Expo Bound: Keeping An Open Mind

Aaron Chrisman will be among the people from all corners of the printing industry checking out the show floor at PRINTING United Expo 2025. The manager of Print & Mail Services at Tempe, Arizona’s Salt River Project last attended the Expo three years ago, but this year, he’s making the trek to Orlando, Florida, for two big reasons.

For one, Chrisman is looking to get some additional wide-format equipment to supplement the banner, sticker, and signage work his in-plant does.

Aaron Chrisman

“We had wide-format a couple years ago, and we had both roll-feed and flatbed,” Chrisman says. “We ended up moving our location and when we moved, it didn't appear that I was going to have enough space for my flatbed, so I ended up selling it. Then once we got moved into the building and everything settled in, I realized I do have space, so I want to bring it back in.”

The other reason Chrisman is heading to the show is to investigate options for data collection software. He says most of the shop's data collection is done manually now, so a software solution that automates some of that process is a high priority — especially because the in-plant is moving toward more customer-centric projects with dynamic printing and variable data.

Last time he attended the Expo, Chrisman was on the lookout for production inkjet equipment. While his shop ultimately decided to go in a different direction, he was struck by just how much the show floor had to offer.

“The kinds of things that were there, I was kind of surprised about, with some of the promotional items printing and … T-shirts and hats and all kinds of things that I didn't expect to see there,” he recalls. “I come from an offset printing background, so I'd never seen any of that type of equipment before, so I was pretty impressed with that stuff.”

Aaron Chrisman with Salt River Project’s Summa S2 T140 roll-fed contour cutter.

But the show floor is not the only thing the Expo has to offer. Chrisman has a list of education sessions he’s attending, specifically ones that focus on mail.

“Although I've been in it for two and a half years now with mail, I'm still learning every day. There's so much more to mail than I ever thought there would be,” he says. “So I did see there's some classes in there that are related to mail, so I look forward to those.”

For members of the in-plant community attending the show, Chrisman offers this advice: have a plan for what you want to look at, but don’t make it too rigid.

“Open your mind to other alternatives as well if it fits you. So if I'm looking for wide-format, maybe there's something else out there that would fit my needs versus what I think I need,” he says. “So, I'm always open to trying new things and seeing new alternatives for things … because you never know what you're going to find out.”