If you print digitally and produce signage you will be making your way to the NEC in April for Sign & Digital UK which has grown 250 percent over the last six years to become a mainstream show – one of the reasons why the Digital and Screen Printing Association (DSPA) will be using it as its re-launch platform.

As show director Rudi Blackett points out, “the show has changed enormously since it launched 21 years ago. Our exhibitor base has grown to encompass all aspects of the sign industry and we’ve benefited from the significant growth of digital print. This year the show will reflect trends like the growth of UV technology and the further development of textile printing, plus the advances made by more cost effective flatbeds.”

The organiser is keen to point out that, perhaps surprisingly, there is little overlap in terms of exhibitors here and at the forthcoming Fespa Digital (or at Drupa) though you can expect some of the biggies to be showing their wares across all the various trade shows in 2008. Names perhaps worth noting at Sign & Digital UK are Oce, Epson, HP, Roland, Durst, FujiFilm Sericol, B&P, Gandinnovations, Raster Printers, Grafityp, Litho Supplies, Granthams, Revolution Transfers, Europoint Display and Applied Image Technology.

A full list of exhibitors can be found on the show’s website www.signuk.com, a list which indicates that you can still expect to see a fair proportion of the event to be given over to things like lighting displays, fascias, engraving etc., but the growth in digital print will mean more ink on substrate offerings too. And expect to see more partnership demonstrations – for instance, Océ (stand C20) will be teaming up with Zünd UK to show how a flatbed printer in combination with a digital cutter can improve productivity, reduce waste and reduce labour.

A neat little tool on the website lets you tick what areas you are interested in and lists relevant exhibitors so that may be worth trying before you set off.

Being held in halls 18 and 19 of the NEC (from 10am –5pm daily), Sign & Digital UK’s 2008 seminar and workshop programme has been worked on and is now a real attraction in itself, as you will see from the outline below:

Seminar Theatre
Here’s where seminars tackling key industry issues will take place. There’s a different programme each day (some talks are repeated over the course of the three day event), though there’s something of a focus on the environment with ‘The environmental issues - Z to A’ seminar taking place towards the end of each day.

Two companies will be looking at different aspects and benefits of ‘going green’. Steve Lister, business development manager at Robert Horne Sign and Display will be looking at the issues surrounding greener products, while Steve Wicks of Greenprint Consultancy will examine how businesses are best able to market their environmentally responsible activities, to both new and existing customers.

Another core theme is marketing and Berni Dack, founder of JB Marketing and Consultancy, will be providing a thought provoking masterclass entitled ‘Marketing on a shoestring’ to help you get the best return on your marketing investment. This will take you through the basics of marketing communications and Dack will outline the issues facing every small company and entrepreneur. At the end of the session (which are daily) you will be invited to bring some examples of your marketing material for professional comment.

The full seminar programme can be found on the show website, but other notable talks are ‘Getting started in digital signage; for the small sign maker’, ‘Growing a decorated apparel business with heat printing’ and ‘Dye sublimation and full-colour, photo quality and interior signs’.

Free Adobe and Corel Workshops
Warning! Get there early if you want to take the weight off your feet while you listen to how Adobe can help you improve your efficiency, develop your creativity and save you money through this free and very popular programme of seminars. Repeated on a daily basis, sessions include a look at the Adobe Bridge CS3 media manager, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop CS3, Adobe InDesign, Acrobat 8.0, Creative Suite, and a guided tour of Mac OS X Leopard. Each day ends with an ‘Ask Adobe’ session so you can put its experts on the spot.

You can also learn more about how to use CorelDraw Graphics via Corel’s workshops which will be applicable to a wide range of sign making techniques and formats. Again, a full programme of talks and workshops is on the show’s website.

Walsall College Theatre Masterclasses
If you’re going to spend more that a day in the Midlands during Sign & Digital UK why not visit the Walsall College Theatre to learn about the latest applications, technologies and practical tips and tricks that will optimise your equipment. For the show period the following events will be hosted at the college:

Back to top