Dozens of New Systems Unveiled at Pre-drupa Conference

It’s been eight years — nearly a decade! — since the last drupa, but on May 28, the print industry’s largest international trade fair will open its doors once again. For 11 days, visitors will stream through drupa’s 18 halls, visiting more than 1,425 exhibitors from 50 countries.

Though U.S. visitors traditionally make up about 3% of the 260,000+ drupa attendees, this year there is more reason than ever to make the trip to Düsseldorf, Germany. For one thing, much of the equipment introduced over the past eight years has never been on display at a trade show before. And with all the recent advancements added to the mix — including the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) enhancements — the halls of drupa are sure to hold an eye-popping array of high-tech surprises.

Then there’s the drupa experience itself — the opportunity to mingle with fellow printers from around the world, to enjoy a beer with the top brass from your key vendors, to stumble upon devices you never dreamed existed, to hear the drupa theme song over the loudspeakers — yes, there is a theme song; there’s been one every year since 2000.

A drupa Sneak Peek

To offer a small taste of what’s to come, 18 top drupa 2024 exhibitors got together in March in Düsseldorf to preview some of their innovations for 70 trade journalists from all over the world, including Printing Impressions. The new products ranged from web offset presses to cut-sheet production inkjet systems; from wide-format printers to embellishment devices. The parade of new products was dizzying.

In March, journalists from around the world gathered in Düsseldorf, Germany, at the pre-drupa 2024 conference to hear from suppliers who offered a sneak peek at some of the products dropping later this year.

Throughout three days of presentations, several themes loomed large. Commercial printers, exhibitors noted, are all faced with the challenges of sustainability, digitalization, and the shortage of skilled operators. The solutions being shown at drupa, these exhibitors said, have been designed to help printers better handle these three challenges.

Addressing sustainability, Dr. Andreas Pleßke, CEO at Koenig & Bauer AG and chairman of the drupa Committee, noted that it can work to the advantage of printers.

“We’re probably the only industry where sustainability means lower costs,” he told journalists. When equipment is more sustainable, he explained, processes become more cost-effective and the cost of printing comes down due to the need for less ink and less paper. Many of the solutions being shown at drupa have been built with sustainability in mind.

Fueling the trend toward digitalization has been the infusion of machine learning and AI technologies. These features will be demonstrated on many of the systems being introduced at drupa.

To address the shortage of skilled operators and bring younger workers into the industry, Sabine Geldermann, director of drupa, talked about efforts to attract students to drupa and engage with them via design contests highlighting their creativity.

“We are a mirror of the market,” she said, emphasizing that drupa will focus on the same challenges printers face.

New Products Make a Splash

One highlight of the three-day pre-drupa event was the appearance of industry icon Benny Landa, founder of Indigo and early proponent of digital printing. Now head of Landa Digital Printing, Landa took to the stage to explain nanography to journalists with the same passion — tempered only slightly by age — that he displayed in the 1990s when promoting Indigo digital presses. He explained how nanography places nano ink particles onto a heated blanket to be transferred to dry paper, where it instantly bonds, without leaving the paper wet like inkjet.

“Wet ink never contacts paper,” Landa said. He showed samples of what he called the superior quality of nanographic prints compared to inkjet.

Benny Landa, founder of Landa Digital Printing, offered a presentation on nanography during the pre-drupa 2024 event.

Landa went on to introduce two new Landa presses, the S11 and S11P, which boast speeds of 11,200 prints per hour, embedded AI, seven-color printing, a continuous printing capability, and an optional in-line coating unit. They will be on display and commercially available at drupa, where the company will also have a technology showcase of a flexible packaging press.

Landa’s dismissal of inkjet technology aside, several other exhibitors at the pre-drupa event excitedly announced new production inkjet presses. Among them was Canon, which will present the European debut of the varioPRINT iX1700 sheetfed inkjet press at drupa, along with the introduction of the ProStream 2000 series and the ColorStream 8200 continuous-feed inkjet presses. Canon will also offer the first live preview outside Japan of the LabelStream LS2000 water-based digital label press, as well as wide-format innovations, such as the new Arizona 2300 FLXflow flatbed wide-format printer with an enhanced media handling system and two new imagePROGRAF PRO series printers. Toner technology won’t be ignored at Canon’s drupa booth, which will boast the theme “The Power to Move.” Advancements to the Canon varioPRINT 6000 series TITAN will be on display.

The new Canon varioPRINT iX1700 B3 inkjet platform, printing at 170 A4 impressions per minute (ipm) or 73 B3 ipm, boasts a high-definition 2,400x1,200-dpi printhead and a new set of water-based polymer inks with highly saturated pigments, to produce high-quality printed applications, such as marketing collateral. It will be available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in 2025.

The new Canon ProStream 2000 series of web-fed inkjet presses comprises the 80 meter per minute (mpm) ProStream 2080 and the 133 mpm ProStream 2133, which can print on standard-offset coated, uncoated, and inkjet-optimized media from 28 gsm up to 150 gsm. It is 20% shorter than the ProStream 3000 and consumes 10% less energy than the ProStream 1800.

Ricoh has inkjet plans for drupa as well. It will highlight the Ricoh Pro Z75 auto-duplexing B2 sheetfed digital aqueous inkjet press in its exhibit, which will have the theme “Henkaku,” the Japanese term for transformational innovation. It will be joined by the Ricoh Pro VC80000 continuous-feed inkjet press, which boasts AI capability, new generation Ricoh printheads, closed-loop quality control, and a high level of integration with finishing equipment.

Ricoh will also highlight its 135 ppm Pro C9500 and 95 ppm, five-color Pro C7500 digital color presses, along with Ricoh’s brand-agnostic software solutions, such as the new Ricoh TotalFlow Producer, a SaaS solution that automates the submission and consolidation of incoming jobs from multiple sources into a web-based dashboard. And of course, the Ricoh Auto Color Adjuster, shown with much fanfare at PRINTING United Expo in 2023, will be on hand, providing precise color management and matching capabilities.

Also showing production inkjet presses at drupa will be Fujifilm, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. The company wants visitors to “Discover the Difference” at its booth at drupa, where it will launch its latest continuous-feed inkjet printer, the Jet Press 1160CFG. With a newly developed water-based pigment ink, the 1160CFG can print on both coated and uncoated paper. It utilizes Fujifilm Group’s proprietary Paper Stabilizer technology, which controls the paper condition before printing, solving production issues such as ink adhesion on thick paper, waviness on thin paper, and quality fluctuations due to environmental factors.

Also new at drupa 2024 will be the Jet Press FP790, Fujifilm’s water-based digital inkjet press for the flexible packaging printing market. It will print 50 mpm on film substrates of up to a maximum width of 790 mm. In addition to CMYK printheads, it is equipped with two sets of white printheads. This improves the white opacity and enhances the color saturation of the ink.

Other Fujifilm drupa debuts will include the DE1024 Digital Embellishment Printbar System to add digital embellishments to labels and packaging; the 42X Printbar System, available in monochrome and four-color and in three print widths; Aquafuze technology, a new water-based ink that encompasses the functionalities of UV and solvent inks; and the Revoria Press GC12500, which can print up to six A4 sizes in a sheet at 250 ppm.

With the theme “See the Potential in the Future of Print,” Konica Minolta plans to showcase 20 European premieres. Among them will be the successor to its AccurioJet KM-1 inkjet press, the AccurioJet 60000, which employs in-line sensors and a spectrophotometer to automatically monitor printing conditions. Printing 6,000 sph, the UV inkjet press offers both-side printing capabilities.

On the toner side, Konica Minolta will show the AccurioPress C84hc for the first time. It uses high-chroma toner that prints bright vivid colors consistently. Center stage in the booth will be MGI’s AlphaJET providing foiling, varnishing, printing, folding, and drying in one integrated production run.

HP will launch the B2-sized HP Indigo 120k and 18k at drupa. The 120k can reportedly print 30% more sellable sheets per hour, which equates to about 2 million B2 sheets per month. Its AI-based automation system shortens training time and can allow one operator to run two presses. The Indigo 120k comes with new print modes such as Enhanced Productivity Mode (ECM), which uses three colors instead of four to reduce click charges; and ECO mode, which uses a thinner layer of ink. The press has an AI-based preflight tool that will learn preferences over time and can automatically predict which modes will be suitable for which jobs.

The HP Indigo 18k can handle an expanded gamut of media, including transparent media, thick duplex cards and tags up to 600 microns, and hybrid heat transfer substrates, enabling it to print applications, such as folding cartons, synthetics, heat transfer apparel, and lightweight collateral. HP is also expanding the capabilities of the HP PageWide Advantage 2200 web inkjet press by enabling it to run thicker substrates, up to 320 gsm. And HP will have its Autonomous Mobile Robot at drupa, optimized for the HP Indigo.

Epson discussed several new technologies coming to drupa. Foremost was its new robust printhead, the D3000, designed for aqueous and UV ink applications. Boasting nozzle-level recirculation, it provides single-pass, 1,200-dpi resolution and is tailored to applications, such as flexible and corrugated packaging, folding cartons, labels, textile, and décor.

Epson discussed its new industrial SurePress labeling concept, which will deliver greater productivity and image quality with real-time nozzle detection and compensation, and additional enhancement fluids and optimizers. The new direct-to-fabric printer Monna Lisa ML-13000 will be at drupa. It deploys three pre- and post-treatment fluids for enhanced print durability and offers a wider color gamut. Also new are the SureColor F10000 dye-sublimation printer with jumbo roll and the hybrid DTG/DTFilm SureColor F1000 and the A4 UV flatbed SureColor V1000. Epson will also show new direct-to-shape technology that uses inkjet to print on complex shapes.

Durst will expand its digital large-format printing capabilities even further at drupa with the P5 SMP (super multi-pass) high-volume hybrid production UV-LED printer. Printing at 2,000 sq. mph, the P5 SMP is made for the sign and corrugated display printing market. It will feature Ricoh Gen 5 printheads, LED drying, and new UV ink formulations. Durst will also launch the KJet combination digital and flexo label printing system in collaboration with OMET.

For corrugated production, Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems will show its new Kongsberg Ultimate digital cutting platform, featuring innovative drive technology, an impressive acceleration rate of up to 2.74G and a cutting speed of 168 mpm. Its custom carbon fiber beam ensures unparalleled stiffness and consistently applies a 50kg downforce. The tool head camera further elevates its precision. The Kongsberg SmartZone safety solution is an innovative proximity-driven dual-zone system crafted to blend safety and efficiency seamlessly; it senses when someone approaches the table and slows the machine.
Kongsberg will also offer a sneak preview of the new addition to its automation line — a new seven-axis, rail-mounted Robotic Material Handler that allows customers to increase throughput utilizing multiple pallets and multiple cutting systems.

Offset Presses at drupa

Though digital printing systems will certainly proliferate at drupa 2024, there will be no shortage of sheetfed and web offset presses, as well as flexo systems. Chief among the offset exhibitors will be Heidelberg, filling a large area of Hall 1.

With the theme “Unfold Your Potential,” Heidelberg’s exhibit will focus on helping printers cope with challenges, such as cost pressures, a shortage of skilled workers, and growing sustainability requirements. Thanks to the innovations being unveiled at drupa, such as the new-generation Speedmaster XL 106, Heidelberg can support its customers with a holistic concept that delivers up to 20% higher productivity than previous solutions. With a higher print speed of up to 21,000 sph, AI-supported assistance systems, and enhanced Push to Stop functions, the Speedmaster XL 106 will be the center of attention.

For packaging printing, the new Heidelberg Boardmaster flexo-graphic web printing system boasts machine availability of up to 90% and a maximum printing speed of 600 mpm. It allows you to change from one job to the next, at full production speed, with minimal waste and zero downtime. It offers four different web widths, two different types of print decks, and hot air, UV, or hybrid drying.

Web offset printing will be on display at the manroland Goss exhibit, where the VARIOMAN — which it calls “the Game Changer” — will be running. With solvent-free EB curing and minimized ink consumption, it is an environmentally friendly option that offers fast job changeovers without compromising print quality.

manroland Goss will also debut a variable-format pin folder specially designed for book printing. The technology enables efficient processing of different formats, even for short runs. The company will also highlight a predictive maintenance platform called MAINTELLISENSE that stays a step ahead of potential problems using smart data analytics. MAINTELLISENSE uses AI-based anomaly detection to optimize machine maintenance, detect impending machine downtimes at an early stage and help solve problems. The intelligent software enables faster and targeted decisions for more efficient and sustainable print production.

BOBST will launch two major features for BOBST Connect, the company’s cloud-based digital platform: Recipe Management empowers customers to seamlessly integrate BOBST machines in their production and design workflows and benefit from bi-directional job and recipe data synchronization for fast setup and increased productivity. The Energy Monitoring feature allows customers to measure their energy consumption and costs in real time.

Also on display will be smartGRAVURE, a new gravure printing machine that leverages automation and digitalization features to streamline setup time and minimize waste. smartGRAVURE will increase productivity and output consistency, reduce downtime and complexity, and offer considerable sustainability benefits.

For folding carton production, BOBST will show the new EXPERTCUT 106 PER diecutter, which boasts a 20% performance increase and features such as ACCUPLATEN to reduce setup time. Also at the show will be EXPERTLAM 900, a multi-technology coater and laminator, which is configurable in different forms, making it highly flexible as both a laminator and a coater.

At drupa, Esko, X-Rite, Pantone, and Enfocus will exhibit together. Esko will unveil sCloud, a multi-tenant cloud-native platform that delivers on a new technological reality based on cloud computing, data sharing, and AI. All existing Esko applications will connect to the new platform. Additionally, Esko will introduce the CDI Crystal “Quartz Edition” of CDI Crystal XPS plate imaging and exposing solutions. The Quartz Edition combines the upgraded optics of the CDI Crystal with optimized Crystal Screens, introducing 2,000 lpi surface structures (Q-Cells), providing another leap forward in flexo plate imaging speed and print quality.

X-Rite will unveil Autura Ink at drupa, a cloud-based ink formulation software that is easy to use. Leveraging the proven technology of X-Rite’s InkFormulation software, this platform streamlines all aspects of formulation, storage, approval, retrieval, and quality control for offset, flexo, gravure, and screen-printing inks. X-Rite will also announce expanded capabilities for PantoneLIVE.

Hybrid Software plans to debut several products, chief among them MyCLOUDFLOW, a 100% cloud-based SaaS enterprise production workflow solution. It provides fast automation of prepress tasks. Hybrid Software has enhanced CLOUDFLOW’s ProofScope tool for artwork viewing and approval with the addition of a 3D approval system based on iC3D technology. Users can visualize product labels as well as embellishments, including glitter and varnishes, applied directly to three-dimensional shapes including cartons and bottles.

Hybrid Software’s popular PACKZ software has been tapped to create the MyPACKZ hosted SaaS PDF job editor and layout tool. It allows files to remain in the cloud even when editing is required. For offset users, Hybrid and Xitron co-developed the IntelliTrap workflow solution, which boasts increases in job throughput by as much as 70%.

These new technologies are only the tip of the iceberg, though, representing a mere handful of the 1,425 exhibitors expected at drupa 2024.