IN EARLY FEBRUARY the international media gathered in London to hear what some of the leading suppliers will unveil in May at Ipex, the largest printing trade show on the planet this year. 
 

Graphic Monthly was the only Canadian publication at the press briefing, and for me these events are also an opportunity to catch up with various editors I’ve come to know from different parts of the world and gauge what other markets are like.
 

As always at events like these, there are several stories that bear telling, all of them signposts to print’s evolution. The first is the official news from the exhibitors who told us about the gear they’d be bringing to the show and the themes they would wrap their booths with. We cover this off in greater detail in the Ipex preview on pg. 6. But, in a word, the key will be inkjet—after Ipex we’ll have commercialized products in most print segments, from proofing, to short-run sheetfed commercial work, to signs, posters, labels, packaging, and high-volume, transactional, direct mail and book web printing.
 

The second story is how the show itself mirrors the industry—trends we all know about, but that may be unfolding faster than we had imagined. First off, Ipex itself is 15% smaller in actual floor space from its previous incarnation in 2006. A sign of the times, to be sure, but given the recent economic seizure, that’s probably not a bad outing.
 

According to organizers, 38% of the floor will be devoted to pre-media and digital offerings, compared to 26% in 2006. Traditional press offerings will amount to 26% of the show floor, down from 41% four years ago. Interestingly the post-press offerings have actually increased to command 36% of the floor space from 33%, proving that no print job is done, until it’s “finished.”

A look at the largest booths shows who’s jockeying to become major players. Ricoh, for example, is new to the show and arrives with a hefty booth. Konica Minolta has increased its space by almost 400%, Canon by 91%, Océ by 110% and Fujifilm by 65%.  And let’s not forget China, whose manufacturers are planning on a major presence with a 107% increase in the floor space. 
 

The third story is what happens during coffee breaks and, yes, in the bar. And it was largely a muted story to be told. Editors, publishers and analysts from most places spoke of struggling markets and gasping publications and media. 

But then there were editors from the Middle East, India, China, who happily reported growing activity. I discovered that the printing industry in Iran is booming—I brought home a magazine from there that’s the size of Vogue—as it is in Saudi Arabia and parts of Africa.