A Drupa Preview

Last week more than 100 graphic arts journalists met in Düsseldorf, Germany, to preview some of the product launches planned for drupa 2012, now less than two months away.

In his welcome address, Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, CEO and president of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, noted that the show is sold out. All 19 halls have been reserved by more than 1,850 exhibitors from 50+ countries. More than 350,000 visitors are expected to attend the international printing equipment expo during its two-week run, May 3-16 (with the majority coming from outside of Germany).

Here are some of the technologies in-plants can expect to see at drupa:

• Heidelberg's stand will feature close to 60 innovations under the banner “Discover HEI.” One of the major highlights will be the launch of the Speedmaster SX sheetfed press series, said to offer the leading technology of existing Heidelberg presses in a new performance class to meet the changed market requirements, including heightened pricing pressure. Heidelberg has expanded its digital print portfolio through a partnership with Ricoh; all of its offerings are now bundled under the Heidelberg Linoprint product name. Its digital lineup includes the Linoprint C 901 and C 751. The next stage of this partnership will see Ricoh digital presses integrated with Heidelberg’s Prinect software.
• In its own stand, Ricoh will showcase its TotalFlow workflow portfolio, the Ricoh Pro C901 Graphic Arts Edition and Pro C751 color cut-sheet digital presses, and the InfoPrint 5000 VP continuous-feed color inkjet press, which prints at speeds up to 722 fpm. Ricoh will also present the newest addition to its color wide-format inkjet printer range—the Ricoh Aficio MP CW2200SP—designed to address the growing CAD market. It features Ricoh’s Liquid Gel ink for high productivity and improved line printing accuracy.
• Canon Europe’s drupa plan, which will incorporate Océ, will highlight customer success stories, introduce new industry research, feature innovative print applications and illustrate new ways in which customers can enhance their businesses. The full range of Canon and Océ technology will be one display, including the Océ ColorStream 3700 inkjet web press.
• Pitney Bowes will demonstrate the “Art of Success”—the on-stand message behind its display of the latest in communications management technology. The goal is to maximize the productivity, quality and efficiency of mail production with end-to-end solutions. Among the products shown will be the DFWorks White Paper Factory software for co-mingled job processing, and the new Mailstream Wrapper that replaces the envelope with a personalized “wrap.” Pitney Bowes will also feature its Volley Secure digital delivery service, a cloud-based digital mail communications platform that allows consumers to receive, view and manage bills, statements, direct marketing, catalogs, coupons and other content from multiple providers using a single application.
• Under its “Power to Succeed” banner, Fujifilm will have its largest-ever presence at drupa and will exhibit a range of new printing technologies, products and services. The company will be showcasing the Jet Press 720 sheeted inkjet press running live, launching the new Brillia HD PRO-T3 plate, and demonstrating major updates to its XMF Workflow and Production Management Suite, including a new cloud-based color management system, called XMF ColorPath. The new Acuity LED 1600 hybrid inkjet printer will make its debut in the Wide-Format Print Zone, which will also feature the the Onset S40, Acuity Advance and Uvistar II inkjet printers.
• Epson will be showcasing its next-generation SurePress “X” label press, which incorporates new single-pass micro piezo inkjet head technology and is the first Epson product to utilize UV ink. Building on the success of the Epson GS6000, the four-color SureColor SC-S30600 printer for POS, display, signage and décor applications will also be shown. It features the latest Epson TFP Micro Piezo printhead and uses Epson’s new UltraChrome GS2 ink-set. In addition, the company will demonstrate the six-color Epson SureLab SL-D3000 digital dry lab for high-quality photo print production. Designed for mini-lab retail environments, it can print on glossy, matte and lustre media up to 12" wide to produce photos, greeting cards, invitations, flyers and promotional leaflets. Other developments on display at drupa will include next-generation aqueous and dye inksets to support its range of new printing systems.
• “Offset OnDemand” will be the slogan for Komori’s drupa presentation, which will feature nine different printing presses. Among them will be two offset presses—an eight-color Lithrone G40P perfector and a five-color Lithrone S29—equipped with H-UV curing systems. Demonstrations in the Packaging Printing theatre will feature the new 41˝ Lithrone GX40 Carton press equipped with Komori’s non-stop delivery and automatic plate changing, which will make its worldwide debut at drupa. Also making its debut will be the Enthrone 29P, a 20-7/8 x 29-17/32˝ convertible perfector press available in configurations with up to five units and offering a maximum print speed of 13,000 sph. Heralding Komori’s entry into the digital printing market will be two new prototype inkjet printing machines, one sheetfed and the other webfed. The company also will demonstrate a print-on-demand device in its Offset OnDemand theatre.
• Screen will showcase its automated Web-to-delivery, print-on-demand solutions, driven by the EQUIOS universal workflow. On the output side, the latest enhancements to its Truepress Jet520 inkjet web press will be demonstrated, including the JetInspection JI-500 web inspection option, and the Truepress JetSX sheetfed inkjet press, previewed at Ipex 2010, will receive its commercial launch sporting several enhancements of its own. The company will also reveal new solutions for the wide-format inkjet and label printing segments. The company remains committed to providing computer-to-plate solutions as well, continuing to offer 26 models ranging from four- to 48-page configurations. It will expand the PlateRite FX family of thermal platesetters for the flexo market at drupa.
• In a departure from the other presentations, EFI elected to keep the focus on the positive growth the company has experienced in the past two years, with CEO Guy Gecht remarking, “Don’t stop me now because I am having such a good time.” Gecht highlighted some of the key areas where the company continues to innovate, such as labels and packaging, ceramic printing, digital front-ends, business process automation, online store fronts, tablet/mobile/cloud printing and office publishing. Although it is holding release of the specifics until April 3, EFI did reveal it will introduce a range of new products at drupa 2012, including advances in Fiery technology, MIS capabilities and wide-format inkjet printers.