"Unscientific" has to be the word for our selection of exhibitors to write about in the aftermath of Print 09. Some are on the follow-up list because of pre-booked editorial appointments; others because of what we heard at media briefings during the show; and, in a couple of cases, because we were buttonholed by pouncing p.r. people as we moved past the booths, never intending to stop. But, at a show like Print 09, any reason for spending time with a vendor usually turns out to be a good one in terms of knowledge gained.

As in all of our reports from the Chicago shows, we apologize to every exhibitor that the limits of time and personal energy kept us from visiting. But, there’s plenty of coverage of many companies at WhatTheyThink’s Print 09 page, and the alphabetical list of the more than 650 vendors that took part in the event is still available at the Print 09 web site. Check these sources out—although the show may be over, the learning experience goes on.

Following is a summary of some of the more interesting developments in prepress that we discovered in conversations at various times during the show. It isn’t a comprehensive selection by any means. But, we do think it conveys the forward movement of this technology and gives a hint of the abundance of solutions now available to every printing business that wants to optimize the quality and efficiency of its prepress operations. Here’s the sampler: