FFTA Annual Forum and INFO*FLEX hit Florida in 2005

The Foundation of Flexographic Technical Association (FFTA)’s 2005 Annual Forum and INFO*FLEX Exhibition will be hosted at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, FL, March 20-23. The organizers are promising that the event will introduce new sessions, address the latest trends and technologies, and encourage serious discussion of a number of hot topics in our industry today.
Forum 2005’s Opening Session will feature scientific data presented by William Pope of RIT that will address the practicality and functionality of four-color process. It will be followed by a discussion among representatives holding various different positions in consumer product companies (CPCs). A heavy emphasis will be placed on getting educational institutions to rally behind the notion of promoting four-color process and two spot colors.
“The use of CMYK, Hexachrome and Opaltone have not typically been taught by the universities,” said Haynes. “You do see it on the offset side, but not on the flexo side. Most schools don’t have that.”
“The education industry has to be a little better defined for us,” added Rosenberger. “We're trying to understand exactly what is being taught by our printing education industry. Who’s teaching flexo, and who’s just teaching graphic communications?”
Other items on the agenda include two brand new sessions. The Art and Science Session is targeted to strike a balance between the levels of science and craft in flexo printing. “Flexo is often considered an art, but with the tools that we have now, we can make this more of a science and gain control of the process,” stated Haynes. The Business and Procurement Session, an early addition to the Forum lineup, will provide a new perspective on the printing process.
“Procurement really is motivating the purchases in our industry,” said Rosenberger, “so we wanted to give people in procurement—who are a lot of the people who come to the Forum—an opportunity to exchange ideas in a session. Many people who come to the FFTA Forum are not necessarily technical.”