Visitors aplenty on the first day of PacPrint 05

A strong showing of suppliers at this year’s PacPrint has provided a boost to the prospects that the industry has put its worst times behind it. Following some very tough years, the four-yearly show has come around at the right time in the calendar, with suppliers going into it with bulging order books.
Despite severe pressure on margins and the usual pre-show order drought, the general tone of the exhibition is one of optimism.

Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, (pictured right with David Currie at the Currie stand) officially opened the show on Tuesday night, following a tour of the hall. His attendance was welcomed as a sign that the government recognises the importance of the industry. As a former CEO of Print Training in Victoria he was in a position to appreciate the changes that have reshaped the industry in recent years.

According to Andy vels Jensen, managing director of Heidelberg, PacPrint is continuing to play a vital role in attracting attention to the industry, from investors, the government and the pubic at large. “If we cannot put on a good show once every four years then we cannot expect to others to recognise us or to invest in our industry,” he said.

Heidelberg and the Currie Group are the largest exhibitors of presses at the show, their stands attracting the lion’s share of attention with regular demonstrations. Elsewhere the large format and signage industry suppliers are everywhere, providing clear evidence of the shift in technology since the last show.

Digital presses and processes continue to shape the direction of the industry, with Fuji Xerox giving the lead with the announcement of three sales of its flagship iGen3 press, while Océ agressivelt staked its claim to be a leading contender in digial colour with the release of its CPS 700 .

Soft proofing is very much the buzz of the moment with CyraChrome, KPG and DES all launching high-end products into the space. At the same time the number of proofing engines from Epson, Canon, HP and Agfa continue to increase. Soft proofing may eventually supplant hard copy proofs, but not yet, and not for some time to come.


The show will have a late night tonight (Thursday) and will close on Saturday.