Star power

For more than 50 years, printers have been coming to Drupa to see the latest developments in presses. It will be no different at Drupa 2008, when the world's printers will head for Dusseldorf to see what technical developments the big five providers of sheetfed presses -- Heidelberg, MAN Roland, KBA, Komori and Mitsubishi -- have to show. At previous Drupas, manufacturers have come up with advances in technology to impress visitors; this time, the technologies are going to be about offering solutions to the problems today's printers face. Talking about Drupa, Heidelberg CEO Bernhard Schreier has pointed out that competition for non-time-sensitive products is now global, meaning that to compete, printers in the developed world have to change. The key attraction will be the launch of the large-format Speedmaster XL145 and XL162 sheetfed presses. Printers might not see many totally new press designs, but the ideas and options presented will make the journey to Dusseldorf worth the trip.