Technologies in harmony
Hybrid systems will abound at the show, and HP itself will expand its reach beyond standalone digital presses and into on-press technology, launching a new imprinting module for variable printing on offset presses.
Environmental and eco-initiatives will be key messages for a host of exhibitors, of which more in our special Environment preview to be published on 5 April. And packaging and so-called functional printing, such as printed conductors, will be increasingly high-profile.
A plethora of printing equipment manufacturers – including Heidelberg, KBA and Komori – view packaging as a key growth area because packs can’t easily be replaced by electronic media. And both Screen and Fujifilm will show packaging versions of their B2-format sheetfed inkjet presses.
Drupa also marks a brand new entrant to the packaging arena in the shape of Goss International, which will launch its new Sunday Vpak web presses at the show.
"Packaging print volumes will grow. There is no electronic displacement – it will be a long time before you can email a piece of chocolate around the world," says Goss chief executive Jochen Meisner.
The Vpak uses Goss quick-change sleeve technology and holds out the promise of "infinitely variable repeat lengths" through the simple expedient of changing the sleeves. Goss aims to convince packaging printers that this option has benefits over conventional methods. "Against sheetfed, our advantage is productivity; versus flexo it is print quality, ease of colour adjustment on-press and lower plate costs; and versus gravure it is faster makeready," says Goss director of product management for packaging, Peter Walczak.
In the allied area of label printing there’s a considerable amount of development going on in digital printing solutions, and we can anticipate further progress from EFI, Domino and Epson – and a new product from Screen – in the realm of digital inkjet presses targeting the labels market.
The ROI decisions factoring in initial equipment price, productivity, and price-per-page are becoming ever-more complex. Alongside the array of shiny new presses of all types, expect plenty of business advice about how to make money from them, too: Ricoh will be promoting its next-generation Business Driver Programme and Canon is adding a mentoring programme to its Business Builder offering. Application hubs abound: Heidelberg will build five different integrated print shops to highlight ‘highly promising’ business models for different types of printing. Xerox plans five separate ‘application conversation stations’ focusing on selling and producing profitable jobs.
Which brings us back to the showmanship theme. Amid a superabundance of show-stopping spectacles planned for Drupa, Xerox will be providing a taste of the real big top with daily Cirque du Soleil performances on its stand. Roll up, roll up indeed.