The expanding wide format world

Drupa is not normally considered a display print exhibition, particularly when it follows only weeks after Fespa Digital in Amsterdam. But there was plenty to occupy a display printer wandering the aisles in Dusseldorf as many suppliers had chosen the much larger show (and additional weeks to perfect technology) to debut their new products.

The most marked development however, was the expansion of wide format inkjet technology into the printing of corrugated boards for packaging applications. There were varying interpretations for the size of the market opportunity that had driven development of machines specifically for this sector, but all could agree that is both vast and secondly, it is the market most likely to become a digital printing market.

EFI was able to announce the Nozomi, its flatbed single pass press for corrugated packaging; HP announced the C500, a first flatbed press to use PageWide thermal inkjet heads; Inca could announce a partnership with BHS, the largest producer of corrugating machines; Durst showed 2m/second printing on its Rho SPC; Bobst added two further customers for its corrugated machine and Spanish company Barberan ran its Jetmaster press.