DIGITAL PRINTERPaul Manning, Sales director, Printflow
"To be honest, it is not really on our agenda at the moment. I imagine we will hear more about it as next year progresses but until then I am not sure. We’ve made capital equipment investments recently so, going forward, the software side of things will be of greater interest to us and I don’t know how big a part of Northprint that will be. Location-wise, I think it will prove to be too far away compared to closer shows such as Ipex and Media Pro. That said, I think it represents a great opportunity for northern printers to see new equipment in action."
COMMERCIAL PRINTERMartin Lett Jnr, director, Marstan Press
"Personally, I don’t think we will be going as we visited Ipex and subsequently invested around £80,000 in our finishing department so we are up to date across the board now. For many businesses, though, I think it will prove to be a popular show thanks, in part, to its location. Equally though, I don’t think that many companies will be considering capital equipment investments. If you were in a position to invest, you probably would have done so at Ipex – it will be interesting to see how things turn out when Northprint comes around."
COMMERCIAL PRINTERRoger Severn, managing director, Aquatint BSC
"I hadn’t planned to go to Northprint, and, in fact, I’ve never actually been. Distance is a concern so I have never really looked into what’s on at the show – perhaps I should. However, with Ipex and Drupa, I get all the news I need and we are still following up on projects that were kickstarted at Ipex. The only plus point for Northprint is that, as change is happening so fast, maybe it’s a good time to see if anything has changed since Ipex. If some of the bigger guys such as Manroland are getting involved again it’s quite a statement for the show. I felt their approach at Ipex was certainly bold and different."
PRINT FINISHERDavid Nestor, managing director, First 4 Print Finishing
"To be honest, we are more likely to wait for a bigger show, such as Drupa or Ipex, to come along. There will be more exhibitors at these shows – different exhibitors too – and a chance to see something new; most manufacturers will leave their big announcements for then. At a time when most people are struggling to put their hand in their pocket, I think it is probably too much to have a show less than 12 months after Ipex. Surely any company with money to spend would have spent it in Birmingham rather than holding off specifically for Northprint."
