September Was A Busy Time For Trade Shows, TLMI, PRINT 13/CPP Expo

September was a busy month for trade shows and conferences. The TLMI Technical Conference kicked it off, followed in quick succession by PRINT 13/CPP Expo, Pack Expo, and Labelexpo Europe. There was something for everybody and maybe too much for a lot of people, but the good news is that a lot of people were attending these events and contributing a high level of energy.

The numbers from the shows are just coming in and show significant attendance increases across the board and some record-breaking performances. TLMI exceeded expectations with more than 350 attendees at the biannual event; PRINT 13/CPP Expo was up 22 percent versus 2012; Pack Expo reported its largest Las Vegas show ever with a 7.4 percent increase in attendance; and Labelexpo Europe had record-breaking attendance, up 11 percent from its last show in 2011.

The TLMI Technical Conference included several very relevant and timely sessions during its two-day run. These included: Sustainable Label Solutions, Thin Materials, Ink Trending (covering low-migration inks and LED curing), Flexo versus Digital Label Printing, and Regulatory Standards.

My favorite was the flexo versus digital session, which included candid presentations and discussions from Sean Cummins of Topp Digital Label Solutions, Scott Pillsbury of Rose City Label, and Kevin Florence of General Paper Goods Co. and Genflex Labeling Solutions. There were many interesting points made throughout the session, but it was clear that digital printing is on the move and will continue to increase its share of the label printing business. What was also clear, however, is that state-of-the-art flexo technology combined with digital printing capabilities can offer printers flexible alternatives to profitably meet customer demands.

As a side note, augmented reality (AR) is again on the pages of packagePRINTING this month, using a new app from Layar. The instructions for this app are at the bottom of p. 4 and it is available for iOS and Android smartphones. Once you have downloaded the Layar app, go to any of the four pages in this issue (p. 6 for my Editor's Notes; p. 14 for the TLMI Converter of the Year; p. 38 for the PRINT 13/CPP wrap up; or Heidelberg's advertisement of the back cover) to get an enhanced, interactive experience.

This technology is evolving rapidly and has so much potential to provide a wealth of valuable (and fun) information at your finger tips. Please try it out and let us know what you think.

Tom Polischuk, Editor-in-Chief

We welcome your comments regarding any part of packagePRINTING.

They can be addressed to Editor, packagePRINTING, 1500 Spring Garden St., 12th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19130, or tpolischuk@napco.com.