Takeaways from Graphics Canada 2019

Earlier this month, we attended the Graphics Canada Expo in Toronto and had the chance to view the latest trends in the world of print. Below are some of our observations from the tradeshow floor.

Personalization

In the past, it used to be a luxury to have personalization integrated into your formatting. But these days, vendors need to focus on being able to quickly and effectively personalize their product if they want to remain competitive. This was on the display throughout the show—almost all the booths were demonstrating some sort of personalization component to their solution.

With this emphasis on personalization, printers should start to see a higher number of specific jobs that have low volumes. It is my belief that efficiency will continue to be at an all-time high, and the demand for software workflows will increase.

A Continued Ecosystem of Partnerships

The trend of companies expanding their partnerships continued to resonate during our time on the show floor. With the increase in personalization and efficiency setting new expectations, companies are motivated to form partnerships that allow them to best suit the demands of their customers. Companies are looking for opportunities for synergy where they can integrate their products with another vendor’s in order to increasingly produce personalized products for their customer’s end users.

Industry players of all sizes are leveraging partnerships to drive more cutting-edge technology into their products, which will allow for a more innovative and personalized experience for their customers. It will be interesting to see how these partnerships evolve as the growth of textile and visual communications continues at a rapid pace. The printing world has entered the world of connecting everything.

Next Generation Talent

The tradeshow floor was full of senior executives who have spent their lives building their businesses and shaping the industry. Today, as the industry continues to shift into a more digital world (Print 4.0) these senior executives are looking at the new ways they need to prepare. This includes investing in the next generation of leadership and building domain expertise within their existing teams.

For those leaders ready to retire and see the next generation take the lead, at Lumine Group, we create succession plans while leading their business into the future and maintaining their legacy. As we move into Print 4.0, we’re eager to see what the world of print will bring.