Submitted By: Barney Cox on May 10, 2012

The following is a short list of wide format ink developments at drupa.

I covered the other key wide-format themes to emerge from drupa 2012 around application flexibility, quality and productivity in a separate blog. There it was notable that most hardware launches incorporated technologies that enabled a single device to produce at both high quality and high speed, albeit not necessarily at the same time.

Bordeaux Digital Printink after-market latex. Well-timed to coincide with the increased interest in latex, this drupa Bordeaux showed a latex ink for eco-sol piezo printers, which it claims cures at a low enough temperature to not require additional heaters to be retrofitted. This should make it a more attractive option for upgrading the numerous existing chassis out there, or to develop own-brand systems.

Bordeaux also showed a dye-sub and direct-to-textile ink for the burgeoning fabric printing markets, after-markets flexible UV and UV-LED inks and an ink set for the Epson GS6000 eco-solvent machine, which like the OEM ink is claimed to be Nickel-free. Lastly from Bordeaux was a range of aqueous and UV coatings for wide- and small-format applications, including after-market jettable clear varnishes.

Read the full blog on the Infotrends website.

Wide format developments were in evidence at drupa, but weren’t the centre of interest. The biggest noise at drupa was Benny Landa’s nanography and the other big noises were B2 sheetfed digital presses and the universal interest by vendors in applying their products to packaging and label printing. However, there were some launches and technology demonstrations of wide-format printing hardware that highlight developments in the sector.

The following is a list of some of the wide-format printer and press developments listed alphabetically.

View the list and key information at the Infotrends blog.

One of the most interesting things that we saw at drupa yesterday was a preview of a wide format printing system seen at the Caldera booth A14 in Hall 4. This 42-inch wide technology printer represents a collaboration between Xerox partner Fuji Xerox and Caldera. We are hearing that this product should launch in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the year. It is a 4-color aqueous inkjet printer using dye-based inks.

Read the full blog? You can find it here.

In previous years, drupa has been defined by an overriding theme. We had ‘inkjet drupa’ in 2008, ‘JDF drupa’ in 2004, and back in 2000 there was the ‘press and workflow drupa’. This year’s show is proving much harder to pin down, not least because the perception of print is changing.

Customers are looking to print houses to add value to print products and help brands differentiate themselves from their competitors. Essentially, they want print houses to be a key part of the marketing value chain.

So, which technologies will steal the limelight? We can expect a far more even spread than previous years. 

Inevitably, digital – and inkjet in particular – will be in the spotlight. But let’s not forget how much printing is still produced using analogue processes, and isn’t ready to go digital.

Much of the focus regarding offset press development has been on improving automation to shorten makeready and changeover times, allowing print houses to get more work out the door.

Similarly, improvements to drying processes are eliminating dead time and boosting productivity.

Web-offset will also see developments to help reduce waste and labour, and ultimately lower the cost per volume of pages. And we can expect to see rapid developments in continuous-feed inkjet.

Ultimately, drupa is defined by what it means to you, the visitor. Whatever area you specialise in, there’ll be no shortage of experts on hand to help your business take a big stride forward.

Can’t wait for drupa? Whet your appetite with this preview on the drupa website.