PALO ALTO, Calif. - HP today announced its participation in the annual Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany where it will reframe the debate on the future of the printed book and share how new print technologies are transforming the publishing industry.

As sponsor of the Frankfurt Academy’s “Trends & Innovations” track, HP representatives and customers will participate in a series of events across the five-day book fair, highlighting how publishers are using HP digital printing solutions to grow their existing businesses, reduce operational inefficiencies and unlock new market opportunities.

The Beauty of the Book

At the center of HP’s presence at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the company will outline its vision of the future of high-quality illustrated books during ‘The Beauty of the Book,’ an exclusive gathering of leading publishers of art books, exhibition guides, museum catalogs and coffee table books.

During the event, Nick Clements, HP Indigo publishing expert, discusses how the nature of books are transforming from the traditional role as a means of knowledge transfer to now serving as an expression of the values and personality of the reader.

Joining HP are three publishers presenting insights into their own publishing work, including how HP Indigo digital printing helped them to meet the needs of a changing market. Participating publishers include:

• Jane Hyne, production director, National Gallery Company shares how the U.K. company takes advantage of the fast turnaround times enabled by HP Indigo digital presses to avoid costly out of stock for exhibition catalogs.
• Rémi Faucheux, publisher and co-founder, RVB Books discusses how the niche French publishing house has built a successful business around short-run production, enabling it to build an extensive catalog faster and with less investment than traditional art book publishers.
• Francis Atterbury, partner, Hurtwood Press shows how the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press has allowed the U.K.-based company to launch a new imprint to serve previously inaccessible niche markets.

HP at the Fair

HP is demonstrating its commitment to the publishing industry by participating in several additional seminars and break-out sessions:

• Educational publishing at the new CONTEC conference:
  • HP’s Doug Sexton and Udi Chatow highlight how print is an essential element of educational publishing, even in a world where e-delivery of education content is growing.
  • Udi Chatow, worldwide business development manager for education, HP Graphics Solutions Business, will also participate as a panelist during an interactive session examining the implications of the highly disruptive higher education and academic publishing segment.
  • Hybrid printing: Sexton also speaks in a seminar on the hybrid printing market, demonstrating how digital book printing works together with conventional print and e-books.
  • Children’s books: HP customer and founders of LostMy.name, Tal Oron and Asi Sharabi, explore how their start-up company has reinvented children’s books using digital printing. The company charms and enchants young readers with personalized books that blend the online and printed worlds.
  • Professional & scientific publications: Rombout Eikelenboom, managing director of Printforce, one of Europe's largest digital printing companies, explains how his company helps some of the largest Scientific, Technical & Medical publishers in the world to reduce costs and increase revenue by employing a short-run digital print model.