Business News

Image&Print Congress: business solutions for imaging and print converge in Fira de Barcelona

Wednesday 20. March 2013 - graphispag.digital and Sonimagfoto&Multimedia are bringing together 30 experts from 8 countries

The Fira de Barcelona shows graphispag.digital and Sonimagfoto&Multimedia, which are being held simultaneously from April 17th to 20th, are promoting the International Image&Print World Congress with the aim of inspiring ideas and emerging businesses in the field of graphic and visual communication. Around thirty experts from various countries will identify the areas in which printing and imaging have great growth potential.
The Image&Print World Congress will be opened by Nick Waite, Head of Market Research at the English consultancy firm Smithers Pira, who will present the main trends of digital print, with special emphasis on Europe, and will explain the market niches where this system offers new opportunities. “The current market situation is making the need for change all the more urgent, because the nature of print demand has changed in a number of sectors. Companies will need to invest if they are to prosper in the future. Any printer taking no action and simply awaiting an upturn in the economy is in for a shock as any lost volumes are likely to be lost forever”, said Waite.
Sharing the same session will be David Preskett, European Professional Print Director at Canon, who says: “Digital printing is on the rise with enormous potential to produce a wide range of cost-effective products, enabling the printer to become a supplier of global marketing solutions”.
The Image&Print World Congress proposes locating these new products and services that arise from digital printing in alliance with image capture, treatment and printing, new materials, on-line shopping and other technologies. Speakers will combine success stories and technical contents with their application in business in order to increase competitiveness and improve the results of graphic communication companies, affected by the technological change, the economic crisis and the obligation to meet the needs of new users.
Seven sessions with simultaneous translation will be held: Overview Global Printing Industry; Full Colour Management Process; Printing on Multiple Substrates; Social Networks: New Business Opportunities; Digital Publishing; How to innovate: Interactive Imaging and Printing, Web-to-Print; and Shoot and Create.
The list of speakers includes Claudio Marconato, expert in digital imaging; Hugo Rodríguez, Professor of photography techniques; Chris Bondy, from the School of Media Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology; Raúl Suárez, CEO of Zinio International; Tony Hodgson, Director of Print On Demand Initiative (PODi) in Europe; Javier Rigal, CEO of Service Point; Siegfried Blume, interior designer; Jennifer Mat, President of Web2Print Experts,; Michael Jostmeier, Professor of Media Design /CGI Imaging Georg Simon Ohm University, Nuremberg; Javier Rodríguez Borlado, Technical Director of ITG Tajamar; Klaasjan Tukker, Solutions Account Manager for Digital Publishing Suite in Adobe’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) Region; and Arjan Bonte, Channel Manager, Woodwing Software.
Everything to do with printing on multiple substrates will be especially relevant in a session that will present the experience of companies that use digital printing technology to personalise all types of products: from sportswear to tiles and textiles to images for decoration and interior design. Experts will also talk about new applications in functional printing (OLEDs, solar cells, antennas, batteries, printed electronic circuits, RFID, smart packaging, etc.)
Another session will be dedicated to new business opportunities that social networks offer the world of graphic and visual communication. Experts will analyse the change in graphic product consumer habits, the creation of contents suitable for printing by end users thanks to new technologies, the Internet and social media. Other topics will be interactive imaging and printing applications and “web to print”, with the presentation of trends, possibilities of innovation via augmented reality, implementation of QR codes and on-demand printing.
The Congress will also feature the new business models arising from digital publishing of contents for multiple channels and devices, such as tablets and smart phones.
Lastly, in a more technical vein, speakers will cover the importance of colour management from digital image capture to print as a way of guaranteeing work success and also saving money. Experts will talk about 3D virtual tests, remote approval systems, the work of photographers, quality of images and their publication on digital devices. This session will end with an explanation of how digital photographer has led to new ways to capture and create images. Three dimensionality, retouching and CGI (Computer Generated Image) treatment will be some of the topics.
The Image&Print World Congress is an educational space held in the setting of graphispag.digital and Sonimagfoto&Multimedia aimed at graphic arts and related companies, photographers, photography labs, advertising agencies, graphic and industrial designers, heads of marketing and publishers, among other professionals in sectors that use printing and images in their activity.  This event is sponsored by Agfa, Canon, Mactac, Roland, Hp, Esko and Nikon