Supplier News
Sun Chemical, Flint Ink, Canon ... Awards
Hemlock, Toronto Craftsmen, Warren's, Mills ... Good Reading
Digital Colour Has Arrived!
Events
Get out there...
Things
I Hear
Working with your vendors
We're into the busy season now, as industry events begin to pop up on the radar screen and consume time away from the office.
PRINT 05 was a huge kick-off to the fall with unusually hot weather in Chicago for early September and a likewise torrid atmosphere in the trade show halls of McCormick Place, an atmosphere vendors expect to carry over to Graphics Canada beginning tomorrow.
The most poignant presentation I witnessed at PRINT 05 was at the Critical Trends breakfast. The talk was given by Mark Evans, vp technology and business development with JohnsByrne, a U.S.-based printing and communications firm.
The core of Evans' message was about printing companies creating offensive strategies as opposed to reacting defensively to tough market conditions. Evans endorses investing for the future and taking advantage of competent supplier consulting.
"If you feel cutting back is your only strategy, I think you may have the wrong suppliers," says Evans. "You've got to push your vendors to give you help," he says, adding, "Partnership is no longer a buzzword."
Evans points to a telling realization out in the market. "If you're beating up your vendors only for price—if that's your strategy—you'll continue to get what you give."
So I encourage you to take his advice and take advantage of Graphics Canada, or any other venue where you can get exposure to the vendors in this industry, and get the most out of them that you can. Not the best price, the best advice.
BIG NEWS: Annan and Bird, the super-large-format sheetfed offset experts in Toronto have signed on to become the first Canadian home for an 80-inch KBA Rapida 205 sheetfed press, a six-unit press with UV capabilities. www.annan-bird.com
Vancouver-based Teldon Print Media, a $48 million commercial printing outfit with web and sheetfed operations, has become an employee-owned company.
Volker Wagner, chairman of Teldon International, sold his controlling interest, becoming a minority shareholder with Teldon employees now holding a majority of the shares in the company.
"We are thrilled that employees now have the opportunity to create and share in the success of the company, and fully enjoy the fruits of their labour," said Michael McAdam, Teldon's president, in a company statement.
Established in 1969, in 2003 Teldon acquired three Vancouver-area companies (Clarke Printing, Intermedia Press Ltd. and Rainbow Press) to form Teldon Print Media and become one of the largest print operations in B.C. There will be no change in the day-to-day operational management of the company.
Windsor Shop Restructures
After 11 months of operating under court protection, North American Printing Inc. (NAP) of Windsor, Ontario has been restructured with the help of four outside investors.
Guy Young, president of NAP (a 29-year veteran of the industry, with 18 years at North American and a shareholder in the company) commented, "We are excited about the new ownership structure and are confident the new investors will bring both increased sales to North American Printing as well as new perspectives to successfully manage our business."
Founded in 1909, North American Printing is a commercial five-colour heatset web and 5-colour four-up sheetfed printer specializing in custom catalogues and magazines. The company currently employs 35 people full time. About 40% of its sales are in the north-eastern U.S., with the balance in the Windsor region. Young admits adjusting to the higher Canadian dollar has been challenging but it wasn't the only reason for the company's hard times. "The primary cause was loss of a large contract and the inability to replace the volume," says Young.
He believes the four new investors will add greater sales representation in Michigan and Ohio. "Our short term focus is on increased sales," says Young. "Mid to long term strategic plans do include capital investments in additional hardware."
Selling Service in a Quick Print Way
Labeled as a "premium" one-stop business centre, Staples Business Depot in Canada has entered the retail quick print market with the launch of three pilot stores in downtown Montreal called dossier.
"dossier is the next generation of quick printing," said Steve Matyas, president, STAPLES Business Depot at the official launch. To differentiate itself from other quick print operations, dossier is placing a focus on service, stocking itself with an average of six trained staff offering graphic design services, high-speed copying and printing (in black-and-white or colour), wide format graphics, onsite bindery services and more, including a four-hour express service. The dossier model also accommodates walk-in traffic with self-serve copying/printing, wireless computer workstations, meeting spaces and office supply sales. Xerox supplies all dossier's printing equipment.
The quick print market in Montreal is very competitive, although established national chains like FedEx Kinko's and the UPS Stores (Mail Boxes Etc.) are very under-represented throughout the province of Quebec.
"Extensive market research indicates that our customers want both the highest quality and a consistent record of timeliness; filling this void in the market is what dossier is all about," said Yvon Samson, Director of Sales and Operations, Eastern Canada for STAPLES Business Depot. http://www.dossier.ca
At the opening of dossier in Montreal (l-r): Jane Cowell-Poitras, deputy mayor Montreal; Steve Matyas, president STAPLES Business Depot; Mitsou, dossier spokesperson; and Yvon Samson, director of sales/operations Eastern Canada, STAPLES Business Depot.
CPIA Honours Long-time Members
The big news to come out of the Canadian Printing Industries Association (CPIA) annual convention held in Montreal Sept. 28-Oct. 1, was that the federal government announced it would provide $373,652 to fund a Sector Council for the printing industry.
Sector Councils bring together business, labour and educational stakeholders to identify and address human resource and skills issues to meet industry requirements. Jeff Ekstein, president of Willow Printing Group in Concord, Ontario, and past chair of the CPIA, has been heavily involved in the lobbying for the Sector Council and will co-chair the Council steering committee with Duncan Brown, National Director of CEP Graphical (Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada). Initial tasks will include getting a Board together and getting an infrastructure in place.
At the convention the CPIA also awarded Honorary Life Member distinctions to three industry veterans: Ruby Thomas, Dave Walker and Jack Hazeldine (post-humously).
The CPIA also announced its new Board with Ward Griffin , president of the Lowe-Martin Group in Ottawa, elected as Chairman, other members include: Vice Chair, Lorne Patterson of Bowne Vancouver; Secretary-Treasurer Jamie Barbieri, Integria, Montreal; Immediate Past Chair Jeff Ekstein; Chair, Government Affairs Committee, Bob Kadis, Bowne Toronto; and Director at Large, Curwin Friesen, Friesens Corp., Altona, MB.
The keynote speech at the CPIA conference was presented by Luc Desjardins, CEO Transcontinental Inc. (pictured). Desjardins addressed the impact of globalization , the US-Canadian exchange rate, rising energy costs and the Internet, and he then focused on two areas of concern for him: print salespeople owning their clients and overcapacity of iron. "If a company is to grow—and grow profitably—it will need to have multiple points of contact at different levels of the organization with customers, to reinforce the service relationship," explains Desjardins, as a way for the company to assume more control of clients.
As for overcapacity, "When times get tough, such as they are now, the thinking is 'lower prices to keep the presses running—at any cost.' We all know—or if we didn't already know, we're learning fast—that nobody wins in a price war."
Desjardins' entire speech can be found at : http://www.transcontinental.com/en/5-news-centre/5-2-cpiakeynote_luc.html
Business Index Reveals Mixed Message
NAPL's Printing Business Index ( PBI ) reached a near-record 61.5 in September marking the fourth consecutive increase for the index and the 27 th month that the index has been above the 50.0 mark—the point at which more printers report activity is picking up than report activity is slowing down.
Readings on printers' confidence levels and expectations however were at their lowest since the economic recovery began in the second half of 2003. "As we saw in mid-2003, this portion of the NAPL PBI is quite sensitive and may be providing an early signal that the gains we are witnessing are not sustainable," said Andrew Paparozzi, NAPL vice president and chief economist, adding "this may also portend that the economy is in for a rough period in 2006."
Industry Team Raises $42,000
Calling itself Team Pink Ink, group of 14 printing industry-related walkers together raised $42,000 for breast cancer research as part of the third annual 60 km Weekend to End Breast Cancer walk in Toronto , benefiting the Princess Margaret Hospital. In total 4,889 walkers raised $16 million this year.
This was Team Pink Ink's first year, representing printers, binderies and publishers. The team will be walking again next year and encourages more people to get involved.
Visit Team Pink Ink at Graphics Canada in Toronto or contact Claire Paterson or Rachael Dean at teampinkink@yahoo.ca.
For more information about the Weekend to End Breast Cancer go to endcancer.ca.
Team Pink Ink 2005
(l-r): Mel Catalano (Annick Press); Misti Holmes (Thomson); Claire Paterson (St. Joseph Print Thorn); Victor Ortins (Quebecor MIL); Rachael Dean (Webcom); Amberlea Fuller (Arco Graphics); Julie Kaye (York Book Binders); Maria Bakolias (Annick Press); Heather Zigelstein (Webcom); Heather Davies (Annick Press); Noemi Fasullo (Webcom); Flora Scarangella, Tonia Scarangella (St. Joseph Print Concord); and Adelina Prosperi (PLM).
Open House Shows Off 12-Colour Press
Family-owned Battlefield Graphics Inc. in Burlington, Ontario, held an open house for customers and prospective customers on September 22 to demonstrate its 12-colour perfecting 40-inch Heidelberg Speedmaster, featuring convertible coating units and roll-feed-sheeter—the first press of its kind in Canada.
On hand at the event was Canadian artist, John Newby, signing limited edition prints for all attendees. Battlefield president, Paul Theoret was very happy with the turnout, about 200, despite the rain storm which dampened the evening outside. All night long employees were giving plant tours and running live jobs for an automotive client on the new press.
Pictured at the open house (l-r): Battlefield press operators Jake Pierobon and Gary Benn, Paul Theoret Battlefield president, and Heidelberg technician Kelly McCarthy.
Promoting Print/Paper & Photography
The fifth version of Fiber launched at the end of October and it was all about water. Called H2 Oh Oh, this edition of the large-format publication, featured the artistic black&white photography of Photo Sensitive, a collective of professional photographers who volunteer services for raising public awareness to worthy causes. Fiber is a promotional vehicle developed by paper company M-Real, printer Colour Innovations and creative company Context Creative.
At the launch of H2 Oh Oh : Matthew Alexander, co-owner of Colour Innovations, and Andrew Stawicki of Photo Sensitive.
Approximately 62,000 people walked through the doors at PRINT 05 in Chicago (September 9-15), and a total of 954 exhibitors were on hand to sell them something. For a quick run down of product highlights check out the annual Must See 'ems selections, http://print05.gasc.org/mustseeems2005.cfm.
The four dominant trends we saw at the show were: processless plates; digital printing integration with traditional offset workflows; a proliferation of inkjet printing; and finally there were more examples of JDF integration including new MIS solutions to extract data from the shop floor.
AT PRINT 05: $40 Million Boost for St. Joe's Press Room
St. Joseph Print is investing $40 million on three new MAN Roland ROTOMAN S web heatset presses (an eight-unit 48-page press, a six-unit 16-page press, and a four-unit 16-page press) all set for installation in 2006.
The ROTOMAN S web presses with the sleeve blanket technology allowing for high running speeds and minimal paper waste, and the presses will also be equipped with highly automated production features for efficient short- and long-run publication and commercial print runs.
"We are committed to providing our customers with innovative solutions driven by advanced technology that enable them to achieve more success in the marketplace," stated John Gagliano, president of St. Joseph Print, in a release. http://www.stjoseph.com.
St. Joseph Print has purchased three MAN Roland ROTOMAN S web presses featuring sleeve blanket technology.
Metropolitan Adds Another ROLAND 700 Perfector. From the show floor of PRINT 05 Vancouver's Metropolitan Fine Printers purchased a 41-inch eight-colour ROLAND 700 perfector at PRINT 05. The new press will join three existing MAN Roland perfectors at Metropolitan (41-inch 8-colour w/coater; 26-inch six-colour; and 41-inch six-colour w/coater).
Pictured from left to right: George Kallas, president of Metropolitan Fine Printers; Yves Rogivue, CEO of MAN Roland Inc.; Penny Kallas, Metropolitan Marketing; Nikos Kallas, manager of business development, Metropolitan; Paul Tasker, general manager, sheetfed operations, MAN Roland in Canada; Reg Pallard, VP finance & administration, Metropolitan; and Spiros Serves, bindery supervisor, Metropolitan.
Two Karats TopLine Printing and Graphics, with locations in Mississauga and Florida, and 3S Printing in Burnaby, BC both purchased a 74 Karat with coater.
Pictured at PRINT 05 (l-r): Mike Mugavero, KBA vice president; Samuel Roman, TopLine Printing manager; David Lowe, TopLine Printing plant manager; and Grant Morris, president, TopLine Printing.
Canada Day The sixth Canada Day event held during the large U.S. trade show was a hit attracting close to 50 people. This year's breakfast conference featured industry consultant Bill Lamparter speaking about new technologies and Vincent Mallardi promoting Canadian print exports to the U.S.
Some familiar faces at Canada Day — PRINT 05: Reg Pallard, Metropolitan Fine Printers (Vancouver); George Kallas, Metropolitan Fine Printers; Jay Mandarino , C.J. Graphics (Toronto); George Hurley, C.J. Graphics; Vincent Mallardi Can-US Chamber of Commerce.
Front row: Brian Collict, Sun Chemical (Canada); Brian Ellis, Heidelberg Canada; Jeff Ekstein, Willow Printing Group (Toronto); Susan Ritcey, Canadian Printer ; and Doug Picklyk, Canadian Printer .
Supplier News
Heidelberg announced sales of 1.53 billion Euro for the first six months of fiscal 2005/2006 (April 1 to September 30, 2005 ), up 12% up over last year; net profit for the first six months was 33 million Euro. "The recovery of the print media industry has continued during the first six months of our financial year. Sales and incoming orders at Heidelberg were up on the previous year's figures in virtually every region and we believe that the same will be true for the second half of the financial year," says Heidelberg CEO, Bernhard Schreier.
KBA North America has named KBR Graphics Ltd of Montreal as its eastern Canadian dealership distributing KBA Performa presses, the 29-inch 74 Karat and 20-inch Genius 52.
(pictured at PRINT 05 (l-r) Ralf Sammeck, KBA's president and CEO; Karl Belafi Sr, KBR president; Karl Belafi Jr., KBR vice president; Kevin Belafi, KBR service manager; and Gerrit Zwergel, KBA's vice president finance and CFO)
INX International Ink Co. announced a price increase of 5% to 10% (depending on product line), to take effect December 1. Both Flint Ink and Sun Chemical already announced price increases in North America of up to 12% that went into effect Oct. 1.
Future digital technology was on display at the recent Canon Expo in New York, including the unveiling of the Canon imagePRESS line of products featuring a 70 page-per-minute colour printer due to be released in the second half of 2006.
Konica Minolta Graphic Imaging U.S.A., Inc . finalized its acquisition of American Litho, Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan. American Litho manufactures analog and digital offset printing plates for newspaper and commercial markets.
Newtec Systems Inc. in Markham, Ontario, has become the master distributor for ECRM Imaging products in Canada, supporting dealers and selling to end users in nonconflicting markets. Newtec Systems is owned and operated by Norman Reedman.
Esko-Graphics' principal shareholder, Kirkbi A/S, has entered an agreement to sell off all packaging related activities of Esko-Graphics to Danish private equity company Axcel. Kirkbi retains the ownership of Esko-Graphics' small-format offset activities and is looking for a partner to further develop this business.
Printable Technologies has slashed the price of its full-version desktop variable data printing software design package, FusionPro Desktop from US$4,200 to US$399.
Océ Technologies has entered into a strategic alliance with MacDermid ColorSpan to market Océ-branded ColorSpan wide format inkjet printers worldwide.
Kodak has created the CREO Print On-Demand Solutions group, an independently managed unit within Kodak's Graphic Communications Group to supply front ends for digital colour presses to a variety of partners including IKON, Konica Minolta, Xerox and HP.
Jetrion, Flint Ink-owned supplier of inkjet systems, has a strategic partnership with Advanced Electron Beams, Inc . (AEB) to bring a new technology to market that matches the speed performance of the drop-on-demand UV with energy-efficient EB curing
Artwork Systems Group and HELL Gravure Systems are developing a 3D-Rip for direct laser engraving of packaging gravure cylinders.
Flexo Concepts, manufacturers of TruPoint brand doctor blades, has acquired Absolutely Micro Clean International, manufacturers of anilox roll cleaning equipment.
Kodak has announced a new THERMOFLEX Narrow Flexo-Offset CtP device to image offset plates in addition to flexographic and letterpress plates and film.
Markzware has released Q2ID, an Adobe InDesign Plug-in a tool that enables Adobe InDesign users to convert QuarkXPress 3.3, 4.x, 5.x and 6.x documents into the native InDesign document format.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has approved PDF/Archive (PDF/A). PDF/A enables organizations to archive documents electronically in a way that will ensure preservation of content over an extended period of time and that those documents can be retrieved and rendered with a consistent and predictable result in the future. [ISO 19005-1, Document management]
Vancouver's Hemlock Printers Ltd. claimed a 2005 Sappi International Printer of the Year award, presented during a gala event held in Shanghai, China. "We were honoured to be recognized in Shanghai amongst the most innovative and progressive printers in the world," said Hemlock president, Dick Kouwenhoven.
Hemlock was one of two North American printers to receive top honours presented by Sappi for products printed on its paper. Hemlock was the only Canadian among the 34 global finalists in the nine categories (annual reports; books; brochures; calendars; catalogues; general print; magazines; packaging and labels; and printer's own promotion).
Hemlock received its award in the general print category, for its entry: Linda Butler, Yangtze Remembered booklet. Each winner received a cast bronze elephant trophy.
Sappi Ltd. CEO Jonathan Leslie (left) and Ronee Hagen (right), CEO of Sappi Fine Paper North America, present a International Printer of the Year Award to Dick Kouwenhoven (centre left) and Brad Fleming (centre right) of Hemlock Printers.
Enviro Award for Warren's Toronto-based Warren's Imaging & Dryography Inc. claimed a Best of Show award in the Environmental Excellence category at the sixth annual Mohawk Show, an awards program sponsored by Mohawk Fine Papers.
The winning piece, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Viewbook (pictured), was designed by Pentagram Design.
Entry deadline for Mohawk's seventh Mohawk Show is May 31, 2006. Five Best of Show awards are selected, and winners receive a three-night trip to the Sundance Film Festival (or $3,000 cash). Entry is free, and forms can be downloaded at www.mohawkpaper.com.
Toronto Craftsmen Gallery of Superb Printing
The Toronto Chapter of the IAPHC hosted a dinner meeting and its Gallery of Superb Printing Awards presentations on September 21. Around 55 people were in attendance to hear a brief presentation on marketing tips from Tony Karg, of Fuji Graphic Systems Canada, followed by the award presentations.
From over 260 entries, Best of Show was presented to Transcontinental O'Keefe for its Phillips-Van Heusen Annual Report 2004 submission. The Toronto Chapter also presents "Best Use of" awards with top prizes going to: Colour Innovations for Best use of Ink; C.J. Graphics for Best Use of Bindery and Best Use of Paper; Best Use of Flexo went to Beach Communications; and Best Use of Press was awarded to Transcontinental O'Keefe.
Other companies recognized at the awards included: The AIIM Group; Bowne of Toronto; Grenville Printing; J&P Steel Rule Die; Kingsweb; Metro Label; Parker Pad and Printing; Polytainers; PPP Corp.; and University of Toronto Press.
The Vancouver Chapter of the IAPHC held its Gallery of Superb Printing Awards ceremony Saturday, October 29th.
Best of ... winners at the Toronto Craftsmen Club (l-r): Bill Hewitt, Transcontinental O'Keefe; Steve Kendrick, Colour Innovations; David Adams, C.J. Graphics; Bob Weller, Transcontinental O'Keefe; John Sorochuk, Beach Communications; Jay Mandarino, C.J. Graphics; and Gerald Fruehwirth, president Toronto Club.
Two Printers Claim BC Ethics Awards Two Vancouver-area printing companies have been awarded 2005 Ethics in Action Awards celebrating British Columbia businesses and individuals who demonstrate socially and environmentally responsible business management.
Hemlock Printers Ltd. and Mills Basics Office Supplies and Printing were among 16 companies vying for awards in four categories (Community Care, Environmental Impact, Overall Leadership, and Individual Impact). Hemlock claimed its award for Environmental Impact, and Mills Basic for Overall Leadership.
"This achievement makes us incredibly proud," says Richard Kouwenhoven, Chair of Hemlock's Sustainability Committee, and son of President and CEO, Dick Kouwenhoven.
Past winners include Creo and Metropolitan Fine Printers.
Richard Kouwenhoven, chair of Hemlock's
sustainability committee, accepts Ethics in Action Award.
Foiling and Stamping: Call for Entries The Foil Stamping and Embossing Association (FSEA), based in Topeka, Kansas, is accepting for its 13 th Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards. Winners will be honoured March 4, 2006, during the FSEA Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Entry deadline is January 15, 2006. Entry forms can be found www.fsea.com.
Good Reads
Digital Colour Has Arrived! The growth of digital colour printing is the focus of TrendWatch Graphic Arts new Special Report entitled "Digital Printing 2005: It's Mainstream, Baby!" The report identifies trends in both the graphic arts and creative market spaces.
Included is a listing of the major digital press vendors and their products (this 27-page analysis is broken out as a separate report, "Digital Printing 2005: The Major Players and Their Wares," available for US$25.).
"We've been waiting for more than a decade, but the data are now confirming what we are seeing anecdotally: digital color printing has finally become an accepted and mainstream part of the commercial printing marketplace," notes Heidi Tolliver-Nigro, TrendWatch analyst and author of the report. "There are still limitations, and some education still needs to be done, but as an industry, we've finally turned the corner."
The full 129-page report is available online at www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com/special.html for US$995.
Graphics Canada, the national printing trade show, will be held November 10-12, at the International Centre in Toronto. Visit www.graphicscanada.com
The Xplor International Vision 2005 Conference, a three-day event, November 11-13, at the Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida. The conference is open to all Xplor International and PIA/GATF members, as well as industry professionals from the electronic document, commercial printing and communications industries. For more information: www.xplor.org/leader05
The first NAPL Human Resources Management Conference is being held Nov. 30 – Dec. 2 in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. The program will explore developing and managing a workforce, from recruitment and retention strategies to controlling costs. For NAPL members is US$675 (non-members US$775 for first registrant) with discounts for multiple attendees. To register, visit www.napl.org/events/
Don't miss the 25th anniversary edition of PRINT OUTLOOK, the annual NPES economic and print market forecasting event. The conference will be held December 1-2 at the Hilton Arlington Hotel in Arlington, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.). Visit http://www.npes.org
Passport to China: How Manufacturers Can Maximize Profits and Minimize Risks? Practical Business, Financial and Legal Advice. Mintz & Partners LLP, a Canadian accounting and advisory firm, in association with The Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs, Plante Moran LLP, Amsterdam & Peroff, Aylesworth LLP and Niagara College - Business & Entrepreneurship Division, is hosting a complimentary morning conference on Doing Business in China to be held Thursday, December 1 at the Hilton Suites Toronto/Markham Conference Centre (8500 Warden Avenue, Markham, Ontario). The event begins at 7:30 a.m. (Dim Sum Breakfast) and runs to 12:00 p.m. Register by November 22nd to Amy Greene at (416) 644-4316 or china@mintzca.com.
The Digital Imaging Association in Toronto is holding its annual owners luncheon on Wednesday, Dec. 7 featuring a keynote address by industry commentator Dr. Joe Webb. The DIA will also be hosting an extended morning session for members and guests that same day, where Dr. Webb will be address more technical issues. For more details contact Marg Macleod, Digital Imaging Association, m.macleod@ibec-training.com
The second annual Printed Electronics Conference, December 7-8, Naples, Florida, will explore the exploding field of applications and technologies enabling low cost, disposable, flexible electronics. Visit http://www.printelec.com
Labelexpo Asia 2005 is taking place in Shanghai, China between December 7-9. For more information, visit http://www.labelexpo-asia.com
The first ever SGIA Digital Expo is going to be held December 8-10 in Phoenix. This new event brings together leading digital suppliers and printers for a trade show and educational programming. www.sgia.org
2006
Momentum in Print 2006 is a new event being presented by Adobe and being held January 22 to 24 at the San Francisco Marriott, San Francisco, CA. The event is expected to draw up to 700 industry leaders and will include a keynote addresses, panel discussions, tutorials, debates, and demonstrations. Registration is US$395 before December 23, or US$495 after. Visit www.adobe.momentuminprint.com
The 31st annual Graphics of the Americas trade show is co-locating with Xplor International's Global Conference to be held February 3-5 at Miami Beach. www.graphicsoftheamericas.com.
In conjunction with Graphics of the Americas and Xplor is the PDF FORUM for Print Production, a world-class event on PDF developments for print. http://www.pdf-forum.info/.
The Toronto Club of Printing House Craftsmen is holding its annual Gala on February 18 to celebrate local International Gallery Award winners. For more information contact Gail Slater gail@queenstone.org
The 38th Goss Metro Users Group conference will be held at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Resort in Arizona, co-hosted by Tucson Newspapers and The Arizona Republic. The event will run from Saturday, February 25 through Wednesday, March 1. For more information visit: www.metrousers.com
NAPL's TOP MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE is being held March 1-5 at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes, Orlando, Florida. This annual meeting is designed for CEO's, company owners and executives to focus on strategic leadership issues. http://www.napl.org
The next PIA/GATF Executive Leadership Conference will be March 12-16 in Oahu, Hawaii at the J.W. Marriott. www.gain.net
NEXPO 06, largest annual newspaper exhibition and conference, is being held April 1- 4 at McCormick Place in Chicago. http://www.nexpo.com
IPEX 2006 is taking place from April 4-11th at the NEC in Birmingham, UK. It will mark the largest international print show for 2006. http://www.ipex.org
The annual Vue/Point Conference is being held this year between April 10 to 12, once again at the Hilton in the Walt Disney Resort, Orlando. This conference is a great opportunity to learn from other real-world experiences. http://www.gasc.org
The 48th Annual Binding, Finishing and Distribution Seminar, hosted by the NAPL, will be held May 2-4 at the Marriott O'Hare Hotel, Chicago. This event is developed for bindery managers, manufacturing/operations executives and warehouse supervisors. http://www.napl.org
ON DEMAND Expo 2006 will be held May 16-18 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia. The trade show and conference about all things related to digital printing, is co-hosted with AIIM, an IT focused show about content management. For more information http://www.ondemandexpo.com
Don't miss the NAPL & PIA/GATF Sheetfed Pressroom Conference running from June 11-13 at the Marriott O'Hare Hotel, Chicago. These sessions cover numerous technical and managerial issues through seminars and general sessions. http://www.gain.net, http://www.napl.org
The All In Print China 2006 is scheduled for June 14-16 in Shanghai. Exhibit categories include printing equipment, pre-media equipment and software, electronic and database publishing equipment, computer to plate technology, book binding and print finishing equipment as well as paper converting equipment and package production technology. www.mdna.com
The five-day intensive NAPL & PIA/GATF Management and Leadership Institute is scheduled to run from June 19 to 23 at the Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. This program is designed for developing skills in financial management, production management, sales management, and graphic communications management. http://www.napl.org
The 87th annual IAPHC Convention (International Association of Printing House Craftsmen) will be held August 18-23 at the Melia Turquesa all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. For more information visit www.iaphc.org
The 2006 Canadian Printing Industries Association (CPIA) Convention will be held in Vancouver, BC, September 14-16. For more information contact www.cpia-aci.com
The annual Graph Expo and Converting Expo, held at McCormick Place in Chicago will run from October 15 to 18. For more details visit http://www.gasc.org
Print World, formerly called Print Ontario, will happen November 18 to 20 at the National Trade Centre, Exhibition Place in Toronto . For information on the Web visit: http://www.printontario.com
2008
Drupa 2008 will be held from May 29 to June 11, 2008 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf Germany. There will be over 2,400,000 square feet of exhibition space with an expected attendance of over 300,000. www.drupa.com
For more events in your area, here are links to regional associations:
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Graphics Canada, the national printing trade show, will be held November 10-12, at the International Centre in Toronto. Visit 
IPEX 2006 is taking place from April 4-11th at the NEC in Birmingham, UK. It will mark the largest international print show for 2006.