One Year Later: Drupa’s Impact on the Industry

The past 12 months have been challenging, by almost any factor you choose to consider. It’s hard to believe that Drupa, the industry’s largest trade show, was only a year ago. So what happened to all the technology and promise on display in Germany last year? Printing News asked people from all around the industry that very question, and got some interesting answers. First and foremost, Drupa 2008 focused on inkjet and digital technologies. It was hyped at the time as the “inkjet Drupa,” but it’s only in hindsight that we can see how true that was.

“I was last there in 2000, and last year’s was much larger than I remembered,” said Lesley Wylie, global marketing manager for InfoPrint Solutions Co. “The main difference was the significant increase in the digital content. Not only in the number of vendors, hardware, software and solutions that were demonstrated, but also for the customers’ adoption of the technologies and their creative implementations.”

Bill Parker, CMO of GMC Software, agreed, noting that, “There were many new announcements from some major vendors. It highlighted the advances of digital production, and there was excitement within the digital community.”

Some of those technologies included new presses from HP and Xerox. HP’s inkjet web press got a lot of attention and interest and is still something anyone looking to bridge the gap between offset and digital a little more closely should be watching. And Xerox’s newest version in its iGen line, the iGen4, brought faster speeds and better quality, giving digital one more edge in an increasingly fast-paced world.

Putting it into Practice

But technology itself, while interesting and a lot of fun to watch in action at trade shows, is only a means to an end at the end of the day. It’s the applications, ultimately, that speak to digital’s increasing versatility. Around every corner, it seemed, there was something new to be amazed over. Some of the highlights included digitally printed food packaging, photo books personalized in almost every way imaginable, and even 3D models being printed on an inkjet machine.

“[One] thing I found myself referring back to time and again were the real-world digital printing applications on display—photo books, customized travel guides, even personalized packages of chewing gum,” said Tracy Yelencsics, vice president, Production Marketing Communications & Programs, Xerox. “It’s easy to get swept away by the glitz and glamour of all the new products, and it gets hard to sift through the barrage of information in such a short time. But applications are the language of our customers, and seeing those real jobs on display reminded me of why we were all there—to show attendees how to create these stunning and profitable print applications.”

Transpromo applications were another major force at Drupa 2008, demonstrating how the unassuming billing statement could become a powerful marketing and branding opportunity.

“Development of inkjet print solutions for the Transactional market [really stood out to me],” said Ronald van Hees, director of marketing, Pitney Bowes. “That, plus a high level of automation makes transpromo in reach for many customers.”

Transpromo isn’t a new technology—it’s been around and in the news for several years now. However, last year’s Drupa, as van Hees noted, brought the category to the next level, putting it within reach as a application to offer clients for many more shops with new machines and software geared at making the process faster and easier making their debut in Germany.