The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association  (Fairfax, Va., USA) BOD has announced that SGIA, the home to professionals in the industrial, graphic, garment, textile, electronics, packaging, and commercial printing communities, and NAPCO Media, a business-to-business media company, have entered a partnership that will offer print service providers and industry suppliers an unrivalled platform to connect. The platform — PRINT United, the next evolution of printing expositions in North America — combines the largest printing trade show in North America with the leading producer of multi-channel content for the print community.

Over the last 20 years, the print and graphics industry has seen unprecedented changes and consolidation. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, printing establishments in the United States decreased from 35,016 in 2000 to 24,096 in 2015, a decline of 31.2 percent. At the same time, however, print shops have expanded their range of services. The Idealliance 2016 State of the Industry Report notes that in 2000 86.8 percent of print shop revenue came from lithographic (offset) print technology. By 2016, that number had dropped to 42.3 percent as print shop owners looked to new technologies — digital, inkjet, packaging, mailing, industrial — to increase their revenue and profit.

Today’s printing industry is driven by convergence of technologies and capabilities as well as a blending and blurring of market segments and specialties. PRINT United, a brand-new event, focuses on the opportunities this convergence presents. The PRINT United experience will include an expansive and comprehensive display of printing technologies and supplies, education, programming and services to take any printing business to the next level. PRINT United will give print providers integrated access not only to North America’s biggest trade show for the print industry, but also to NAPCO Media’s deep 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.

"PRINT 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. PRINT United will present a broad vision of these opportunities under one roof as well as the means for printers to expand their businesses."