June 23, 2003 -- This fall's GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO 2003 will mark the tenth anniversary of the first showing of digital variable data presses in Europe and the United States. The show will also provide the ideal venue for a close look at exactly how these new systems have changed the graphic communications industry and created new growth opportunities for printers and other specialists. GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO will take place September 28 to October 1 at McCormick Place South in Chicago. More than 500 companies are expected to exhibit in some 360,000 square feet of display space. "Variable Data Printing for Real," the title of a GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO seminar, could serve as one of the show's main themes, reflecting the way the new technology has established itself as a viable process with practical, high-value applications. GRAPH EXPO 93 marked the first U.S. appearance for the ChromaPress developed by Agfa and the first Indigo E-Print system, both systems that allowed for per-piece variability throughout a press run. These new "variable data" output systems (VDP) joined a number of digital print and direct-imaging options already on the market, and touched off a lively debate-still continuing-about the exact role of the new technologies in the total graphic communications marketplace. All of the leading vendors of VDP and direct imaging press systems will be on hand at GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO, including Heidelberg, Xerox, Hewlett Packard, MAN Roland, KBA and others. "The arrival of practical digital printing, both with variable and fixed data, has opened up important new opportunities for printers to add value and services to their customer relationships," notes Regis J. Delmontagne, president of the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC), the show's producer. "But it has also challenged these companies to learn new ways of selling and developing new strategies for meeting more of their customers' needs," he adds. "GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO will be the ideal place to take stock of these powerful tools a decade after their debut." According to a study published by TrendWatch Graphic Arts, the number of commercial printing establishments owning digital color presses will increase by over 234%, allowing for over 7% market penetration, by 2007. Attendees at this year's event in Chicago will be able to examine the precursor to the machines that will exist in 2007, and see how far they have come in the ten years since their initial commercial debut. In addition to the show floor displays of such products as the Xerox iGen3 and the Heidelberg/Kodak NEXPress, the show will address key aspects of digital printing in its seminar programs, in such sessions as: * On-Demand Printing: Show Me the Money * Making the Digital Printing Decision * Variable Data Digital Printing for Real * The Digital Salesperson * Wide Format Printing Additional details about GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO are available at www.graphexpo.com, where updated information including seminar sessions, exhibitors, and online registration will be posted frequently in the months leading up to the show.