drupa 2012: Much Ado About Presses

At the official drupa 2012 International Media Conference held Feb. 27-March 1 at the Messe Düsseldorf Congress Centre in Düsseldorf, Germany, more than 100 media delegates (representing some 120 publications) eagerly awaited to hear about the latest drupa product launches that were going to be revealed during the three-day press briefing.

Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, CEO and president of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, noted in his welcome address that he was happy to report the show is sold out, with all 19 halls reserved by more than 1,850 exhibitors coming from 50+ countries. He added that more than 350,000 visitors are expected to attend the international printing equipment expo during its two-week run next month (with the majority coming from outside of Germany).

Heidelberg then took the floor and announced its stand will feature close to 60 new innovations under the banner "Discover HEI." One of the major highlights will be the launch of the Speedmaster SX sheetfed press series, which includes the SX 52, SX 74 and SX 102 models. Heidelberg also announced that it has expanded its digital printing portfolio through a partnership with Ricoh, with all of its offerings now bundled under the Heidelberg Linoprint product name. The digital lineup includes the Linoprint C 901 and C 751 (for commercial printers), and the Linoprint L (for label and packaging printers). The next stage of this partnership will see Ricoh digital presses integrated with Heidelberg's Prinect software.

Heidelberg will also unveil the DryStar LE UV (low energy) dryer that is specifically designed for commercial printers, as well as the DryStar dryer for the Speedmaster XL 75 press delivery. In addition, it will exhibit a new and improved version of the Eurobind 1300/1300 PUR adhesive binder, along with the new Diana X 80 folding carton gluer, Varimatrix 82 CS diecutter and Dymatrix 106 Pro diecutter.