These are the runway trends for Spring '08. What?? I'm supposed to be writing about production printing industry trends to be seen at On Demand '08? Oops, well alright, hmmm…. I suppose those trends apply also to production printing '08.

With Fashion Week in NYC earlier this month and the upcoming finale of the reality show Project Runway, fashion is on the radar lately. Now for all of you who just zoned out, stay with me….

Volume. The runway shows consisted of short swishing skirts with lots of volume. On Demand exhibitors will present devices with increasing speeds and feeds, thus enabling higher volumes in less time (and increased ROI). High-speed DOD and CIJ de-vices would be nice to see in operation, but I think (and being a hardware junkie, I hope I'm wrong) that On Demand is probably a "bridesmaid" this year, with Drupa the "bride" - the showcase for product displays and intros.

Black & White with color. On the catwalk the spring palette was black, white, grey, with red, yellows, primaries and splashes of pastels. Did you know Pantone (yes, our Pantone) puts out a Fashion Color Report? In the production space, we've been in the monochrome world of blacks and halftones, with perhaps some spot color; and as of late are experiencing more and more color. And why not? Color sells. Color equals increased revenue. So, in the TransPromo arena, it's the way to go. Vibrant reds, blinding yellows, invigorating blues, Pantone matches, beautiful imagery on my charge bill, tailored to just me. It's a colorful world, let's see it in print! Exhibitors at On Demand will eagerly show us how.

Transparency. What lies beneath those fabrics? Fashion designers showed underthings peeking out from under the volume of layers. And at On Demand, exhibitors will be showing what lies beneath as well — software solutions, workflow software, managed services for Direct Mail Marketing, VDP services, etc. Once the battle of speeds and feeds steps out of the spotlight (but, will it ever really?), this is the area of differentiation. I expect solutions to be the major theme of the show.

Eco-friendly. Natural, organic, and even re-used fabrics were seen on the runway and 'green' is expected to be a resounding theme at On Demand. With environmental stewardship at the forefront of our industry, including recycling efforts, waste management, energy reduction, etc., 'green' should be the predominant color of the conference.

There are ever-changing trends in the fashion world, but it always comes down to focus on fit and quality. The same holds true in the printing world – there may be changes in year-to-year focus, but ultimately, users need hardware and solutions that fit their production needs and budgets, while providing quality output.

See you on the runway at On Demand!

Catherine Fiasconaro
Vice President, Operations
Director, SpencerLab Digital Color Laboratory