjet press at PRINT 13. The KM-1/IS29 combines Konica Minolta’s UV inkjet technology with Komori’s expertise in precision manufacturing to provide high-speed output, sharp color quality, and reliable digital throughput.

Xerox’s full portfolio of both aqueous and waterless inkjet technologies will be on display at PRINT 13. With the acquisition of Impika, a Xerox Co., Xerox has strengthened its leadership in digital color production printing with scalable and flexible solutions.

New commercial print, wide-format and packaging solutions featuring the latest innovations in inkjet and workflow technologies, will be on display at the Fujifilm North America, Graphic Systems Division booth at PRINT 13.

Acording to the International Data Corp. (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Large Format Printer Tracker, the technical segment of the large-format market is a driver of growth opportunity. This segment grew 2.4 percent year over year to more than 43,700 units shipped in 2Q13.

RISO's ComColor X1 series of high-speed, full-color inkjet printers will be making their North American debut at PRINT 13 in Chicago next month. The series is supported by a cadre of optional production accessories that make for a number of configurations that are ideal for any printing operation.

Each week we’re swept around by factors well beyond our control. While there are certain steps we can take to hedge our bets or mitigate our risks, we remain an industry susceptible to many threats from all sides.