PRINT TRADE SHOW FEST IN USA THIS WEEK

Bad planning, unfortunate circumstances, or the competitive spirit that drives the nation, mean that three big US print industry shows are taking place in exactly the same week, this week.

SuperCorr for the corrugated industry is running in Orlando, Printing United for sign, display and commercial print is on in Las Vegas, while Labelexpo Americas is taking place at its traditional home, and in its traditional time slot in Chicago.

While few ANZ printers attend any of the three shows, preferring the European versions, North American printers are spoilt for choice, or maybe ruing industry bodies that seem unable or unwilling to communicate with each other.

SuperCorr is perhaps the most interesting of the three events, the five-day expo dedicated to the rapidly growing world of printing on corrugated. Once the domain of single-colour flexo, or pre-printed sheets laminated onto the board, rapidly multiplying numbers of digital single pass full-colour print systems are now offering new opportunities for brands, and print packaging operations.

Labelexpo has some 400 exhibitors, with an educational programme that unpacks RFID technology, flexible packaging and automation. In fact there is exhibition within an exhibition’ called FlexPack@Labelexpo, which will focus on materials, lamination technology and pouch manufacturing machinery, and which highlights the blurring of boundaries between labels and packaging technologies.

Printing United comes less than three months after drupa, the once-every-four-years global trade event, meaning there will be little if any new print equipment to be found that was not in the Messe Centre. The show is a marriage of the former Print expo, and the Sign & Graphics show and runs every year.