One Write Visits the Windy City

Every fall there is a sense of anticipation that comes with the opening of Graph Expo, the Printing Industry’s annual exhibition held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.

The purpose of the event is to allow all those who participate in Graphic Arts to see and hear about developments and innovations that will shape their future.

This year, One Write sent a crack team, comprised of Dick and Joe McCafferty, Joe Schorr and Norm Boyd, to observe and gather information. After a preliminary reconnaissance mission to Wrigleyville, the group settled in to some serious examination of the equipment on display.

Although there were only a few Lithographic Offset presses set up and running, the number and variety of Digital presses was impressive. Wide format inkjet presses were the order of the day, and many varieties were demonstrated throughout the exhibit hall. (These also had the benefit of providing souvenir posters for family and friends back home!)

One of the high points of the show was a “Lunch and Learn” session sponsored by Konica Minolta. One of the principle takeaways was that times have changed for our Industry. Those of us who formerly described ourselves as “Print Services Providers” (or PSP’s) are now encouraged to become “Marketing Services Providers” (or MSP’s.) It remains to be seen if that transition will be so simple as the two areas seem vastly different.

A sad note from the trip was that of the miserable performance turned in by the One Writers at Giordano’s Pizzeria. The four were soundly defeated by two medium-size pizzas, only one of which was true Chicago deep-dish style.

Nevertheless, the team brought back exciting reports of new developments in continuous-feed inkjet presses and bindery equipment. There will be continuing conversations about how One Write can best utilize the new ideas in the coming months.