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PRODUCTION PRINT
The Print Show is a new annual
exhibition designed to provide print
companies with the tools they need
to remain competitive. Addressing
the needs of the whole industry,
from high street print shops to large
conglomerates, the event played
host to a diverse range of suppliers
and manufacturers, all bent on
highlighting the growth areas of
their respective sectors.
Event Director Chris Davies said: “The
reason behind the show is quite simple; the
UK print industry does not have a dedicated
exhibition and, to be honest, a market as
big as ours both needs and deserves one.
Having attended print events in the UK for
many years, I can honestly say The Print
Show is something completely different.”
Sales success
Event organisers Link Exhibitions reported
5,500 visitors over the three days, with
Wednesday (the second day) the busiest
with 2,800 attendees.
Exhibitors recorded a flurry of equipment
sales and a number of big deals over
the three days, with Watkiss Automation
making its first sale within just two hours of
doors opening.
EFI announced that White Star Printing
Company had invested in a large suite of
software platforms in order to improve its
efficiency and maximise profit margins,
whilst Ricoh signed a deal worth £1m with
PHD Mail Ltd, an industry leader in cost-
effective, multi-channel document delivery.
Explaining why he chose a Ricoh
InfoPrint 5000 Production CMYK Inkjet
platform, Kevin Dunn, PHD Business
Development Director, said: “There comes a
point when high volume colour production
becomes unviable on cut-sheet devices.
Given our ever increasing volumes and tight
SLAs, we needed a high quality, reliable
solution to drive our business to the next
level of capability. The Ricoh IP5000 meets
these requirements and gives us the ability
to produce 40m colour A4 images per
month.”
Many of the exhibitors said that they
had generated a lot more leads than they
expected. Finishing specialist Punchbind, for
example, came along to promote its brand
of Cyklos machines and ended up with
a load of leads and a handful of orders.
Speaking at the show, Sales and Marketing
Director Jonathan Naylor said: “We’ve been
able to generate plenty of leads at the show
and it puts us in a really good position
moving forward in terms of bringing in new
customers.”
Lewis Price, Sales Director of Ashgate
Automation, was also happy with visitor
levels. He said: “We have had more
customers than we thought and have had a
Organisers are celebrating the success of the inaugural The Print Show, held at
the NEC Birmingham on October 13-15.
Print Show closes
with 2016 sign-ups
really positive show. I think next year will be
even bigger.”
Konica Minolta Marketing Director David
Cotterill said that there had been a great
buzz on the stand and that a lot of visitors
had come through. “We are very happy
with the attendance and the great news is
that a lot of the visitors are here to buy,”
he said.
Signed up for 2016
By the end of the last day, the show’s
organisers were celebrating a handful of
companies who’d already signed up for
next year.
Konica Minolta agreed a deal for a 204
square metre stand at the 2016 event,
signing on the dotted line on the second
day; Grafityp signed up after selling several
items at this year’s event; and Perfect
Bindery Solutions, Signmaster Systems,
RISO and So Recycle also confirmed their
presence at next year’s event.
Personalised printing
Personalisation was a key theme. RISO
showcased its wrapping envelope
finisher, an optional accessory for the
ComColor series that produces individually
personalised mail, ideal for marketing. Each
letter is wrapped whilst enclosed in the
machine, ensuring optimum security.
The OKI stand featured the OKI A4 TMT/
OKI C711WT colour laser printer, which was
used to create individual prints for products
such as boots, ties, umbrellas, mugs, bags,
and t-shirts, alongside the company’s wide
format offering, including the ColorPainter
We’ve been
able to
generate
plenty of
leads at the
show and it
puts us in a
really good
position
moving
forward.
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