The Association for PRINT Technologies (APTech) will host Unbound, a one-day virtual event and online trade fair for opportunities in specialty, custom and industrial printing.
The Unbound event will be held November 16, 2021 from 10:00 am-3:00 pm EDT. There is no fee to attend.
“Print is more than ink on paper and it’s more than a medium that conveys a message,” commented Thayer Long, president of APTech. “Look around and you will see something that has been printed—wallcoverings, flooring, glass, fabrics, ceramics, tiles, containers, toys, displays, electronics—the list is almost endless.”
He continued, “This is the message of Unbound. We need to shake off the constraints of what we think print is and look at what it can and could be.”
Industrial printing describes the processes used to decorate or enhance products as part of the manufacturing process.
Functional printing refers to printed elements that enhance the functionality of a product or create entirely new types of products, such as printed electronics.
Unbound keynoterSean Smyth, UK-based print consultant and industry expert for Smithers, will kick off the day’s events with a big-picture look at the market in his presentation, “The Industrial (Print) Revolution & What it Means for You.”
The seminar program that follows will include 12 sessions, in which successful industry practitioners and topical experts will discuss the nuts and bolts of building a successful line of industrial or functional printing business and the range of opportunities that exist for businesses of all sizes.
To help Unbound attendees grow decor print businesses, decor-market-business development specialist Rachel Nunziata, will discuss “What You Must Know to Succeed in the Interior Décor Market.” She will share her firsthand expertise, top tips, and resources.
Industrial inkjet evangelist Craig Reid of CTR Resources, LLC will explore how inkjet technologies are being used for an ever-expanding number of applications in his session, “You Can Print on That? Exploring Printable Surfaces.”
To explore the full lineup of speakers and their bios along with the sessions and topics, visit Unbound at: https://unbound.vfairs.com/ or contact staff members at aptech@aptech.org.
About the Association for PRINT Technologies
APTech provides a forum to inspire the development of new and valuable print products. Focused entirely on the future of print, the association educates and fosters collaboration between those who create and those who make. For complete information about the association, its programs,,and its member companies, visit: PRINTtechnologies.org, email aptech@aptech.org, or phone: 703/264-7200.
At “Amplify,” print and packaging designers, commercial printers, print finishers, binders, mailers, and creatives can learn more about post-press processes such as metallic decorating techniques, folding and gluing, UV coating, laminates, laser cutting, perfect and mechanical binding, folding, and direct mail processing and software
From the exhibit hall to the educational program and beyond, attendees will network with all the key players in the finishing cycle, learn best practices, discover emerging technologies, and hear real-world success stories.
Amplify will feature an interactive learning experience through technology demonstrations, product spotlights, and classroom educational experiences. .
“After more than a year of virtual interactions and events, we’re proud to announce the launch of Amplify,” said Jeff Peterson, Executive Director of FSEA. “Amplify will connect and inspire all—from design to the final finished product.”
Kevin Abergel, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing at MGI Digital Technology, looks forward to Amplify, stating, “Finally, someone decided to connect all the different levels in the print finishing ecosystem, with manufacturers, designers, and brands working together and learning from one another.” He expects the event to be more about community building than selling machines: “Amplify will be the new standard-bearer for what trade shows can be in the future.”
“I am truly excited about the opportunity the new Amplify event and conference will provide. It will be an excellent way for printers, finishers, and designers to gain critical insights into the ever-changing and evolving world of digital print, digital finishing, and techniques for designing with these new possibilities,” affirmed Myron Werner, Director of Sales, Packaging and Print, at NC-based KURZ Transfer Products. “This event will allow many to explore these new processes “hands on” during the Technology Center demonstrations and discover new techniques to deliver designs to the market faster than ever. These evolving technologies are providing new concepts and opportunities never possible before and it’s time to see them all under one platform in one place. Amplify fits the need.”
“Print and packaging designers strive to catch the eye of the consumer, and commercial printers need their customers’ printed products to excel,” said Thayer Long, President of APTech. “Amplify will be the venue to showcase the accomplishments, best practices, and innovation happening in the print finishing industry.”
APTech’s dedicated exhibit team is committed to helping exhibitors and sponsors reach their customers, build awareness, and generate new leads. They will also be able to connect with key players in the print finishing value chain from designers, creative and art directors, printers, finishers, and mailers. Exhibitors will be able to demonstrate their creative products and services through technology demonstrations and product spotlights. Attendee registration for Amplify will launch in early 2022.
To learn more about Amplify, visit amplifyprint.org or contact the organizers at info@amplifyprint.org.
The Master Class includes 12 to 15 hours of instruction and begins Tuesday, March 16 with a session from 1:30 to 4:00 pm ET. The other sessions will be held at the same time on the following five Tuesday afternoons.
Each session is interactive, with opportunities for live discussion and answers to questions.
The content is geared for commercial printers, marketing services providers, and other business owners who may or may not already have wide-format printing equipment. The sessions will provide ideas for creating a powerful, wide-format profit center.
Week 1: What is the Value of Wide-Format Printing?
Week 2: How to Effectively Sell Wide-Format Printing
Week 3: Synergy with Sales and Production
Week 4: Migrate Offset Sales Staff Reps to Wide-Format Pros
Week 5: What You Should Know about Wide-Format Vertical Markets
Week 6: Product Diversification Wins Major Projects
The program will be led by wide-format business expert Debbie Nicholson, president of Think to INK!. The content will include plenty of opportunity for live discussions and answers to questions. It will also feature interviews with owners of wide-format business units and experts in equipment and materials.
“Fully understanding the wide-format printing business can be difficult. There is a lot to know on the technical side with so many different ink sets, substrates, and hardware options,” says Nicholson. “It is equally important to understand the best potential clients and progress toward becoming an Order Maker, not just an Order Taker. My goal with this course is to ignite printers to think about the advantages of developing an actionable plan for moving their company toward profitability.”
“We encourage you to invite your leadership, sales, customer services, and operations team to attend this course,” said APTech President Thayer Long. Graduates of the course will have an actionable plan for each company area: leadership, sales, and operations.
The registration fee is $499 for APTech members and $699 for the full six-week course.
A 50% discount is available for multiple attendees from the same company. Contact Julie Shaffer (jshaffer@aptech.org) about this offer.
Organizations that typically host live print industry conferences and trade shows in the spring and fall pivoted to a slew of online events in the fall of 2020. Below are some of the print industry online events planned in October and November to help printing, graphics, and visual communications professionals make new connections, learn about new products, and gear up for a better 2021.
Scroll down to learn about events planned by the following organizations:
Week-long event includes 120 speakers from 15 countries delivering more than 70 sessions. Each day will feature education and networking in a specific categegory:
October 12: Young Guns in Print October 13: Industrial Print October 14: Wide Format Print October 15: Packaging and Labels October 16: Commercial Print
John Mills, CEO of Xaar, will outline how Xaar’s new bulk printhead will enable equipment manufacturers to push the boundaries of what’s possible with powerful, reliable, and efficient inkjet technology.
Global retail innovation expert Steve Lister will provide up-to-the-minute insights of what is happening in retail and how it could affect companies that produce retail-related print.
Georgia Parker, Innovation Manager of Fashion for Good, will talk about how digital is accelerating sustainable innovation in the fashion industry,
Nick Landa of Landa Digital Printing will take you on a tour of a Nanographic printing press and explain why its different than any other print process.
Young print entrepreneurs and other young print-industry professionals will help business owners learn how to make print-related careers a more attractive and deliberate choice for the next generation.
Four-hour program (11 am to 3 pm ET) on post-COVID-shutdown business operations focuses on four key areas impacted by 2020 disruptive events: Culture, Operations, Sales, Business Development, and Customer Dynamics.
In a headline session on Print 5.0, print-industry expert and author Frank Romano will discuss how printing is evolving in 2020 and beyond. APTech’s Ken Garner will discuss the quest for the elusive, sustainable competitive advantage. Consultant Leslie Groene will talk about sales management for the new reality.
Other speakers will discuss how to
recalibrate your business to thrive in challenging times
navigate customer dynamics to develop a competitive position
prepare for our next-generation industry leaders, and
Online event for brand owners, converters, printing equipment suppliers, and packaging designers. Content will focus on the market need for digital print from the brand’s perspective.
Stephen Kaufman, Chief Product Officer for Esko, will discuss how workflows and color management can solve real problems. Rob Day, CEO of Tonejet, will discuss Tonejet’s first end-to-end beverage can printing system that went live at the end of 2019. Alexis Tonneau, Project Manager of Kurz, will discuss how to combine attractive package design and sustainability.
Other sessions will cover topics such as:
the efficient production of digital preprint for corrugated packaging
special requirements for pigments used for package printing
designs for canabis packaging
emerging technologies such as NFC, ioT, and AR cam will enable greater efficiencies in strategic packaging management
leveraging digital print to create one-of-a-kind customer experiences
how artificial intelligence can automate design for digital print projects
Case studies look at some of the pros and cons of integrating digital printing capabilities into an analog flexographic printing line and digitl designs for folding cartons printed on high-speed inkjet presses.
In addition to attending live and recorded presentations, you can join live Q&A sessions and/or facilitated virtual networking rooms.
High-level insights from textile printers, end users, fashion designers, retail brands, and equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and technology providers. Live and recorded sessions will focus on how business models, technology , and collaboration can accelerate the commercial adoption of digital print for textiles.
Speakers include: Gart Davis, CEO & Co-founder of Spoonflower; Luca Zaconi, Director of Raw Materials Print, Lululemon Athletica; Jena Nesbitt, Product Strategy Director, Pine Crest Fabrics; Reid Lutter, CEO and Founder, PodiumWear Custom Sports Apparel; Francesca Rosella, Chief Creative Director and Co-Founder, CuteCircuit; and Jessica Schreiber, Founder & CEO at FABSCRAP; Scott Aitken, Managing Director, SPGPrints.
Sessions will cover topics such as:
how color and the chemical evolutions are affecting new-century printers
how digital textile printing is pushing the boundaries of conventional textile printing
using digital print and high-end fabrics for team uniforms
innovation to fast track the textile industry to a circular future
pretreatment and pigment inkjet ink for textile printing
sustainability through innovative textile printing solutions
the role of testing in evaluating print textiles
color and pattern trends for fashion and apparel
color lifecycle management in printed textiles
Attend live Q&A sessions and/or facilitated virtual networking rooms.
During 14 business days of no-fee programming, print business owners, operations managers, and employees can choose from 100 educational sessions and 40 product launches. Each day will feature a different focus for educational programming and product demonstrations from exhibitors:
October 26: Graphics/Wide-Format – Hardware and Consumables October 27: Apparel – Screen Printing/Decorating October 28: Commercial Printing – Digital Inkjet October 29: Packaging – Labels and Flexible Packaging October 30: Graphics/Wide-Format – Finishing and Workflow November 2: In-Plant Forum November 3: Commercial – Offset Printing November 4: Packaging – Folding Carton and Corrugated November 5: Mailing and Fulfillment November 6: Workflow and Software – All segments November 9: Apparel – Direct-to-Garment/Direct-to-Substate November 10: Commercial Printing – Digital Dry and Liquid Toner November 11: Industrial November 12: Digital Textile
Some of the topics the program will cover include:
Building a manufacturing mindset for wide-format graphics
Opportunities post-COVID in production inkjet printing
Wide-format growth markets for 2020 and beyond
Thrive in a transformative marketplace with the sheetfed offset technology
Trends and opportunities in folding carton and corrugated packaging
Workflow and automation: from date night to marriage
Dazzling prints with digital embellishments
How to research new markets
Developing your sales team
Direct-to-consumer marketing leadership
Emerging direct mail trends for COVID 19 and beyond
Establishing today’s successful screen printing business
The rise of e-commerce in apparel printing
Driving profitability and efficiency in apparel decoration
Essential strategies for equipment purchases
Facing new competition in core markets
How a focus on finishing can help you finish first
How commercial offset printers are shrinking turn times to meet short-run demands
How high-speed digital production inkjet printing is redefining commercial printing
The digital future for labels and flexible packaging
By the numbers: KPIs. metrics, and ratios
Migrating into industrial printing
Modern strategies for stand-out package design
Industrial printing: What’s hot and where is it headed
In-plant printing trends in the midst of the pandemic
Production inkjet printing in the In-plant shop
The science and skill of graphics installation
Paperboard packaging: differentiation through digital
Effective selling through online portals
Managing client color expectations
How sustainability is driving the next generation of fashion
Finding success with digital toner vs. inkjet printing processes
Electrophotography-digital print of the past and future
Beyond wallpaper: industrial printing for home decor
Networking, education, exhibits, and demonstrations will help wrap installers explore ways to expand into new products and use cutting-edge technologies.
Sessions will focus on design, visualization tools, and upsells such as architectural items, ceramic coatings, vehicle paint protection films (PPF), and more. In the after-hours Speakeasy Area, attendees can connect with some of the wrap industry’s top influencers and shop owners.
Dan Antonelli, of the KickCharge Creative small-business marketing agency, will discuss vehicle wrap design and related brand identity design topics.
The Wrap Institute, co-founded by installer/instructor Justin Pate, is regarded as the world’s top online wrap training program. For the past two years, the Institute brought hands-on instruction to ISA in-person events. In 2020, The Wrap Experience Digital will be part of ISA’s The Link series of virtual events to help sign, graphics and visual communications companiessustain and grow their businesses.
