At the turn of May and June this year, the Drupa printing fair was held in Düsseldorf, Germany. This trade fair is one of the world’s most important events in the field of printing and packaging technology. This year’s event showcased the latest technologies and innovations in digital printing, automation and sustainability.
A total of 1,643 exhibitors from 52 countries took part in the fair, so it was necessary to select which technologies, manufacturers or suppliers we wanted to visit and to prepare a travel plan between the halls in advance. I think I can speak for all of us who had the opportunity to visit the fair when I say that the biggest current trend in printing is digital printing technology with its connection to bookbinding, reduction of wastepaper, reduction of makeready time, automation and print management. Below you can read how our colleagues perceived the event.
Miroslav Staszko
“FINIDR could not be absent at an event of this format, so representatives from the various departments of production preparation and production itself were selected. Each participant was then tasked with exploring a particular area, technology or process, as it is not possible for an ordinary mortal to visit and see everything in the two days we had set aside to tour the exhibition centre. My topic was, for example, the refinement of printed matter.
The exhibition area at Drupa 2024 was approximately 160,000 m2 divided into 18 halls, which, to give you an idea, is equivalent to the area of about 22 football pitches. It is interesting to note that China was the second most represented country after German exhibitors (44%), with 7.5%. This figure clearly shows that machines and technologies manufactured in China will increasingly appear on the European printing market.”
Michal Strnad
“My impressions of Drupa were very positive. I was most impressed by the process automation associated with digital printing and bookbinding. Seeing how unprinted paper enters the machine and at the end a complete book comes out was very fascinating. I was also surprised by the large number of Chinese machine suppliers at the exhibition. It was interesting for me to see how Chinese technology is increasingly reaching the market and how competitive it is with European and American products. Overall, Drupa really inspired me and refreshed my imagination about the possibilities of the modern printing industry. It was a great space to meet top professionals and to gain new information and inspiration. I am glad I was able to attend this event.”
David Prymus
“A great, intense experience that we completed in a relatively short time. It was an opportunity for the input technology to gain knowledge about new possibilities in refinement and to meet new suppliers for cooperation. For me personally, it was a great insight into the world of printing and polygraphy, and inspiration for the future direction of printing. 18 halls, 1,643 exhibitors, 170,000 visitors. A tremendous experience.”
Rostislav Bajtek
“Immediately upon passing the first areas I was surprised how the exhibition centre is now influenced by Asian exhibitors. I would estimate it to be 60-70% Asian suppliers and machinery for the printing industry. All indications are that print is moving towards digital and the standard production of conventional print is being lost, with manufacturers concerned with faster job processing and therefore faster book production. I was most interested in print processing using HUV, LED UV technology and last but not least digitizing the print for our needs.
All of these technologies address the issues of the amount of powder swirl, the speed of printing, the speed of start-up, the reduction of maculations and its automatic disposal and last but not least the quality of the print within a given tolerance and standard. Here, too, the use of artificial intelligence, which is partly implemented in the machine systems for the possible extraction of information and the processing of the necessary documents for additional analysis for self-management or for the extraction of the necessary information to be sent to the customer, is already taking its place. I can already say that we are getting closer and closer to the time when, thanks to the automation and digitisation, we will be putting a roll of clean material into the machine at the beginning and the book will fall out at the end, with a handful of people managing the whole line.”
Jiri Matuszek
“After an eight-year pause, everyone was hungry for news in the printing industry. Exhibitors and visitors alike. It was clear to see how far this industry has moved over the years. There has been an increase in refinement, a reduction in the number of prints and a significant personalisation of individual products. Despite the busy schedule and heavy travel, Drupa is an experience. We will definitely use the knowledge and samples from this visit.”
Dagmar Kempná
“I was looking forward to Drupa 2024, but I also did not underestimate the preparation. It really paid off. There were over 400 exhibitors of various materials at the fair this year, so it was necessary to choose the most beneficial ones for us and plan the “route” I would take. Over the two days of the fair I visited around 20 suppliers of paper, metallics and laminating films. Discussions were held about our requirements, and in turn about the manufacturers’ offers and possibilities. I brought back with me samples of some of the materials on offer. I made contacts with new European suppliers, but also with suppliers from Asia, the Middle East or America.
At the moment I am capitalizing on the information I have received – I am approaching and establishing contacts with selected suppliers, gathering information and starting to compare the first offers.”
