18th September 2008: The printing industry is well known for inciting passionate opinions and Total Print! Expo (14-16 October 2008, Earls Court 2, London) offers printers and print buyers opportunities to hear those opinions, as well as airing their own, in the Print Debates held on the first 2 days of the show.

Leading industry experts will be locking horns to debate ‘Is printing in conflict with environmental objectives?’ and ‘Who wins in the short run print market – the conflict between digital and offset?’.

“Building on the success and popularity of last year’s debate panels, we expect even stronger interest and participation this year,” says Roberta McKee-Jackson edp, director of operations at Xplor UK & Ireland and organiser of the events. “We are focusing on two very different issues, but both are having a significant impact on the competitiveness of print businesses today. I expect things could get quite lively!”

Tuesday 14 October
Is printing in conflict with environmental objectives?
Moderator: Clare Taylor Clare Taylor Consulting Panellists: James Todd Heidelberg, and Pat McGrew edp Kodak Graphic Communications Group
As the worldwide awareness of global warming and its environmental impact continues to grow, the question becomes ‘Is the micro-economic world of printing doing its bit in helping address environmental issues?’ We are no longer just thinking in terms of using recycled products, but in broader terms for carbon footprint, sustainability of resources, greening the entire supply chain, to name but a few. This debate will consider how print businesses are functioning today environmentally, the challenges they face in addressing environmental objectives, adoption by the business community, and addressing consumer perceptions that print is not environmentally friendly.

Wednesday 15 October
Who wins in the short run print market – the conflict between offset and digital?
Moderator: James Shand edp e-knows Consultants Panellists: Pat McGrew edp Kodak Graphic Communications Group, Barney Cox Haymarket Business Media, and Chris Pearce-Ramwell B2Advantage
Transpromo is a digital printing industry term that has been around for some years and more recently has been partnered with TransInfo – but what do they really mean for business and how do they drive short-run printing applications? This question applies to the commercial printers, from the very large operations to the very small, as well as to those companies who are primarily digital printers. As the commercial market subscribes to more digital applications utilising variable data, personalisation and targeted marketing, the question of what really is ‘short run’ comes to the forefront. Short run is a very subjective term – the offset world thinks in terms of volume where the digital world is more driven by TransPromo/TransInfo segmentation. This debate will consider trends in the UK, why the implementation of such applications has been slow to penetrate the UK market and operational impacts to printers.

“This year’s Print Debate topics reflect two of the key issues affecting printers today,” explains Richard Gayle. “The panellists are known for their forthright views so it will be interesting if they reach consensus or agree to disagree!”

The lunch time Print Debates are free to attend, start at 1pm, with refreshments available from 12.45pm.