Leading publishers, book prints, distributors, & suppliers from North America, U.K. & Europe convene at the Frankfurt Book Fair for INTERQUEST event

Charlottesville, VA & Frankfurt, Germany - INTERQUEST, a leading market and technology research and consulting firm serving the digital printing and publishing industry, today announced a successful return engagement for its digital book printing forum held as part of the 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair. The full-day educational forum focused on trends and opportunities in digital book manufacturing and was held in conjunction with the Frankfurt Book Fair on Thursday, October, 11th. Speakers from a variety of countries participated in sessions involving publishing, printing, and supply chain issues.

According to Gilles Biscos, President of INTERQUEST, "We were extremely pleased to return to the Book Fair for the second straight year and were rewarded with a lively and engaged audience. Digital printing is rapidly gaining traction in the European market for many of the same reasons that have explained its success in North America: the growth of eBooks and heightened attention to the print supply chain which is driving shorter book production runs. The forum provides a rare opportunity for book industry professionals to network and share valuable information about their perspectives on the book market. This was a truly international event with speakers from the US, Canada, and Europe. The quality of the presentations and interaction with the attendees was outstanding."

Gilles Biscos, President of INTERQUEST, Ltd., kicked off the forum with an update on major trends in the industry along with key results from recent INTERQUEST research conducted in Europe and North America. Mr. Biscos also reviewed technology developments announced over the past six months at major events like drupa in Germany and Graph Expo in Chicago.

As part of the opening presentation, a panel of leading players from key industry sectors provided their visions of the market and discussed key issues for the book industry. Panelists included: David Hetherington, Vice President, Academic/Educational Merchandising & Digital Printing, Baker & Taylor; Lynn Kaplanian-Buller, Director, American Book Center in Amsterdam; and Guillaume de Courcy, Managing Director, SAGIM.

The audience then heard from leading European printers in a Book Printers Progress Report Panel. Speakers included: Nicolas von Muehlenen, Managing Director, Edubook AG, from Switzerland; Frédéric Fabi, President & CEO, Groupe Dupli-Print, from France; and Guillaume de Courcy, Marketing Director, SAGIM, from France.

Following lunch executives from principal digital printing and finishing systems vendors provided updates of their companies' strategies and developments in the book market. They also discussed topics and key issues that will help continue the growth of digital book manufacturing. Speakers included: Erwin Busselot, Marketing Director Digital Printing, Kodak Graphic Communications Group EMEA; Christoph Gauss, Manager Business Development Graphic Arts Solutions, Océ Printing Systems; Beno"t Chatelard, General Manager, Production Printing Solutions, Ricoh Europe; and Jo Oliphant, European Marketing Manager, Xerox.

Toby Cobrin, a Director at INTERQUEST presented additional INTERQUEST research findings, followed by two speaker panels rounding out the afternoon sessions. The first panel focused on challenges and developments relating to workflow, paper handling and finishing, and ink and substrates in digital book printing applications. Speakers included Reto Amherd, Sales & Product Manager Digital Solutions, Muller Martini; Pierre Barki, President, Barki Agency; and Guillaume de Courcy, Managing Director, SAGIM.

The day ended with a panel of publishers who shared their experiences with digital printing and discussed trends and perspectives of printed books and eBooks. Speakers from international publishing houses included: Ann Arnow, Executive Vice President, Bridge Publications Inc. from the U.S.; Gerard Willemsen, Production Manager, Nieuw Amsterdam, from the Netherlands; and Antoine Del Busso, Managing Director, Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal from Canada.

The Frankfurt Digital Book Printing Forum is sponsored by the leading players in the market, including Kodak, Muller Martini, Océ/Canon, Ricoh, Screen, and Xerox.