Charlotte, NC, – Attendance and enthusiasm were clearly on the rise at the recently concluded INFO*FLEX 2010 in Las Vegas, according to an FTA spokesperson and representatives from global anilox supplier Harper Corporation of America.

"The 1,500 people in attendance at Forum & INFO*FLEX, big turnouts for the technical sessions and overall floor traffic signaled a significant upswing this year compared to last year," said Sharon Cox, Director of Marketing at FTA. "We're building on this momentum to make sure that 2011 events not only meet but exceed the level of success we garnered from this year's show."  

Harper products and technologies drew a robust crowd and many inquiries at the firm's booths. Gordon Smith and Neil Surber from Harper described booth traffic as the highest level they've witnessed in five years.

"Many people were looking at the Phantom QD to further enhance their ink formulating and matching processes prior to press runs," said Sean Teufler, Technical Graphics Advisor at Harper GraphicSolutions. Existing customers at the booth, he said, talked about how critical Harper consistency and quality are to their printing process.

Paul Teachout, also a HarperGraphics Technical Graphics Advisor, agreed that the easy-to-use, utility-free Phantom QD -- a patent-pending unit with its own pressure loading system – continues generating lots of attention within the industry even nine months after its market introduction.

Another product that attracted second looks from booth visitors was the new Harper Ultra Lightweight (ULW) Anilox Sleeve. An exclusive to Harper Global partners, the ULW Sleeve is 20 percent lighter than previous lightweight versions and now ranks as the market's lightest available sleeve.

"Customers frequently mentioned that even though our competitors tout new technologies, nothing can beat the consistency of a Harper anilox roll in the color management process," Teachout said. "Predictable, repeatable consistency is what secures our converter partnerships."

Organizers report that reserved booth space for next year's INFO*FLEX 2011 scheduled for Indianapolis has already reached 70 percent of capacity.