Hot Type

Published: January 01, 2008, By By Deborah Donberg, Associate Managing Editor

More than 1,100 exhibitors are expected to greet 24,000 attendees at the 30th anniversary of Graphics of the Americas, scheduled for February 27 — March 1 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. According to the Printing Assn. of Florida, sponsor and manager of the event, Graphics of the Americas will be a blend of digital and traditional print.

Technology, systems, and software exhibits and programs will focus on packaging, presses, digital printing, art/graphic design products, consumable supplies, prepress equipment, postpress, finishing equipment, workflow software, and more. Located on the show floor will be the Security Printing Showcase, a targeted exhibit group comprising ink, paper, and substrate manufacturers, distributors, dealers, software, and suppliers specializing in counterfeit deterrence.

During a gala held on the evening of February 27 at the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, two men will be honored as 2008 Graphics Arts Leaders of the Americas: Barry Meinerth, Time Inc., representing North America, and Enrique Cortés Pinto, Publygraf, representing Latin America.

Conferences Convene

Once again GOA will include a comprehensive conference program. The Brand Protection Conference: Integrating Security Innovations runs for two days and includes a wide range of technologies and educational curricula needed for printers and converters to assist in their customers' brand protection efforts.

Eight sessions will cover topics including secure substrates, inks, and finishing as well as applications that include holograms and RFID. In addition, two case study sessions will review knockoff and counterfeit examples and how they could have been deterred.

Subsequent sessions will explore how to qualify suppliers and buyers, with a review of various security protocols, standards, and certifications. Wrapping up the conference will be a review of new security printing technologies and packaging design opportunities and challenges.

The Brand Protection Conference: Integrating Security Innovations is scheduled for Friday, February 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pricing for the conference will be $695 for the full conference or $95 ala carte per session.

GOA also will host the InDesign and Pixel/Vector Conferences, February 26 — March 1. The two conferences will offer flexible pricing for attendees with passes for one through three days as well as a platinum pass, allowing attendees unlimited access to five days of conference sessions.

Eighteen internationally renowned instructors will deliver more than 40 sessions covering material such as handling images, streamlining workflow, and managing output quality. The event also will include special overviews and in-depth training on InDesign CS3; a full-day course on Mastering the Adobe Suite; and additional half-day paid tutorials covering Flash, Java-scripting, XML workflows, and the essentials of Acrobat PDFs. Quick Start courses will cover InDesign Essentials and the InCopy/InDesign Workflow.

The Pixel/Vector Conference teaches Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator users how to create high quality work efficiently. Attendees will learn what tools to select and when to use them to get the best results.

The Pixel/Vector conference also will offer sessions for PhotoShop users that focus on how to harness the power of pixels for tonal and color correction, preparing images for print, web output, and other utility features for designers. Special sessions will cover using both Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator together. Get up and running fast in Illustrator CC by harnessing the knowledge you have from working in Photoshop.

The 2008 edition of GOA also marks the debut of the Design for Personalized Communication Conference, and Artes Graficas will present its 3rd annual Spanish Seminar Series, dedicated to Spanish speakers.

For more information on the show, visit www.graphicsoftheamericas.com.

Exhibition Hours

• February 28 | 11:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M.
• February 29 | 10:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M.
• March 1 | 10:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M.