RESTON, VA – Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC) today announced that it will host a special display of U.S. Army mobile printing capability at the upcoming GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO, October 10 -13, 2004 at McCormick Place South, Chicago, IL. This educational display of nearly 2,400 square feet, will feature a U.S. Army Psychological Operations mobile printing team, using a system called the Deployable Print Production Center (DPPC), consisting of a work shelter, mounted on a Humvee, towing an equipment trailer. The display will offer live demonstrations of the U.S. Army’s on-site mobile printing capability. The system, equipped with operating presses, is used to print various psychological operations leaflets, flyers, and communiqués for foreign audiences in the field. It was used in action most recently during Operation Iraqi Freedom. “We’re particularly pleased to host this special display at this year’s event, as it sheds some light on an area of military service that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the media. It shows that printing is still a key communications tool globally, and that it can be used to touch our lives in ways most people don’t think about very often,” noted Regis J. Delmontagne, President of the Graphic Arts Show Company, the show’s producer. “We’re glad the U.S. Department of Defense has seen the value in displaying such material to the printing public. Additionally, it shows that printing as a trade is still a very viable and useful career path, no matter where you start your career,” he added. The 15-year-old unit has been employed by military battalions based out of Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; Joliet, Illinois; and Los Alamitos, California; and is assigned to the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne). It is capable of traveling to field locations on a moment’s notice not only to provide communications support for forward troops, but also to support communications operations of an overt nature as part of the overall battle plan. The equipment, including a high-speed Risograph Duplicator, PC graphics platform using Corel Draw, high-quality color scanner, color LaserJet printer, and cutting equipment, has been slightly modified to meet U.S. Army specification for this type of activity, including shock mounting for portability. The unit is completely portable, and includes its own power source in the form of a generator for use in remote areas, and a portable heater for use in cold climates, to heat the tent, equipment and its occupants. The RISO units used in the unit can produce over 1,800 2 ¾ x 5 ½ four over four leaflets an hour, and over 90,000 in a 48-hour period, giving the unit the ability to respond quickly to new situations that require communications support, and to react to changing political climates quickly, giving the U.S. army an additional weapon for deployment in politically charged battle zones. The unit requires 2-5 soldiers to operate, including 2 illustrators, 2 printers and a maintenance technician, who have specialized training. The unit, with its tow vehicle and coverage tent, called a Deployable Rapid-Assembly Shelter (DRASH) tent, will be in booth #977 in McCormick Place South, and will be offering demonstrations of the actual equipment used in battle situations, and producing materials on site. GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO is produced by GASC annually, and is the largest most comprehensive annual tradeshow for the graphic communications industry in the Americas. More detailed information on this event can be found at www.graphexpo.com.