By Filomena Tamburri, editor
April 14, 2008

In early April, KBA released its plans for drupa during a press conference at its manufacturing facilities in Radebeul, Germany. Among the nine presses on the floor at drupa will be a new Rapida 75, a new Rapida 106, and an upgraded Rapida 142 and Rapida 105. Also debuting is a new company, KBA Complete, bundling consulting services and an MIS system.

The Rapida 75, which replaces the Rapida 74 and Performa 74, has been re-engineered with a slightly larger sheet size of 20.5” x 29.5”, comes in up to eight colours plus coater and perfector, and is decked out with 30 new features, including pneumatic suction sidelays, an open inking unit design, gripper systems, and DensiTronic density measurement and control from the console—all features that have been handed down from its larger-format siblings. A new, slightly larger format is available for labels and packaging applications. This, in addition to all other KBA presses, now run on Windows operating system.

At production speeds of 18,000 sheets per hour, the Rapida 106 represents an evolution from the Rapida 105 with quick makereadies and a larger sheet size of 29.5” x 41.75”. A raft of new quality control features on the press include scanning each sheet as it enters the perfecting unit and comparing it to a reference sheet; tagging off-spec sheets which can be ejected automatically in die-stamping or folding machines; inline density measurement and control; scanning sheets and comparing them to the original PDF so that deviations can be detected and recorded. Also on the press is the recently introduced Drive Tronic SPC—a system that changes plates simultaneously on all units in under 60 seconds. Further, a Drive Tronic Indent regulates registration and essentially checks the plates against the job on the console before releasing them for production. The 106 will be available in up to 16 units, including coaters and dryers.

The Rapida 142, a 56.8” press will be shown in eight-colour perfecting configuration, to demonstrate the viability of using large-format presses in book-printing applications. It also comes with the quality control features of the 106.

The Rapida 105 has received a makeover from the Rapida 105 universal, with output of 15,000 sheets per hour—or 16,000 with a high-speed option—and up to seven units plus coating, UV and hybrid printing. Press controls are now based on a Windows operating system; and closed loop densitometry systems cut down on waste and quality deviations.

KBA Complete, a company founded in early April, is a consultancy that aims to support print companies as they adopt new business models. Central to that aim is an MIS system and KBA has teamed up with Hiflex to deliver a JDF-based workflow that links all aspects of production. Other partners in the venture include Kodak, MBO, Müller Martini , IPM and ClimatePartner.

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HP
In mid-March, HP revealed its drupa plans during a press and analyst event.

The new introductions include a 30” thermal inkjet web press for high-volume production of books, transactional/transpromo mail, direct marketing materials and newspapers. It’s part of a US$1.4 billion investment in Scalable Printing Technology that HP has made over the last four years. The press prints in full colour at 400 ft. per minute or 2,600 A4, four-colour impressions per minute, at a resolution of 600 x 600 dpi, and it will carry a projected price tag of under US$2.5 million. Look for a demo at drupa, but the press is expected to be commercially available in the second half of 2009.

The HP Indigo 7000 digital press for high-volume print environments of more than 1 million average monthly pages is also new. Aimed at general commercial, direct marketing, photo merchandise, and book and publication printing, the press is optimized to print large numbers of static jobs at speeds of 120 four-colour pages per minute or 7,200 per hour. It has a duty cycle of 3.5 million pages per month. Other features include seven-colour printing, Pantone emulation including the Goe system and off-press spot-colour mixing, an image size of 12.48” x 18.26”, and resolution up to 1,200 dpi. It handles substrates from 55 lb. text to 130 lb. cover, coated stock; 40 lb. text to 120 lb. cover uncoated.

The WS6000 is a label and packaging press that’s expected to be available in early 2009. It promises twice the productivity of the HP Indigo ws4500, printing at 30 linear meters per minute in four-colour at resolutions up to 1,200 dpi. Substrate handling ranges from .5 pt. to 18 pt.; image size is 12.48 x 38.58”.

The W7200 is a high-volume roll-fed dual engine commercial press for high-volume, short- run commercial printing, expected to be available in the second half of 2009. Its speed is 240 pages per minute in four-colour; 480 in two-colour, at up to 1,200 dpi for a monthly duty cycle of seven million A4 colour pages. Image size is 12.5” x 38.6” on media from 27 lb. text to 130 lb. cover. It prints up to seven colours.

Enhancements to the Indigo 5500 include a new 18 pt. substrate option which, together with Esko plug-ins and cutting table, opens up folding carton application; new ganged feeder option; new option for in-line UV coater; and new digital front ends and SmartStream workflow.

The HP SmartStream is an open architecture, digital workflow system that handles functions from job creation and submission to finishing. There are applications for designing, photo enhancing; labels and packaging colour kit, vdp tools and security manager. Various partners have been signed up from prepress to finishing.

New large-format latex printing inks are more eco friendly than solvent and UV inks. They print on most solvent-compatible media, for indoor and outdoor applications. Printing devices using Latex inks and Wide Scan printing technology, a scalable, high-speed head that combines multiple 4.25” printheads, with 1,200 nozzles per inch and printing speed of 800 sq. ft. per hour for outdoor quality and 400 sq. ft. for indoor quality, will be released at drupa.

HP also completed its acquisition of Nur Macroprinters and announced a re-branded lineup of large-format inkjet devices: the Scitex XP5300 (formerly the Nur Expedio Revolution); the Sctiex XP5100 (formerly the Nur Expedio 5000); the Sctiex XP2700 (formerly the Nur Expedio Inspiration); Scitex XP 2100 (formerly the Nur Expedio 3200 and the Scitex FB 6100 (formerly the Nur Tempo Q). As a result, the recently released XL Scitex 2200 is being shelved.

Agfa
Agfa is bringing new additions to it inkjet portfolio to the show: the Anapurna XLS, the Anapurna Mv and the Anapurna M4f. The XLS comes in a choice of speeds  and produces printing up to 250 cm at image resolutions of up to 1,440 dpi. It will be available immediately after drupa. The Mv adds a spot of flood varnish and the M4f is a rigid printer with roll-to-roll as a option. It is an entry level UV-ink printer. They both have a maximum media width of 160 cm.
Other offerings from Agfa include: the Azura TS, a new ThermoFuse-based chemistry free thermal digital plate; the Azura V, chemistry free digital plate for violet platesetters; the Avalon N, a new thermal imaging CTP series available in 8-up and VLF formats; Apogee Suite, a new comprehensive workflow system that integrates all content, project management, prepress and production functions; and Apogee Media, a suite module for content integration and management.

Punch Graphix
Punch Graphix is unveiling the Xeikon 8000, with a speed of 230 A4 pages per minute and 1,200 dpi resolution, for a monthly volume of 8.5 million pages. Capable of handling substrate widths from 12.6” to 20.16”, offering an imaging width of 19.8”, it incorporates the X-800 digital front end that the company claims integrates into any existing workflow. The press targets the commercial printing, direct marketing and transactional markets.
As well Punch is releasing a new generation of platesetters for UV plate exposure: the basysPrint UV-Setter 400 and 800 series.

Heidelberg
In March Heidelberg announced it will unveil two new large-format presses: the Speedmaster XL 145 (40.16” x 55.91”) and the Speedmaster XL 162 (47.24” x 63.78”) primarily for use in the packaging printing and industrial publishing sectors. Both presses can achieve production speeds of 15,000 sph. In fact, the company had earlier announced that one of the two halls it will occupy at drupa will be devoted to packaging.
To complement the two new presses, Heidelberg is releasing the Suprasetter 145, 162 and 190 CTP thermal devices. Output speed is 35 plates per hour with a resolution of either 2,540 or 2,400 dpi. Six cassettes of the plate-loading unit enable up to 600 plates in as many as six formats to be loaded automatically. The postpress portfolio will also include a Dymatrix 145 diecutter, Polar 155/176 and 185 cutters, a Stahlfolder TD 142, as well as saddlestichers and perfect binders. 

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In January in Germany, before a crowd of about 140 international press, including yours truly, several companies gave glimpses into their drupa plans. A few trends stand out. Inkjet will be a big story, as will continuous feed digital printing, and major announcements were made in each category. But another buzzword will be “green” as companies strive to wrap themselves in a blanket of earth-friendliness. Here are the highlights of new products expected to be on the show floor.

Dalim Software
Dalim will introduce version 3.0 of its Mistral workflow system, enhanced with a Publishers’ Production Flatplan, showing true PDF images of complete pages that have been produced.

Also new is the Dalim Virtual Library, producing a realistic view of a magazine for approval. You can flip pages and experience the magazine on the screen as you would a printed piece. Publishers can display their own virtual library of magazine with cover pages available almost as if they were on a shelf. If you have ever used iTunes to browse your cd library, this is the same effect. Dalim has also teamed up with UPM to show paper grades in the Virtual Library simulating different paper stocks, including the effects of whiteness, see-through and opacity.

Ricoh
Ricoh announced it intends to expand its presence in the production printing market and become a leading force by 2010. To that end, it’s releasing the Ricoh Pro C900 and C900s, a new colour digital printer and multi-function device. It prints at 90 ppm at 1,200 dpi in full colour on stock up to 300 gsm. It can be complemented with various inline finishing options including a ring binder, saddlestitcher and perfect binder.

EFI
As well as showcasing its next-generation Fiery server technology, the company will put a key focus on printing beyond paper, especially the growing out-of-home advertising segment, and textiles, custom packaging and labels. It will leverage its recently acquired Vutek technology to become a key player in the industrial printing sector.

Presstek
Though Presstek did not announce new products for drupa, the company took the opportunity to broadly outline its strategy going forward with a new executive team in place. This includes expanding its business beyond its traditional base of printers with less than $10 million in annual revenue, expanding its international reach and building on its existing equipment platforms. A strong message about the green quotient of its DI presses and processless plates will be at drupa.

Screen
Screen reports that drupa will mark the beginning of a new era for the company, as it positions itself as a digital equipment supplier. It will continue to provide CTP devices–the bedrock of its business—to coming VLF presses later this year, but the company sees growth in print-on-demand digital printing—inkjet. It plans to focus in four areas: paper-based printing, silent display, packaging, and industrial applications. Offerings at drupa will include the Truepress J 520, an inkjet printer first introduced at Ipex now going into full production. A new product will be the Jet 2500UV, a large-format roll-fed and flatbed device with resolution up to 1,200 dpi, and a maximum speed of 67.5 sq. m per hour. It’ll handle boards and rolled media up to 98.4” wide and 1.96” thick. Also making an appearance on the booth is the Truepress Jet650UV, an industrial printing system already in use in Japan but expected to gain sales around the world. It’s significant because it represents a base of developments that will be migrated to other inkjet devices.

Kodak
Kodak will do a technology demonstration of its  Stream technology Concept press, which the company promises will reach offset quality, productivity and cost once a product reaches market over the next few years. It features speeds that exceed 500 fpm at a resolution in excess of 600 dpi. This is a continuous inkjet technology that uses pigment-based inks and prints on coated stock. Stream technology is designed as an entrée into continuous inkjet printing for commercial printers that produce monthly volumes of 10 million or more pages and want to incorporate digital printing. It’s being targeted for applications like direct mail, catalogues and inserts.

Kodak will expand the high-volume V series product line with the Versamark VL 2000 printing system, aimed at printers with volumes of 1 million to 5 million A4 impressions a month. It’s designed for transpromo and direct mail applications and prints at a rate of 1,090 A4 pages per minute. Drop-on-demand print technology delivers resolution of 600 x 600 dpi on images as wide as 18.67”.

In the CTP arena Kodak is introducing the Magnus 800Z Quantum platesetter, the fastest of its machines, imaging 60, 8-page plates per hour. A new advanced thermal head generates double the laser power of previous Magnum devices, and delivers broader imaging latitude and stability. Kodak also announced it will bring an XLF platesetter to market in early 2008. The Magnus XLF 90 Quantum spits out up to 48 plates per hour at 2,400 dpi using Squarespot imaging technology.

Xerox
This is the coming-out party for Xerox’s new logo and the corporate image the company wants to portray. Continuous feed will be a key feature at drupa and the company will release the monochrome Xerox 650/1300 continuous feed printer, the fastest machine in its fleet. Using dry toner and flash-fusing technology, it prints 1,232 duplex A4 images per minute. Xerox also announced it’s making a major move into the inkjet space and at Dusseldorf it will do a technology demonstration of its developments, displaying new heads and ink technology that address aqueous inkjet.

Heidelberg
Heidelberg kept its new product releases close to its vest at this event. It did indicate visitors would see a “surprise” in its Anicolor press, and it would show a VLF press for the first time.

Fujifilm
While also short on details about new products, Fujifilm did announce its plans to strengthen its position in digital markets, such as print-on-demand, and wide-format graphics, while retaining its position in the offset market.
To those ends, several announcements were made. At the show it will align with Xerox to demonstrate how offset printers can move into digital printing. Xerox hardware on the booth will run Fujifilm workflow, colour management and print-on-demand systems.

Fujifilm will also be ready to take orders on the much-anticipated Brillia HD Pro-V chemistry free violet plate suitable for both commercial and newspaper applications. As well, a new environmentally friendly brand of pressroom chemistry—Pressmax— will be available, consisting of fountain solutions, blanket washer, anti set-off powders coatings, glues, and others. Also look for new inkjet offerings, including the newly released large-format Onset printer.

Domino
Domino is coming to the show with four new products to demonstrate: Version 4.5 of its Bitjet+ high-speed in-line system, with greater speeds and higher print quality, resolution and stability; the Domino K150 variable data drop-on-demand printing system using both low-VOC solvent and UV-curable inks, delivering a print width of 71 mm, resolution up to 180 x 360 dpin and speed up to 120 m per minute; the new L400 printer with the latest thermal inkjet technology, that opens markets for addressing onto direct mail, catalogues and magazines; and the new BaseLine inkjet mailing base, a material-handling system specifically designed for inkjet applications.

Check back on printCAN for new updates from other key exhibitors as they become available