With Drupa 2012 over, and a whole new range of technology for printers to look forward to using, Rob Fletcher takes a look at some of the highlights and key trends to come out of the two weeks in Düsseldorf.

When you try and explain Drupa to someone outside of the industry, it really is difficult to put it into perspective. The sheer size of the event is astounding, let alone the number of exhibitors and visitors you get to meet along the way. As a self-confessed Drupa virgin, I was also unsure of what to expect – thinking ‘it can’t really be that big can it?’—but how wrong I was.

One the way to the Messe on day one, I was full of hope and anticipation of what I was about to experience. The route from our hotel to the Messe was adorned with red, fluttering Drupa flags, with wide-format work and signage also helping publicise the event. Arriving at the Messe, I saw for the first time why manufacturers value the event so highly.

The seemingly never ending hall space, visitors queuing out the door and enough equipment to keep people talking for a long time. Full of anticipation and hope, nothing could prepare the industry for what we were about to witness on day one in Düsseldorf.

Landa has landed

Just a couple of hours into the event and what many considered to be the biggest announcement of the entire two weeks took place. Benny Landa, the man behind the HP Indigo brand, claims to have ‘reinvented’ the printing press by launching his Nanographic printing technology.

In an exclusive interview with printmonthlytv.com, Landa said that the experience had been ‘amazing’ and the response from visitors had been ‘unbelievable’.

“Everyone is saying the same thing; the future of this industry is Nanographic printing. It gives the customers a high level of confidence in this industry, and that it was they have been lacking,” Landa told printmonthlytv.com.

Six Nanographic printing press for short-to-medium run lengths were unveiled on the Landa stand in hall 9. The new range compromises of three sheetfed presses—B1 to B3—capable of producing 13,500 sheets per hour for its top model, as well as three web presses that can print up to 200m per minute. The presses are also capable of printing onto a range of substrates.

What strikes you most about the new presses is how modern they look—featuring a unique touch screen interface, the range has an almost iPad or iPod feel about them. In terms of other technology involved, a key part in Landa NanoInk—an ink that is just tens of nanometeres in size.

Many have predicted this technology could change the shape of the print market, but what could be most important here is the belief in the future of the industry. Why invest in something such as this new technology if the industry does not have a future? Landa has gifted printers all around the world with something that could shape the future of their business and give them the boost they so vitally needed.

Landa was keen to stress that the new technology is intended to ‘complement, not replace’ offset printing—a move which will strengthen the market as a whole. In terms of interest from the market, Landa has already announced a number of distribution agreements with manufacturing giants Manroland, Heidelberg and Komori.

Landa has also confirmed that the equipment will not be available to use for at least another year, explaining: “We’re not going to be shipping for about another year to a year-and-a-half, and that is to make sure that the presses are fully tested and proven. We need to do that on our own site, not on customer sites.”

Despite this, there has been plenty of interest from printers, including UK firm Lexon Group. Chief executive Malcolm Davis signed a deal at Drupa for a B2 Landa Nanographic printing press after being ‘blown away’ by a demonstration of the technology.

Debating digital

Despite the new Landa technology, there was plenty more to see elsewhere in the Messe. To analyse every new piece of kit that was unveiled in Germany would be enough to fill the magazine for the rest of the year. It is the key growth and investment areas that the market is most interested in—what sectors can printers make money from?

The 2008 instalment was seen as the inkjet Drupa, where exhibitors were keen to push forward the value and benefits of digital print. Although this was four years ago and new technology has entered the market place, many people Print Monthly spoke to still saw great growth potential for digital this time round.

A quick glance around many of the halls revealed the huge amount of investment there clearly still is in the digital sector. Huge stands were erected, by the likes of Kodak, HP, Konica Minolta, Ricoh and Canon in order for manufacturers to display as much equipment as possible, helping to show visitors there is still room for growth in this sector.

Kodak, exhibiting at a large event for the first time since its recent difficulties, was keen to show its commitment to the future of commercial print. The firm’s director and vice president marketing, commercial business, Chris Payne, said the response from visitors had been ‘tremendous’.

“All the products on the stand are new and are going to add to our business.,” Payne told printmonthlytv.com, adding: “We’ve clearly communicated with our customers that this is a central part of or business moving forward and we’ve seen that in all our customer reaction. They’ve been very supportive of us.”

Alongside the press manufacturers themselves, other types companies in the print industry have also followed suit in planning out their new product lines. For example, Paper manufacturer Sappi pinpointed digital as a key trend at this Drupa and developed a new product in preparation for it.

“It is about the digitalisation of the printing process in general. I think that goes from the whole computer-to-plate to the end process, and within this digitalisation process, Sappi wants to play a role and add value in terms of a product,” Sappi’s director of marketing and sales, Marco  Eikelenboom, explained to printmonthlytv.com.

Elsewhere, fellow paper manufacturer Mondi also identified the potential growth digital could bring to the company, and developed a number of products in response to this.

“You can see by the size by the booths of the digital print manufacturers that there’s clearly a shift from traditional offset litho towards digital print,” Mondi’s marketing and sales director, Johannes Klump told printmonthlytv.com, adding: “Two years ago we decided go more into the digital print market and, as a result of that, we have developed quite a number of new products which we have brought to the market.”

Widen your vision

As well as organisers using wide-format to help promote the event around Düsseldorf, there was plenty on show inside the Messe itself. Manufacturers turned to the media to help promote their own stands, with the outside of the halls adorned with the likes of Kodak, EFI and HP.

Talking to people at the event, many of them felt that this Drupa saw the strongest presence of wide-format manufacturers. The likes of Mimaki, Agfa Graphics and EFI were all in attendance, while the likes of Ricoh and Epson also unveiled their latest wide-format technologies. And why? Quite simply, the growth of demand for wide-format work and the fantastic opportunity it presents to commercial printers around the world.

Epson UK’s market development manager for pro graphics, Martin Johns, explained to printmonthlytv.com that the firm targeted Drupa to unveil the new products due to the growth in the wide-format market, commenting: “I think it is a massive growth area and I think it has huge potential, which is why we are investing so much money into new products and bringing them to market. This is the first public showing in the world of these products.”

Epson unveiled two new additions to its SureColor S series on its stand, to support the release of the SC-S30600 model at Sign and Digital UK earlier this year. The SC-S50600 model has two by four colour with dual printhead, also boasting speeds of up to 53sq m per hour. The SC-S70600 version has eight or ten colour with metallic silvers and whites, which Epson claims will give higher quality prints.

Johns also explained that the firm’s new SureColor four-colour aqueous based products had also been attracting visitors as more people looked to move into the sector. Aimed at the CAD, point-of-sale and indoor signage markets, the SC-T7000, SC-T5000 and SC-T3000 can print on media up to 44", 36" and 24".

Mimaki’s marketing manager for Europe, Mike Horsten, also spoke to printmonthlytv.com about wide-format growth with commercial printers. He said the firm is looking at commercial print as a key growth area as demand for this type of work continues to grow.

“We know the commercial graphics industry is changing and becoming more of a one-stop shop. They want not only a web press, but also a flatbed press or a roll-to-roll machine. Commercial printing is being adopted by Mimaki,” explains Horsten, adding: “I really believe that having two two worlds together in one house is going to make your business more successful.”

Fujifilm also saw demand for its new Inca Onset S40i large-format flatbed printer, which was unveiled at the show. The machine has a number of new features including reduced bed masking, an innovative UV sensor system and a sophisticated substrate height detector1all combined with a new Fujifilm Unijet ink system. UK firm Kenton InStore was one of the firms to purchase one during the event.

So, while Drupa may be over for yet another four years, the impact it has had on the industry will be long felt. Printers around the world now have the knowledge of the latest technology, market trends and printing expertise to stand them in good stead for the next four years. With the likes of Ipex on our shores to look forward to, this can only be good news for those looking to open up those all important new revenue paths. Auf weidersehn for now, Düsseldorf.