As virtually everyone in the printing industry knows by now, drupa is the largest printing exhibition on the planet. Held every four years in Dusseldorf, Germany, the two-week show drew 391,000 attendees this year.

One of the comments I heard from ink manufacturers after the show was that there were not as many North American attendees as in previous drupas. Undoubtedly, this was in large part due to the present economic climate as well as the unfavorable exchange rate.

This is where Graph Expo comes in. While the annual program is much smaller by comparison, it does allow North American audiences the convenience of traveling to Chicago to see some of the innovations unveiled at drupa 2008.

Due to the economic slump, it appears that many companies are scaling back their operations or, in some cases, pulling out altogether. This is true in the conventional ink industry as well, as Sun Chemical, Flint Group and Hostmann-Steinberg, three long-time exhibitors, are not displaying at Graph Expo this year; on the other hand, digital ink companies are well represented.

For Sun Chemical, which did exhibit at Labelexpo last month and the SGIA show this month, the decision comes down to manpower and resources. “Smaller shows such as Labelexpo Americas, Pack Expo and SGIA are planned for by specific divisions within Sun Chemical,” notes Brian Breidigan, VP product management, commercial inks. “Graph Expo, however, requires a tremendous effort on the part of Sun Chemical's team. The recent reorganization of our corporate management team has made manpower and resources limited at this time, making it impossible for Sun Chemical to make its best showing at Graph Expo.”

For INX International Ink Co., Toyo Ink America and Van Son Holland Ink, the decision to attend both drupa and Graph Expo is tied to the goal of reaching as many customers as possible.

“INX has always done Graph Expo,” says Rick Clendenning, president and CEO. “It's a good venue for us. We want to support our industry and our customers who attend Graph Expo and didn't necessary go to drupa. The customer base expects the leaders in the industry to be there.”

“Graph Expo is the largest and most comprehensive graphic communications show in the Americas,” adds John Copeland, Toyo Ink America's president. “And as our primary customer base is in the U.S., the show serves as a major stage on which to showcase our latest print innovations and unique solutions to professionals in the U.S. graphic arts and printing industries. We're there not only to support our customers, but we also look to further reinforce this reputation as the supplier of choice for the world's leading press manufactures.”

Joe Bendowski, American president of Van Son Holland, adds: “Drupa, Graph Expo and Print ... provide us with the perfect opportunity to have a dialog directly with our current and potential printer customers.” Van Son is launching its VS3-XS Series, the latest addition in high-performance commercial sheetfed inks.