The 44th International Graphic, Paper and Creative Industry Fair Grafima was officially opened on Wednesday, 18th September in Hall 4 of the Belgrade Fair. At the same time, the 30th International Fair of Bureau Equipment and Supplies – BIROEXPO and the 3rd Packaging Fair – PAK AM started working in the same space.
Under the slogan “More Colors”, this oldest and largest regional fair event intended to promote technological achievements in the graphic industry, publishing, printed media, production, finishing and processing of paper, design and advertising industry, gathered about 70 exhibitors of different profiles from ten countries.
On behalf of the hosts of the event, the company Difol and Brother, the opening ceremony of Grafima was attended by Regina Wilhelm, Communications and Environment Manager, and Cesare Gallo, Sales Director of the company Brother Internationale Industriemaschinen, and Đorđe Lukić, Executive Director of the company Difol, and Oliver Lepori, Executive Director of the Japanese Business Alliance in Serbia.
Addressing the audience, Regina Wilhelm noted that Grafima has positioned itself over the years as a place that promotes innovative technologies and solutions in the fields it deals with. “Grafima is focused on the quality and needs of its clients, and at the same time it provides all of us with the opportunity to expand our knowledge together, to find new clients and develop our business”.
Đorđe Lukić pointed to the fact that Difol has become one of the leaders in this industry and a reputable promoter of several global brands. From the company’s product range, he particularly recommended machines for printing on textiles, large-format printing and advertising material printing, which visitors could also see at the company’s stand.
Oliver Lepori reminded of the importance of this fair platform for strengthening business and cultural ties between Serbia and Japan. He emphasized that Japan, as the epicenter of technological innovation, recognized Serbia as a valuable partner.
The Grafima’s fair offer contains a rich selection of graphic machines and devices, which support a wide range of printing, design and creative needs, including digital printers, such as large-format printers (designed for printing on large formats of paper, foil, banners, posters and other large media, with advanced technologies such as solvent, latex or UV-LED inkjet printers); offset printers; screen printing machines; finishing machines (foilers, bending machines, punching machines, laminators…); digital cutting systems and perforators (including those that combine laser or plotter cutting with sophisticated software for design and automatic control); label printers; digital printers for textiles; 3D printers; plasticizing machines; bending and stapling machines etc.
A significant part of the fair is dedicated to software solutions that include programs for graphic design, image processing, 3D modeling, animation and other creative tools. Presentations of design services are not rare either, ranging from graphic design, through branding and marketing, to web design and multimedia content.
One of Grafima’s missions is to present global trends, which in recent years indicate significant progress in digitization and automation of processes, as well as an increasing focus on personalization and sustainability. Perhaps the most striking trend is the rise of digital printing, which enables highly customizable, small-batch products with fast delivery times, which is particularly important in sectors such as packaging and personalized promotion. In addition, 3D printing continues to grow, enabling the creation of complex shapes and structures that were previously impossible to manufacture, revolutionizing industries such as fashion, medicine or architecture. Software tools are becoming increasingly advanced, with a special emphasis on automation and robotics, and artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which are becoming inviolable in optimizing design processes, automating repetitive tasks, analyzing data, adapting marketing campaigns and generally improving the user experience. Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) are becoming increasingly important tools in the creative industries, providing new opportunities above all for interactive user experiences, especially in areas such as education, entertainment and marketing. Inkjet technology, high-resolution image processing, hybrid printing are also on the rise. Environmental sustainability is becoming a central aspect in all segments of the graphic industry, with the development of new materials and technologies that reduce the ecological footprint of production processes. Grafima strives to show that the future of the graphic industry lies in smart production and Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud computing and collaborative tools, blockchain technology, adaptive design (enables the creation of content that automatically adapts to different devices and screens, improving the user experience).
The emphasis of the professional and supporting program is on printing technology, graphic design and advertising material. The framework plan of this part of the event is given below.
WEDNESDAY, 18th SEPTEMBER
12:30 – 13:15 REDESIGN OF VISUAL IDENTITY
Lecturers: Dr Karolina Mudrinski, Sibila Petenji Arbutina, MSc and Srđan Dimitrov, MSc
Organized by the Higher Education Technical School of Vocational Studies from Novi Sad
13:30 – 14:00 INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE ON THE REVERSIBLE PROPERTIES OF THERMOCHROMIC PAINTS
Lecturer: Katarina Maričić
Organized by the Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad
14:30 – 15:00 CHANGES IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY – SUSTAINABILITY AND INDUSTRIAL PRINT
Lecturer: Regina Wilhelm
Organized by Brother internationale industriemaschinen, Dusseldorfer
15:15 – 16:45 APPLICATION OF THE NEW VISUAL IDENTITY TO BUSINESS DOCUMENTATION – PRINTING (EXAMPLES)
Lecturers: Sibila Petenji, MSc and Srđan Dimitrov, MSc
Organized by the Higher Education Technical School of Vocational Studies, Novi Sad
THURSDAY, 19th SEPTEMBER
12:00 – 12:45 LASER IN COMBINATION WITH THE PRINTING INDUSTRY, IN A SMART WAY
Lecturer: Anna Avdeeva from Gravotech Marking, France
13:15 – 13:45 THE INFLUENCE OF VISUAL SEARCH OF COLOR HARMONY WHEN PERFORMING THE ON-SCREEN VISUAL SEARCH TASKS
Lecturer: Nada Miketić
Organized by the Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad
FRIDAY, 20th SEPTEMBER
11:00 – 11:30 A NEW WAY OF CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRINTING MEDIA
Lecturer: Nikola Landoni
Company: Guandong, China
12:00 – 12:30 FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENA TO MONETIZATION OF SCREEN PIXELS
Lecturer: Jelena Kerac
Organized by the Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad
14:00 – 15:00
AWARD CEREMONY
The highest quality graphic products in different categories, i.e. product groups can expect symbolic awards – Gold, Silver, and Bronze Seals. The award ceremony is planned to be held on Friday, 20th September.
SERVICE INFORMATION
The working hours of the GRAFIMA, BIRO-EXPO and PAK-AM fairs on 18th and 19th September are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on 20th September from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Individual tickets cost 500 dinars, group tickets 350 dinars, group tickets for pupils and students enrolled in vocational schools cost 250 dinars, visitors registered through the B2B portal enter free of charge, and parking for cars in the fair area is 200 dinars per hour.
