The platform — PRINTING United, the next evolution ofprinting expositions in North America — combines the largest printing trade showin North America with the leading producer of multi-channel content for theprint community.

Overthe last 20 years, the print and graphics industry has seen unprecedentedchanges and consolidation. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce,printing establishments in the United States decreased from 35,016 in 2000 to24,096 in 2015, a decline of 31.2 percent.

At the same time, however, printshops have expanded their range of services. The Idealliance 2016 State of theIndustry Report notes that in 2000, 86.8 percent of print shop revenue camefrom lithographic (offset) print technology. By 2016, that number had droppedto 42.3 percent as print shop owners looked to new technologies —digital,inkjet, packaging, mailing, industrial — to increase their revenue and profit.

Today’sprinting industry is driven by this convergence of technologies andcapabilities, a blending and blurring of market segments and specialties.PRINTING United, a brand-new event, focuses on the opportunities thisconvergence presents.

The PRINTING United experience will include an expansiveand comprehensive display of printing technologies and supplies, education,programming and services to take any printing business to the next level.PRINTING United will give print providers integrated access not only to NorthAmerica’s biggest trade show for the print industry, but also to NAPCO Media’sdeep expertise and focused strategy for the print market.

For print industry suppliers, the partnership offers even more value as it will leverage NAPCO Media’s commercial, in-plant and package printing audiences and provide a “one-stop” exposition for all technologies and markets within the graphic and visual communications industry.

“PRINTING United reflects what we understand is taking place in the larger community of print. It is supported by anecdotal reports from exhibitors and printers and is backed up by research across all of the print segments,” said Rich Thompson of Ad Graphics, Chairman of the SGIA Board of Directors. “The convergence of technology and capabilities underway is leading printers to expand their services and products into adjacent markets very rapidly, creating new opportunities and growing their businesses as a result. PRINTING United will present a broad vision of these opportunities under one roof as well as the means for printers to expand their businesses.”

PRINTING United Details

PRINTING United is a brand-new event and joint-venture, co-owned by SGIA and NAPCO Media, and it will launch in Dallas, Texas, October 23–25, 2019. Ford Bowers of SGIA will serve as PRINTING United’s CEO, and Mark Subers of NAPCO Media will be its president.

PRINTING United will focus on the opportunities presented by the convergence of printing technologies and markets. PRINTING United will have a broader range of printing and finishing technologies and media on the Expo floor, covering industry segments from garment to graphic, packaging to commercial, and industrial. The objective of PRINTING United is to convey all the components of an integrated solution to satisfy virtually any client need.

“PRINTING United is a strategic response to what the industry has been asking for,” said Ford Bowers, CEO and President, SGIA. “It’s about the wealth of opportunities for printers and suppliers that result from the convergence of markets and technology.”

“Our partnership truly creates a new platform, which helps attendees, suppliers, and channels to connect in a way that’s not been possible before,” said Mark Subers, President/CRO – Printing & Packaging, Publishing, NAPCO Media. “It’s this integrated approach — offering access to all printing technologies in one place — which suppliers will find not just compelling, but absolutely necessary to reach print service providers in the graphic and visual communications industry.”

The SGIA Expo will retire after its 2018 event in Las Vegas.

SGIA — Supporting the Leaders of the Digital & Screen Printing Community
Having its origins in the screen printing industry, SGIA embraced the digital revolution early on and is now the trade association of choice for professionals in the industrial, graphic, garment, textile, electronics, packaging and commercial printing communities looking to grow their business into new market segments through the incorporation of the latest printing technologies. SGIA membership comprises these diverse segments, all of which are moving rapidly towards digital adoption. As long-time champions of digital technologies and techniques, SGIA is the community of peers you are looking for to help navigate the challenges of this process. Additionally, the SGIA Expo is the largest trade show for print technology in North America. “Whatever the medium, whatever the message, print is indispensable. Join the community — SGIA.”