Duplo USA

THOUGH SEVERAL of the press conferences and ”big news” at Drupa centered around digital printing, innovations in bindery and finishing were no less prevalent. In fact, many of them sprang from the very digital printing trends that overshadowed them. As digital printing speeds have increased, bindery equipment has also gotten faster, with vastly improved automation and simplified touchscreen controls to make them even easier to set up. JDF compatibility is becoming more common in bindery equipment, allowing devices to be preset using production data. Demands for higher-quality printed products have led bindery vendors to improve their paper-handling techniques. Folds look better on the latest

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY— 29/05/2008—On the first day of drupa, Duplo is unveiling further new additional products on its stand: the fully automatic and user-friendly Ultra 205A UV Coater; the DuWrap, a polywrapping unit for the mail fulfilment market and a new friction fed collating range including the DFC-100 and DFC-120 Mini Collator. Visitors have the opportunity to experience technology previews as well as a range of other new products and innovative modular finishing configurations which will allow printers to introduce sophisticated value-added finishing processes to their customer offerings. In addition to the UV Coater and DuWrap product, visitors to the exhibition

MIAMI BEACH, FL—March 18, 2008—Nearly 13,000 attendees from 78 countries converged under the sun to share in the excitement of Graphics of the Americas 2008, held from February 27 through March 1 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. “We turned up the volume this year and made some very positive noise in virtually all areas of the event,” says George Ryan, President and CEO of PAF, host of Graphics of the Americas. “We worked hard to bring a sharpened experience for attendees and exhibitors alike. From enhanced support to dynamic conference sessions, there was an exciting energy that pulsed throughout the show.

SANTA ANA, CA—March 14, 2008—Duplo will use this year’s drupa to unveil a range of new products and innovative modular finishing configurations which will allow printers to introduce sophisticated value-added finishing processes to their customer offerings. Visitors to the exhibition will see for the first time Duplo’s unique DC-645 Production Color Finisher with a new knife folder, adding further application possibilities to the already versatile slit, cut and crease machine. drupa will also see the first showing of the intelligent DSF-5000 high speed dynamic document sheet feeder; Duplo’s new PUR DPB-500 Perfect Binder as well as the launch of the new mid-range

THE ROLLER coaster twisted from one side of the Muller Martini booth to the other, an improbably long snake piercing the air in an exhibition hall mostly filled with floor-dwelling equipment. This machine was certainly no bottom feeder—more specifically, it was a top feeder, the Topveyor 365 overhead conveyor. At times an overhead conveyor was needed to circumvent the crowds choking the aisles during Graph Expo 2007 in Chicago. But the patron flow was volatile, and there were periods where one could walk down some of the back aisles of the McCormick Place South Hall without bumping into a poster-toting gawker. . .of which

TOKYO—September 21, 2007—The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organization announced at IGAS 2007 the first and second place winners in all three categories for the annual The Jürgen Schönhut Memorial CIP4 International Print Production Innovation (CIPPI) Awards. The CIPPI awards are given annually to the applicant with the most compelling case study in one of three categories, which are: • Most innovative use of process automation technology in an implementation • Best cost/benefit realization as a result of process automation implementation • Biggest improvement in efficiency and customer responsiveness as a result of

Here’s an exclusive, PRE-SHOW PREVIEW showcasing new products submitted by many of the exhibitors that will be displaying their wares next month in Chicago. Colter & Peterson will showcase the BASA 3, which features an automatic jogging system that can automatically form layers of printed sheets, align them accurately and transport them to the subsequent cutting process. The BASA 3 is appropriate for paper from 16-lb. bond to 125-lb. tag, and is effective when combined with a modern, rear-table-feeding system. Existing gripper transport systems can be retrofitted. Visit www.piworld.com/infocenter: enter #377 MBO America will introduce the Super KTZ, featuring a knife-folding unit that

When in Rome. . .Do as the Printers ROME—There’s been a marked increase in the number of vendor-specific industry events—mini trade shows, open houses and road shows—held in recent years. They provide stages (some even international) for new product introductions and briefings on how these companies see the state of affairs. HP recently brought hundreds of customers, press people and analysts from around the world to Rome during the run of its 2007 Graphic Arts Summit. Highlights included the introduction of two new seven-color HP Indigo press models (5500 and 3500), a near-line UV coater and a large-format printer targeted to print service providers

Viewing On Demand BOSTON—Changing locations continues to be part of the story from the On Demand Conference & Expo, which last month completed its 2007 run at the (nearly) new Boston Convention & Exposition Center (opened in 2004). The event first moved from its long-standing home in New York City to Philadelphia for a two-year stint and now on to Boston through 2008. Close to 200 exhibitors had booths in the On Demand portion of the show floor, which the event continues to share with the AIIM Expo. New, or at least now commercialized, color printing systems added up to the largest category

High-level Buying and Capital Investment Results in Record Onsite Sales for Next Year MIAMI BEACH, FL—March 15, 2007—Graphics of the Americas-Xplor, the second largest U.S.-based annual international graphic communications exhibit and conference, today announced the positive results of their 32nd annual exhibition held in Miami Beach, Florida, March 2-4, 2007. The event organizers are eager to report that this year’s attendance exceeded the previous year by 4%, with close to 500 exhibitors filling the Miami Beach Convention Center, both representing an increase over 2006. More importantly, exhibitors reported larger than ever high-level buying activities and capital investments. In a survey conducted during the event with