Every four years, the global printing industry gathers in Dusseldorf for drupa, the largest printing show in the world. This year, drupa will be held May 31-June 10 at Messe Dusseldorf.
 
Over the years, the show has changed along with the printing industry. For years, Heidelberg had Halls 1 and 2 to itself, showcasing the latest sheetfed technologies.
 
drupa 2016 will be different. This year, Heidelberg is no longer the largest presence at drupa.  That honor goes to HP and its digital entries, which will dominate Hall 17.
 
For the next few months, leading companies will be announcing their latest technologies. Interestingly, Heidelberg has already discussed some of its new offerings, with an emphasis on digital printing.
 
For example, Heidelberg partnered with FUJIFILM on inkjet technologies, and Primefire 106 is one of the early results that will be shown this year. Set up for a B1 format, Primefire 106 is said to be ideal for short to medium press runs for the packaging industry.

“With the world premiere of the Heidelberg Primefire 106 we have reached another milestone in our digital strategy: achieving success in working with partners to bring systems to the market within the shortest time,” said Stephan Plenz, member of the Management Board and responsible for Heidelberg Equipment.
 
Primefire is part of the new “Fire” line of digital products that Heidelberg is premiering at drupa 2016.    The company rebranded its Linoprint presses as Heidelberg Versafire CP/CV. The Gallus DCS 340 digital label press is now called the Gallus Labelfire 340. Heidelberg’s 4D printing system is now known as the Heidelberg Omnifire 250/1000.
 
Kodak announced new products for drupa 2016. Kodak UltraStream Inkjet Technology is Kodak’s move into commercial printing and packaging and the Kodak NexPress ZX3900 digital color press. On the ink side, Kodak will showcase its NexPress White Dry Ink for NexPress presses.

“Kodak is at the forefront of the print, packaging and publishing industries,” says Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke. “Our products deliver what printers want today and need tomorrow with new technologies and enhancements to help printers strengthen their businesses and streamline their printing processes.”
 
Canon Europe will bring the new Océ ColorStream 6000 Chroma press to drupa, along with the new Chromera ink set, which offers high pigment load. The new Chroma inks are also suitable for deinking processes.
 
“The new Océ ColorStream 6000 Chroma establishes a new level of color vibrancy and underlines Canon’s leading position in continuous feed inkjet technologies for production print, with a line-up of high performance presses for business communications, publishing and commercial print applications,” said Christian Unterberger, EVP, Océ Printing Systems GmbH.
 
“The introduction of the new ColorStream 6000 Chroma extends the market for our leading continuous feed inkjet printing system to customers requiring higher color quality,” said Peter Wolff, head of Commercial Print Group at Canon Europe.
 
drupa 2016 will bring lots of new digital press and ink technologies to the printing industry. For more information, visit the drupa website at www.drupa.com.