Agnostic IPEX 2010 trends towards digital

Lithography suffers the largest downturn in space and participation as digital and premedia companies dominate this year’s big UK graphics exhibition. Print21 publisher, Patrick Howard, reports from Docklands London.

This underlying shift in industry fortunes and technology came into stark relief at the three-day international media summit in London that opened on Monday. In front of over 80 industry journalists, Trevor Crawford, IPEX event director, revealed that digital companies have expanded their uptake to 38% (up from 25%) of the exhibition space for the show in Birmingham, while offset press manufacturers, traditionally the industry’s backbone dropped their presence to 26% of exhibition space. At the last IPEX in 2006, offset press manufacturers accounted for 41%.

HP is the largest exhibitor at a show that will see a 15% reduction in overall floor space, even as the number of Chinese equipment manufacturers is set to double, at least. Currently 60 Chinese exhibitors are confirmed, although Crawford expects more by the time the doors open at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in May.

If the media presentation by the first two exhibitors, Ricoh and RedTie, a web-to-print software company, are anything to go by, this year’s show may well prove to be the ‘agnostic’ IPEX. As technology continues to converge, no one believes there is a single way of doing business in the rapidly transforming landscape of printing; no single way of going to market for either producers or suppliers; no single way of printing or organising the enterprise.

First-time IPEX exhibitor, Ricoh, has a delta offering for the production printing industry, classified by Peter Williams, VP, as being ‘agnostic’ in having no set preference for in-plant or commercial printing. He pronounced himself pleased with Ricoh’s position of capturing 26% of the market in B&W and 18% in colour production in the two years since the company committed to a role in the sector.

Ricoh will launch two new ‘lite’ production print model at IPEX – ProC720 and Pro 72S with rated speed of 72ppm, as well as using the Creo C-80 colour server for the flagship Pro C900.

Whatever it takes
RedTie is a UK-based software company with an innovative web-to-print product already has a number of customers in Australia including PrintPortal. http://www.printportal.com.au It announced it was ‘agnostic’ with regard to the different production solutions in use by its customers.

The system will accept whatever format customers are using – PDF or original graphic files – for use in the easy to use ordering system. It operates a SaaS model (software as a service) whereby printers get customised branded websites, hosted on internet servers with continuing updates.

It currently has over 100 printing companies around the world on its books.

Xerox expands the faith
When Xerox announces it will reveal its inkjet strategy for continuous feed production printing at IPEX, you know there is a fundamental shift underway. The inventor and pioneer of toner-based printing recognises there is no true faith that will protect it from market changes.

The company is forging ahead with its digital technology, showing enhancements to the high-speed 650/1300 toner B&W systems. It currently claims second place in the market but seems supremely confident of taking over the leadership from Océ.

At the Media Summit Xerox wheeled in printers to demonstrate different applications from one of the USA’s most successful transpromo printers, Cathedral Corporation to an Irish firm, Mediaware Digital, which is printing Microsoft’s packaging on an iGen4 line.

Local Fuji Xerox Premium Partners will be looking forward to the inaugural worldwide global forum to be held at IPEX.