Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1451376
VITAL SIGNS MATT DIXON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR AISLES OF OPPORTUNITY WANT TO KNOW MORE? Feel free to give me a call directly at 720-566-7286 or email me at mdixon@nbm.com. W ith trade shows back in full force and halls filled once again, we're finding a common theme among attendees: ey aren't the same businesspeople they were before COVID. For some of us, 2020 never really went away, and that year has simply had a Part 2 and Part 3. But for many others, it's been a constant dance of changing tunes and tempos all to stay ahead of the competition or just stay above water. ere are a lot of gizmos, gadgets, and dynamic new equipment to look at to get you caught up on what's hap- pened behind the scenes these last few years. One of the more prominent developments has been the growth of direct-to-film printing, which you can read about starting on page 42 of this month's magazine. Like any printing system, this might not be the be-all-end-all for your shop, but it does have its advantages whether you are looking to jump into a new market or just complement your other production techniques to avoid outsourcing. What we also see are some return- ing attendees finding options to get around supply chain issues. e aisles are filled with options for alternatives to allow you to fulfill your customers' orders. Options you can hold, feel, and often sample to make sure you aren't ordering online based on a thumbnail image while hoping for the best. When I was in Indianapolis recently for GR APHICS PRO EXPO, I took in the opportunity to experiment with sandcarving. It took me about 10 minutes to get the rundown and reminded me of my first job using a spray nozzle to wash dishes in a restaurant … and it was a million times less gross. Not sure how my co-work- ers would take it if I turned my cubicle into a staging area for a new sandcarving side hustle. ey'd probably accept it pretty quickly after seeing GR APHICS PRO-branded pilsner glasses I'd make for them. Also not sure how the corner office would look upon that, but it's their own fault for sending me to trade shows where business opportunities are abundant down every aisle. 8 G R A P H I C S P R O J U L Y 2 0 2 2 G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M DIRECTOR OF SALES JAMES "RUGGS" KOCHEVAR jkochevar@nbm.com EXECUTIVE EXPO SALES MANAGER PRINTWEAR AND A&E MARKETS BRANDY JAMISON-NETH brandy@nbm.com EXPO SALES MANAGER SIGN & DIGITAL GRAPHICS MARKET SARA REESE sreese@nbm.com DIRECTOR, EVENT OPERATIONS JACKIE RAMSIER jramsier@nbm.com EXHIBITOR SERVICES MANAGER JOIE MARTIN jmartin@nbm.com PRESIDENT DAVE POMEROY VICE PRESIDENT / AUDIENCE & EVENTS LORI FARSTAD VICE PRESIDENT / FINANCE KORI GONZ ALES, CPA VICE PRESIDENT / CONTENT REGAN DICKINSON DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL SERVICES WOLF BUTLER MULTIMEDIA CONTENT MANAGER DREW COOPER CEO & OWNER ROBERT H. WIEBER, JR. 10170 Church Ranch Way, Ste 400, Westminster, CO 80021 ( 800 ) 669-0424 | ( 303 ) 469-0424 | FAX ( 303 ) 469-5730 W W W.G R A P H I C S - P R O.C O M PRESIDENT DAVE POMEROY dpomeroy@nbm.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR MAT T DIXON mdixon@nbm.com MANAGING EDITOR ALLEE BRUCE abruce@nbm.com DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR MARIE FENNEMA mfennema@nbm.com ART DIRECTOR LINDA CRANSTON linda@nbm.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER IVETH GOMEZ igomez@nbm.com MEDIA CONSULTANT, WEST RYAN APPLEBAUM rapplebaum@nbm.com MEDIA CONSULTANT, EAST DESIREE DELFRARI ddelfrari@nbm.com SALES SUPPORT SYDNEY BATCH sbatch@nbm.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PAULA AVEN GLADYCH, MATT CHARBONEAU, JENNIFER COX, REED HECHT, CHARITY JACK- SON, AARON MONTGOMERY, HOWARD POTTER, STEPHEN ROMANIELLO, JULIA SCHROEDER, KRISTINE SHREVE, SHELLEY WIDHALM, LON WINTERS, RICK WILLIAMS, DOUG ZENDER EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD DAN BAREFOOT, ERICH CAMPBELL, MAT T CHARBONEAU, DANE CLEMENT, BOB HAGEL, KERRIE MALLORY-THOMPSON, BRADEN TODD, LON WINTERS EDITORIAL INTERN NATHAN STROMBERG nstromberg@nbm.com IN THIS ISSUE: INK TECHNOLOGY PAGE 18 GRAPHIC FILMS PAGE 28 DIRECT-TO-FILM PRINTING PAGE 42 MEMORIAL PRODUCTS PAGE 58 SPECIAL SECTION: CUSTOM GIFT ANNUAL PAGE 70