Unveil the future of print at drupa 2016

The first pre-drupa 2016 International Media Conference took place from February 29 to March 02 in Düsseldorf with 98 journalists in attendance. The conference focused on the major technologies to be displayed at drupa. Sonal Khurana, managing editor, Print & Publishing brings a report on what to expect at drupa 2016.
Not only is drupa the trade fair to see latest developments and to place orders, it is also a confidence barometer for the entire print media industry itself, its markets, its clients and its suppliers. The first pre-drupa 2016 International Media Conference was a perfect prelude to the fair.

Message by Messe Dusseldorf

Claus Bolza-Schünemann, chairman of the drupa Committee and chief executive of Koenig & Bauer AG, said “Between 31 May and 10 June 2016, Düsseldorf will once again be the centre of the printing world. Everyone is getting excited about drupa, the world’s leading event in the printing industry, which gives exhibitors the perfect platform to present new products and services, network and nurture customer relationships.”

“This year’s tagline, “Touch the Future”, is particularly relevant to us as a machine and systems manufacturer. We see it as our job to build bridges to the future and translate technology trends into products for the benefit of our customers. drupa allows visitors to discover these innovations for themselves. For many users, it’s their first exposure to them,” he said. Under the motto of “touch the future” drupa 2016 will focus more heavily on future-oriented technologies such as printed electronics, 3D printing and inkjet printing with its industrial applications. These innovative technologies are driving the market forward and are opening up significant opportunities and growth potential worldwide, primarily in the field of packaging, functional and industrial printing. According to Smithers Pira (UK), sales in the packaging print sector will rise annually by four percentage points to US$ 970 billion by 2018. There are also indications of growth in the industrial and functional printing sector.

“With this strategic reorientation and its focus on future and highlight themes we are obviously on the right track. Because the response of international upstream suppliers to the industry has been very good – which was not a given in view of the difficult market environment,” explained Werner M Dornscheidt, president & CEO at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. To the tune of some 1,650 exhibitors from over 50 countries will give impressive proof of the versatility and innovative power of their sector in all 19 Düsseldorf exhibition halls. “International global players and market leaders will present themselves alongside aspiring newcomers and innovative outfits from throughout the world. The complete spectrum of print and cross-media exhibits and topics will be represented. Such a comprehensive 360° view of the entire industry is provided by nobody but drupa,” underlines Dornscheidt.

“drupa is growing into a showcase for the future of the printing industry, which is already a pioneer of Industry 4.0 with its networked process chains. In fact, we talk about Print 4.0., an end-to-end digital workflow made possible by the intelligent networking of our machines and systems. Print 4.0 is the enabler for individualisation and personalisation in digital printing,” added Claus.

Claus also explained that the five letters d r u p a represent the key technology trends in our industry, where D is for Digitalisation of printing techniques and processes; R for Rapid Manufacturing and 3D printing; U for Utilities, i.e. new consumables, substrates etc; P for the growth market of Packaging; and A for new Applications in functional and industrial printing.

The results of the 3rd drupa Global Trends report have been published. The report finds that although recovery from the financial crisis in 2008 is incomplete and uneven, printers everywhere are increasingly optimistic about their prospects throughout 2016, despite tightening margins and falling prices. This is influencing their plans for investment in production equipment.

Sabine Geldermann, director drupa, Messe Düsseldorf, said, “This year’s drupa is a showcase for the latest developments in the global printing industry. By commissioning the series of drupa Global Trends reports, we are able to put these new developments into the context of the state of the industry as a whole. Anyone visiting drupa this year will find the reports make an invaluable backgrounder.” Sabine also hopes that drupa will attract maximum number of visitors from India, China and Brazil.

Here are the technologies and product
offerings from a few prominent exhibitors
at drupa, which were shared by the company
representatives at the pre-drupa conference

Kodak to launch a new inkjet
printhead that could see it
re-enter the wide-format market
via an OEM partner (Hall 5/09)

Building upon its record of introducing important technology innovations at drupa, Kodak will this year announce a new process free plate. With demand for its process free KODAK SONORA Plates growing to over 3000 customers, Kodak’s latest addition to the SONORA Plate portfolio is designed to meet the rigorous demands of UV print applications. At drupa 2016, Kodak will also showcase KODAK AQUA-IMAGE Pressroom Chemicals range to help printers reduce variability and improve performance in the pressroom and KODAK ELECTRA MAX Thermal Plates and KODAK LIBRA VP Digital Plates for commercial and newspaper printers.

Debuting at drupa 2016 will be the new FLEXCEL NX System ’16, which builds on Kodak’s award-winning NX Advantage technology. Brand new system features include NX tags for the application of multiple patterns on a single plate layout, and Advanced Edge Definition, a Kodak patented technology that controls ink flow at the edge of objects, resulting in cleaner print and greater visual edge definition. Kodak’s stand at drupa 2016 will feature a KODAK ULTRA NX Experience room to showcase environmentally-conscious plate technology.

Kodak will also launch its next generation inkjet technology platform, KODAK ULTRASTREAM Inkjet Technology. Built on the company’s continuous inkjet Stream technology, ULTRASTREAM will move production inkjet into the mainstream of commercial printing and packaging. On display on the Kodak stand, visitors will also see live demonstrations of the KODAK PROSPER 6000C press with inline finishing; Kodak’s Extended Gamut + Varnish (XGV) technology demonstration for flexible films produced on narrow-web; and This is Inkjet! Loft, an apartment decorated with Kodak Stream digitally printed products including laminate flooring, countertops, furniture, wallpaper, napkins and water bottles.

Additionally, Kodak will be presenting the new KODAK NEXPRESS ZX3900 Digital Production Color Press, an enhanced version of the KODAK NEXPRESS SX Platform; KODAK NEXPRESS White Dry Ink for NEXPRESS devices for the Fifth Imaging Unit; and the new Multi-Cassette Unit, Single Cassette Unit and In-Line Punch System for the KODAK TRENDSETTER and KODAK ACHIEVE Platesetters to deliver better functionality and performance to drive efficiency, but with a compact footprint.

Kolbus to showcase digital
print finishing and complete
solutions (Hall 16/C22)

Once again, KOLBUS will host one of the biggest exhibits, with a 1,400 square metre stand packed with innovations. The KOLBUS Book Manufacturing division will present 3D Format Variation of books on a running machine without stopping for make-ready. The key elements of this presentation are the KM 200 Zero-Make- Ready Perfect Binder with newly enhanced 3D Format Variation capabilities and the brand-new HD-HD 143 Three-Knife-Trimmer. This new zeromake- ready trimmer can trim books of different thickness, different height and different width without stopping for format adjustment.

For feeding printed signatures into the system, KOLBUS will demonstrate the full versatility of its approach. For digital web-fed printing, the bookbinding system will be fed by the WF 100 Webfolder. With a capacity of up to 1.5 million pages per hour in its current, standard version, the KOLBUS Webfolder has the potential to start working today and outlast several generations of digital presses.

At drupa 2016, KOLBUS will also introduce the brand-new Hardcover Book-line BF 513. This machine will make all the zero-make-ready features of the flagship BF 530 Bookjet-Edition available for the lower budget, 30 books a minute class.

KOLBUS’ Commercial and Publishing Printing division will present the brand-new KM 610 Perfect Binder. This new line of machines, running upwards from 5,000 books per hour, will be displayed in its 7,000 book per hour version. As a special feature at drupa, KOLBUS will be running the new KM 610 binder at full speed through the new digital zero-make-ready threeknife- trimmer HD-HD 143, thereby displaying the unparalleled hybrid capabilities engineered into the KOLBUS system.

For the Luxury Packaging industry, an innovative production system for rigid boxes has been developed that will revolutionise the luxury packaging industry and will even impact the luxury goods industry. At their stand at drupa 2016, they will be producing rigid cardboard boxes with lids and metal fasteners on a fully automatic continuous flow line. This will be demonstrated at an unprecedented running speed of more than 2,000 boxes per hour, and format changeovers will be shown to be just as easy as on a modern KOLBUS case maker.

On top of all this, there will be a lot of focus on the KOLBUS approach to workflow design and systems control, especially in view of the approaching era of Industries 4.0.

HP Inc. inspires print providers to
reinvent their possibilities, unveils
cloud-based HP PrintOS (Hall 17)

HP Inc will exhibit the industry’s broadest portfolio of digital printing solutions at drupa 2016, including new advancements that demonstrate how HP digital print technology enables print service providers (PSPs) to reinvent their possibilities. The company will also unveil HP PrintOS, a cloud-based operating system that reinvents how customers manage print production.

An open, secure and integrated platform for print production management, PrintOS is a cloud-based operating system ideal for PSPs of all segments and sizes for use with HP Indigo, PageWide Web Press, Scitex and Latex digital printing technology. Featuring a suite of intuitive web-based and mobile applications, PrintOS helps simplify and automate print production, enabling customers to start printing jobs, faster. Additionally, cloud connectivity allows customers to monitor print status remotely as well as track and improve production performance over time. HP Indigo and PageWide Web Press customers can begin using PrintOS on May 31, 2016. Many apps will be available without charge to existing customers with a service contract, while certain apps will be subject to monthly subscription and usage charges.

HP Financial Services, IT investment solutions and financing provider for HP Inc., can help customers gain easier and faster access to innovative digital printing technology. Customers have the flexibility to choose how they acquire and pay for an HP PrintOS solution, with IT investment options that can be customized across HP Inc.’s product portfolio, based on business needs.

Ricoh to open new worlds at drupa
2016 (Hall 08a/B46-1, B46-2)

The Ricoh stand at drupa 2016 is designed to Open New Worlds for print service providers who are looking for new ways to seamlessly manage workflows, maximise productivity, increase profitability and access additional markets. Benoit Chatelard, vice president, production printing, Ricoh Europe, explained, “By harnessing the power of digital print and data, and by creating innovative new technologies for multichannel production and communications environments, Ricoh is providing new ways for any print service provider to transform, optimise and grow their business.”

A number of hardware and software solutions will demonstrate ways print service providers can achieve these ambitious goals. Demonstrations will include a fully configured Ricoh Pro VC60000 running a variety of media roll-toroll and roll-to-sheet, and a single engine Pro VC60000 that lets visitors take a close look at the technology that powers it. Furthermore, colour cut sheet presses including, notably, the Ricoh Pro C9110, and the Ricoh Pro C7100x with its fifth toner station.

Visitors to the show will see live demonstrations of the new aqueous resin (AR) latex inks for the Ricoh Pro large format L4100 printer. Also, visitors will be able to see the increased finishing capabilities with the Watkiss PowerSquare 224 booklet maker running inline with the Pro C9100 series, Pro C7100x series, and the Ricoh Pro 8100 series digital presses. In addition, being shown for the first time is the enhanced banner option for the Pro C7100x and Pro C9100 digital presses. Another important addition to the Ricoh portfolio that will be on show at drupa is the Ricoh TotalFlow Cloud Suite, a hosted portfolio of cloud-based services comprising carefully selected Ricoh software and Ricohendorsed third-party solutions.

Visitors to the Ricoh stand will be able to experience Ricoh’s innovative portfolio of solutions in a number of zones based on New Worlds of opportunity: Corporate Printing Zone – focusing on increased promotional output and print room integration; Commercial Printing Zone – concentrating on live end-to-end production and lean manufacturing; Publishing Zone – showcasing digital print technologies and workflow for short run colour trade book and journal production; Direct Mail/Transactional Zone – showcasing rejuvenation of Direct Mail; and Industrial Zone – focus on factory automation, the smart factory, track and trace, integrated industrial innovations and specific industrial verticals, especially automotive and healthcare.

In the Creative Studio, emphasis will be placed on personalisation and maximising the range of marketing services a print service provider or marketing agency can offer to its clients. This includes using MarcomCentral for portalbased personalisation, FusionPro for variable data campaigns and cross media workflow solutions, as well as Clickable Paper to bridge offline print to online content. Live production will be on a Pro C7100x in this area of the stand, and advice will be offered to visitors on unleashing its full creative potential including through special surface effects such as those achievable through Color-Logic’s decorative and reflective effects technology.

In an innovation zone, Ricoh will showcase its breadth of technology, highlighting the latest innovations, including the Theta 360S camera plus Ricoh’s own Virtual Reality goggles. In addition, lean and green consultancy services including Carbon Balanced Printing, inkjet head technology, digital signage and immersive projection will all feature. Ricoh Customised Solutions being shown will include third party finishing system integration. We will also be showing examples of innovative Additive Manufacturing applications in this area. Visitors will also have the opportunity to be on the cover of one of Germany’s most popular news magazines, Focus. In a demonstration of end-to-end production with Ricoh solutions, a photograph of each participating visitor will be taken, and their personalised magazine cover will be printed for their collection.

Fujifilm to focus on “Value
from Innovation” (Hall 08b/
A25-1, 08b/A25-3, 01/B19)

FUJIFILM Corporation will occupy a 2,020 m2 booth in Hall 8b at drupa 2016, alongside a smaller booth in Hall 1 to support the company’s Heidelberg partnership, which in combination, represents the company’s largest drupa presence to date. Under the slogan “Value from Innovation”, the company will be showcasing technologies and solutions that add value to print operations in the commercial, wide format and packaging market sectors.

A key element to Fujifilm’s presence in both locations will be the company’s industry-leading inkjet technologies, summarised and showcased under a new brand name “FUJIFILM Inkjet Technology”. Fujifilm’s inkjet capability combines the very best UV & water-based ink technologies and production facilities, leading piezo-electric printhead design and manufacturing, and world-class software and systems integration expertise.

In Hall 1, Fujifilm will be showcasing how the latest generation of its modular SAMBA printheads, unique VersaDrop jetting and RAPIC anti-coagulation technologies, together with the company’s software, systems integration and ink development expertise, have been combined to form the “print engine“ at the heart of Heidelberg’s new B1 industrial inkjet press.

In Hall 8b, the company will be showcasing how these inkjet technologies can contribute to the expansion and development of new printing applications and opportunities. Of equal importance however, will be Fujifilm’s traditional technologies and solutions which are designed to optimise existing print processes, in particular offset and flexo print production. At drupa, Fujifilm will be focusing on demonstrating how its recently launched “SUPERIA” and “FLENEX” solutions can optimise production, help printers improve their profitability and ultimately provide the foundation for a strong print business.

Fujifilm’s stand in Hall 8b is divided into five different zones for different types of printing application: Commercial Printing Zone: showcasing Jet Press 720S, Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow, and SUPERIA solution for offset printing; Wide Format Printing Zone: showcasing a new Onset X Series printer for the first time in Europe, Uvistar Hybrid 320, Fujifilm’s Acuity F flatbed printer, Acuity LED 1600 II rollfed inkjet printer, and application examples produced using Fujifilm’s unique Uvijet KV inks suitable for thermoforming applications; Package Printing Zone: showcasing FLENEX FW water-based flexo printing plate and a new LED-UV inkjet digital press for the flexible package printing market, powered by proprietary new Fujifilm image forming technology called “EUCON” (Enhanced Under Coating and Nitrogen purging technology); FUJIFILM Inkjet Technology Zone: demonstration of company’s cutting-edge UV & water-based ink technologies, leading piezo-electric printheads and worldclass software and systems integration expertise, showcased under a new brand name “FUJIFILM Inkjet Technology”; Print Applications Zone: showcasing a variety of innovative and creative printed materials produced using Fujifilm’s diverse solutions.

Hybrid software to accelerate
innovation in packaging (Hall 07a/F41)

HYBRID Software, now the fastest growing software company in the graphic arts sector, will use drupa 2016 to further strengthen its position as a major pre-press innovator by launching a range of industry-leading products. In addition to a string of installations worldwide, HYBRID has extended its global distributor network, expanded its workforce and formed several strategic new partnerships with other key vendors. Technical highlights at drupa 2016 will include a groundbreaking cloud-based enterprise workflow solution, variable data options for digital package printing, warping and 3D facilities for shrink sleeves and cartons, plus a 64-bit scalable RIP for PC and MAC platforms, the only RIP of its type on the market. Visitors to the stand will also be able to hear about HYBRID’s expanded gamut color management for package printing as well as the latest developments in automated workflows, from MIS to digital output.

CLOUDFLOW is a web-based workflow solution that connects multiple workflows, devices, and even distributed production sites through a common interface and centralized database. The sophisticated features range from intelligent flattening, trapping and separation management to the generation of step and repeat marks, plus production file management and a wide variety of pre-press functions. CLOUDFLOW Share, which will be shown for the first time at drupa 2016, is a unique method of transferring data between multiple sites and provides important advantages over existing file transfer systems.

The CLOUDFLOW RIP is an important addition to the company’s suite of software for the packaging and label markets. The 64-bit RIP is based on Harlequin’s powerful Host Renderer kernel, with a custom user interface developed by HYBRID Software specifically for labels and packaging. It can easily be combined with other HYBRID products such as PROOFSCOPE and PACKZFLOW for soft proofing and pre-press automation functionality.

HYBRID has been pioneering the use of variable data printing within the labels and packaging sectors and has developed PRINTPLANNER for its customers and digital press OEMs. PRINTPLANNER is very well suited for combination forms featuring multiple jobs on a single press run. Its VDP module can be used, for instance, to produce labels on demand where a barcode needs to change regularly to match the date of production.

Being shown for the first time at drupa 2016 will be HYBRID’s exciting software-as-a service product, MyCLOUDFLOW, which lets companies purchase capacity within CLOUDFLOW rather than having to buy a license and configure systems The company will introduce at drupa 2016 a new warping and 3D functionality within PACKZ. The easy-to-use and intuitive tools allow the user to take an existing document and create a precise deformation of it, which takes into account the substrate to be printed on plus the shape and size of the object it is to be applied to, including irregular shapes and overwraps.

Canon to help printers unleash their
business potential (Hall 08a/B50-1)

Canon will show print businesses the full gamut of its market-leading inkjet and toner based solutions, from small to wide format. The focus of Canon’s drupa presence will be on productive, high quality technologies that meet the evolving expectations of commercial printers and corporate print departments of every size and type.

The highlight for most visitors will be the first opportunity to see Canon’s most recently launched production print systems, including Océ VarioPrint i300 – inkjet sheetfed press – with new features and finishing options; imagePRESS C10000VP – digital production press, 100ppm; imagePRESS C8000VP – digital production press, 80 ppm; Océ ColorStream 6000 Chroma – high-speed commercial inkjet system featuring the new Chromera ink set; ImageStream 2400 – full-colour inkjet press for standard coated papers; ColorWave 910 – high-speed, single-pass colour inkjet printer; and the first European showing of several new wide format printer models.

The Canon stand will be arranged to reflect the most prominent applications for visitors, making it easy to locate the solutions of most interest to them: commercial print; business communications, including transactional and direct mail; publishing, including books, magazines and newspapers; advertising and creative, including display graphics; functional/ industrial, including 3D printing; packaging; and photographic products.

In every area of the stand, Canon will bring to life its new campaign to ‘#UnleashPrint’. This communicates Canon’s passion for print as a unique and powerful medium, celebrates the value of print and sets out to unlock it’s still untapped potential.

Canon experts will be on hand throughout drupa to talk to PSPs about their development plans and aspirations, offering practical guidance and insight through such successful tools as the Canon Business & Innovation Scan and Essential Business Builder Program.

Pitney Bowes to demonstrate
‘Real Impact’ (Hall 04/D59)

Pitney Bowes revealed that ‘Real Impact’ will be its theme at drupa 2016. As businesses work to achieve greater results at a faster pace, creating real and meaningful business impact more quickly becomes critical both within and outside organisations. At their stand in Hall 4, Pitney Bowes will showcase its latest data, print and mail technologies, demonstrating how businesses can create real impact to gain a competitive edge and deliver worldclass results. Visitors to the drupa Cube – the show’s 11-day conference programme – will hear from senior Pitney Bowes executives including chief operating officer, Digital Commerce Solutions, Christoph Stehmann, who will present “Management lessons from winning companies” in the Business Evolution stream on the 31st May.

A selection of Pitney Bowes’ exciting technologies on show at drupa 2016 includes: new Clarity solutions suite; new DirectView software; new Client Success Services; new Pulse inserter; new version of Epic Inserting and finishing system – first showing in Europe; EngageOne video, and other Personalised Customer Engagement solutions including EngageOne Communications Suite, EngageOne Vault; new EngageOne SmartView/SmartBill/ SmartPay/Liaison – customer self service; Print+ Messenger Colour Inkjet System; Accelejet Inkjet printing and finishing system – first showing in Europe; OneSort parcel and mail sorting system; Vantage mail sorting solution; Relay 8000 / 4000 / Communications Hub; Spectrum data integration/data quality; and Synchronised Communications Execution for customer engagement.

Konica Minolta driving
future growth (Hall 08b/
A65-1, 08b/A65-6)

Konica Minolta will enable its customers’ businesses to generate more profit by demonstrating real-value business opportunities in several business zones on a massive 2,400sq m stand, one of the largest at drupa 2016. The business zones will cover the complete Konica Minolta production printing portfolio, including markets such as industrial inkjet, label printing and marketing automation. New products as the bizhub PRESS 1250e series and the full commercial launch of KM-1, a UV sheet-fed digital press, will help pull the crowds. Konica Minolta’s Press Conference will be in room 7, CCD Süd, Messe Düsseldorf, on 31 May at 13.00. The KM-1, Konica Minolta’s eagerlyawaited B2+ UV inkjet press, will be officially launched at drupa 2016. At Konica Minolta’s booth, it can be found in the B2 inkjet printing zone, where it will perform in combination with MGI’s JETvarnish, showing visitors a wide range of benefits. They include moving short-run offset to digital inkjet, the ability to carry out hybrid printing with the integration of KM-1 into existing offset processes, duplex printing and larger sheet sizes as well as printing on packaging board, lightweight papers and textured stock. Besides, the company will show how a combination of its Bizhub PRESS C71cf, GM DC330 Mini finisher and MGI’s JETvarnish can reduce label print run lengths, enabling faster delivery times and opening the doors to valueadded ondemand label runs. Furthermore, for those looking at optimising opportunities in the digitally-printed packaging space, Konica Minolta will stage a technical showcase of a new technology: KM-C.

In April 2016, Konica Minolta announced it is to invest an additional stake in MGI Digital Technology (MGI), the French-based leading decorative printing equipment manufacturer, with which Konica Minolta has had a financial and strategic alliance since January 2014. Already, MGI’s hot foil stamping and embossing equipment has been added to Konica Minolta’s product line. With the additional stake in place, Konica Minolta now intends to harness MGI’s R&D power to accelerate its initiatives for application development in areas such as labels and packaging. In response to the demand for decorative printing in the labels and packaging area, the creation of synergy between Konica Minolta and MGI will also give Konica Minolta a strong presence on the digital packaging printing market and drive forward expansion in commercial printing.

Accurio is a common and unified new brand for all of Konica Minolta’s inkjet digital press and digital workflow solutions. The Accurio name reflects the advanced, automated and, most of all, accurate nature of Konica Minolta’s technology. Henceforth Konica Minolta’s commercial printing solutions will be known as AccurioPro, while the KM-1 will become AccurioJet KM-1.

Xerox to unveil two new presses
(Hall 08b/A62-1, 08b/A62-5)

With a theme “Let the Work Flow,” the Xerox stand at drupa will showcase how providers can work better by becoming more automated, integrated and productive in their operations. To help print providers capitalize on inkjet’s growing momentum, Xerox will launch two new inkjet presses, the Xerox Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press and the Xerox Trivor 2400 Inkjet Press, at drupa. The presses are the first in an innovative new series of inkjet offerings to come from Xerox; Brenva HD to the cut-sheet inkjet market and Trivor 2400 with the Xerox IJ Print Server powered by Fiery to the continuous feed inkjet market. Each will enable print providers to accelerate growth and drive the production of more high-value applications such as direct mail, transactional, books and catalogs.

“We are focused on expanding our inkjet portfolio with more choices and greater capabilities for print providers to grow their businesses,” said Robert Stabler, senior vice president and general manager, Global Graphic Communications Business Group, Xerox. “With the addition of Brenva HD and Trivor 2400, we’re making inkjet more accessible and affordable to a larger number of print providers.” Xerox is targeting the space – dubbed by InfoTrends as the Zone of Disruption – that sits below the gap between high-end toner and lowend inkjet presses with Brenva HD. The new press combines the cost effectiveness of inkjet with the flexibilities of cut-sheet to address the needs of print providers in the light direct mail, transactional and book markets. Incorporating many of the reliable paper-path components of the award-winning Xerox iGen, Brenva HD offers best-in-class automation and reliability features to maximize press productivity.

The Xerox Trivor 2400 Inkjet Press provides printers with a platform built to grow as business demands increase with the same machine scaling up for more speed, volume and solutions. The Trivor 2400 press combines high performance and increased speed (551 feet/168 meters per minute in color; 656 feet/200 meters per minute in monochrome) in a small footprint. The press will allow print shops to move into catalogs, magazines and color books, giving customers more flexibility. Engineered-in automation ensures superb, reliable image quality including inline density optimization, clear pixel technology, and missing jet detection and correction.

Epson presents its most advanced
range of professional production
inkjet printers (Hall 05/A01-1)

Epson will demonstrate its most advanced range of professional production inkjet printers and presses at drupa 2016 for label, sign & display, photographic, apparel, décor and product decoration applications. Reducing the environmental impact of its technology is a major focus for Epson. The design and precision of the inkjet printers and presses reduces energy and ink use, and cuts down waste. For example, the new SureColor SC-S printers demonstrated at drupa use up to 4 x less energy compared to latex technology, about 15% less ink than the previous SureColor generation and up to 50% less ink than latex technology (depending on the substrate and quality printed).

In line with its commitment to meet the changing needs of the printing industry and to maximise the potential of many different print applications, Epson has merged its wide-format, label and textile businesses to create a major new global ‘Professional Printing Solutions’ division, headed by COO Sunao Murata. drupa 2016 provides the launch pad for this new division where Epson will show how it is transforming professional printing with a range of smart production systems that are affordable, easy-to-use and which produce a wide variety of ‘added-value’ creative products.

Sunao Murata, COO Professional Printing Division, Seiko Epson, says, “Our commitment to R&D and continual improvement shapes everything we do. The industry will see the very latest results at drupa where we will demonstrate more professional inkjet printers and presses than ever before – all delivering the ultimate in production performance and user experience – and show how companies can use them to build successful businesses and enter new markets.” The Epson booth at drupa will be split into 5 zones: prepress, sign & display, label, copy shop and technology to allow visitors to focus on specialist demonstrations and applications and experience the significant business benefits each can deliver.

In the Sign & Display zone, Epson will show its latest range of wide-format SureColour SC-S signage printers and SC-F dye-sublimation printers producing a selection of signage, display and décor products on a variety of substrates. Epson is the world’s leading manufacturer of dye sublimation printers and at drupa it will also show the latest range of SureColor SC-F models using UltraChrome DS ink to produce a selection of soft signage, soft furnishing, apparel and promotional products.

Highlights of Label Zone include Epson’s SurePress digital label presses which will be a major focus within this zone: These include the single-pass SurePress L-6034VW with PrecisionCore linehead and LED-cured UV ink featuring in-line digital varnish and highopacity white ink. At the Copy Shop zone, Epson will showcase a range of desktop-based production printers from the SureColor SCF2000 direct-to-garment printer to the SureLab D700 inkjet printer enabling the widest variety of applications. While, at the Prepress zone, the ultimate in colour-accurate proofing will be demonstrated by the latest SureColor 24-inch SC-P7000 and 44-inch SC-P9000 printers with the 11-colour UltraChrome HDX inkset, incorporating a new violet ink. Moreover, at Technology zone, Epson will display and demonstrate some of its latest technologies.

Global Graphics Software to
display excellent software
capabilities (Hall 07/C20, 07/B21)

Global Graphics Software has been working with a number of inkjet press manufacturers to develop a solution to address the problem. At drupa it will launch Harlequin Multi-Level Digital Screening a package of technology and services to tune multi-level half-tone screens for a specific press/media combination to produce the optimum quality.

Global Graphics has been working closely with the press vendor community for 30 years ever since the Harlequin RIP was first used in a production system. A RIP – raster image processor – transforms design and pre-press data into a format that can be printed. Without a RIP production presses cannot produce pages. Global Graphics is one of the world’s foremost software developers with this expertise.

Today the Harlequin RIP drives the fastest inkjet presses on the market, including the HP PageWide Web presses, the fastest of which is capable of over 7000ppm. The Harlequin RIP renders 80% of the world’s photobooks and approximately 70% of the world’s newspapers. Vendors expect their RIP software to deliver exceptional quality output that is repeatable and reliable while handling data at speed. Harlequin’s speed means they can achieve their performance goals with less processing power which saves on costs. That’s why increasing numbers of vendors are turning towards Harlequin.

Among Global Graphics customers who will be exhibiting at drupa are HP Indigo and HP PageWide Presses, Canon, Delphax, Onyx, Roland and TKS.

DataLase touches the future of
digital printing (Hall 06/A19)

Leading inline digital printing company, DataLase, will launch the next generation of its revolutionary digital printing solutions at Drupa 2016. The new Variprint monochrome technology will be demonstrated by the DataLase team on their stand in Hall 6 at Drupa. Historically, the technology has only been seen in product coding and marking applications, in white, clear and black. Now, the company has extended its intellectual property portfolio and is bringing to market the ability to deliver true real time messaging and variable data on pack with a new selection of monochrome colours – a breakthrough in laser inline digital printing. The Variprint development delivers a new level of pack differentiation with promotions and key variable data messages able to stand out from traditional coding and marking style graphics in blue, green and red text.

The DataLase technology can be applied on a variety of primary and secondary packaging materials, to enable the laser to print text, and graphics up to 100mm high and 2m/sec with one laser. The solution enables high-speed printing, which is ideal for in line customised print. In addition, the system is essentially an inkless print solution removing the requirement for consumables at the point of packing and filling or converter.

DataLase CEO, Chris Wyres, said, “Our unique technology platforms have been designed to deliver enhanced flexibility, quality, productivity and consumer interaction. Our solutions are a true breakthrough in the market and will change the way brand owners print packaging and interact with consumers.”

EFI continues software support
(Hall 09/A40-1, 09/A40-2)

EFI chief executive Guy Gecht said, “Waterbased ink is going to be a big part of what we do in future.” EFI said it planned to enhance its inkjet portfolio with Rialco’s “advanced ink component capabilities” as well as growing the business into new areas.

Gecht also hinted at some of the new products EFI will launch at drupa. He said EFI was combining the know-how from its rugged Cretaprint system for ceramic tiles, the Jetrion label printing system and Vutek wide-format kit to create a “revolutionary” system for packaging. It is likely to target the corrugated market but Gecht would not be drawn on details.“We are migrating our technology into other industries,” he said.

EFI is also planning to combine the attributes of its water-based and LED/UV inks for “our next evolution in ink”.

“That’s going to be as exciting as the new machine I just described and this ink will work on that machine,” Gecht added. He said EFI had learned a lot developing a “very, very fast” Fiery front-end for Benny Landa’s Landa Nanographic B1 sheetfed press that will effectively be relaunched at the upcoming drupa show. “We’re in the same hall as Landa so will share the traffic. He’s ready for the show, that’s for sure,” Gecht said. “As an industry we need him to be successful, it will drive more digital printing.”

EFI has announced that users of its Prinance and Printy MISs who are on maintenance contracts will be able to switch to EFI PrintSmith free of charge. The announcement follows EFI’s acquisition of Alphagraph, which developed Printy and the former Heidelberg MIS, Prinance, both of which were predominantly sold in German-speaking countries.

At drupa, EFI will continue to offer support to users wishing to continue using Alphagraph’s Prinance or Printy. Steffen Haaga, director of European sales for EFI Productivity Software, said,“We wanted to demonstrate to the prior Alphagraph customers our strong commitment to their future by providing a no-cost alternative for them to switch to an EFI platform that will be developed for the long term.”

EFI has launched its 3.2m-wide Vutek HS100 Pro high-speed wide-format printer to challenge existing top-end digital platforms by offering very fast throughput rates, low ink consumption and the “true versatility of a hybrid solution”. Designed to work with flat-sheet and roll-fed materials, it features an eight-colour inkset with options for white and special colours, and can process up to 100 plates per hour. Key to the Vutek HS100 Pro is its ink technology, plus the combination of LED pin curing and conventional mercury arc lamps to provide precision, artefactfree droplet placement on all materials, even at high speeds.

Bobst innovation galore
(Hall 10/A60-1, 10/A60-4)

BOBST will use drupa to showcase innovation solutions that will drive customer productivity higher, open up new capabilities and protect customers’ global investments. Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO of BOBST, said, “2016 will be a milestone year for BOBST as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the formation of our company. This drupa will see us clearly demonstrate that we are going forward with the same dynamism and commitment that first won us our reputation in the industry. We will unveil innovations that will address the needs of brands and their suppliers for maximum efficiency, reduced time to market and optimized printing processes. Our Services offering will continue to expand and new customers features will be unveiled covering the entire product portfolio.” Among the highlights that BOBST will present at drupa 2016 will be the world premiere of a brand new MASTERCUT 106 PER. This new model will be the most productive die-cutter ever available to the industry. Other innovations will include a new MASTERFOIL 106 PR hotfoil stamping press that incorporates FOIL UNWINDER+, a system which delivers up to 30% more press productivity and a reduction of up to 50% in foil use. Besides, a new foldergluer is to be launched at the show, along with the new MASTERCUT and new MASTERFOIL, which feature increased automation, shorter setup times, lower running costs, easier use, and will allow packaging manufacturers to realize ‘zero fault’ production.

Also on offer will be a brand new version of the M6 UV flexo press, configured with folding carton production in mind, which will challenge offset printed carton production by offering job changeovers in under a minute – thanks to Digital Flexo technology; high running speeds; and highspeed in-line sheeting. Cartons produced on the line can then be converted using the BOBST diecutting and folding & gluing equipment available to most carton makers. The seven-color M6 offers what no other press in the market can – the cost benefits of purchasing board on reels, allied to the production benefits of the no-water, no-solvent, fast changeover UV Digital Flexo process.

Using new low migration UV curable inks and Digital Flexo automation, BOBST will show solutions that offer comparable set-up times to digital, allied to the highest productivity. Visitors who pre-register online to visit the BOBST booth at drupa 2016 will get a BOBST Innovation Compass sent to their Smartphone which will give them quick and easy guided access to those solutions on the booth they have expressed an interest in.

At drupa 2016 BOBST will be working closely in partnership with other forward-thinking suppliers to the industry. These include Kodak, who will host packaging samples and their VIP lounge, Kurz, who will host a brand new BOBST hotfoil stamping press on their stand,, Marbach, Hinderer + Mühlich, Baumer hhs, Metsä, Henkel, Gebr. Knauer, and the partners in the REVO Digital Flexo project.

Hersh Lulla, deputy manager – marketing,
India Cluster, Eastman Kodak Company

Theme for drupa: Kodak will be at drupa 2016 (Kodak Stand @ Hall 5, Stand F09) with the complete portfolio of products for the print, packaging and publishing industries. At the booth will be new developments and launches from the Kodak stable, featured to showcase Kodak’s commitment to driving the evolution of the graphic arts industry and serving print markets around the world. Kodak’s mantra for drupa 2016 is bringing the ‘Print For Good’ solutions that deliver what printers want today and need tomorrow with new technologies and enhancements to help printers strengthen their businesses and streamline their printing processes.

Plan for ‘India Day’: Kodak will have an India Day, which will be a ‘by invite only’ event. This will be announced closer to date. Indian team at drupa: Bhalchandra Nikumb (MD – India & West Asia, channel director – South East Asia) will be leading efforts of the India team along with Arnab Maiti (regional manager – South & West, manager – Digital Printing & Workflow). In addition, Kodak will be represented at drupa by senior management and a strong team of channel partners from different parts of the region. Focus for Indian audience: In the offset pre-press domain, Kodak will showcase Sonora Process Free plates. Also at the booth will be Kodak Electra Max Thermal Plates and Kodak Libra VP (Violet) Digital Plates for commercial and newspaper printers. Kodak also plans to exhibit Kodak Aqua-Image Pressroom chemicals that will help printers reduce variability and improve performance in the pressroom.

We will also have the new Multi-Cassette Unit, Single Cassette Unit and In-Line Punch System for the KODAK TRENDSETTER and KODAK ACHIEVE Platesetters that deliver better functionality and performance to drive efficiency, but with a compact footprint. Debuting at drupa 2016 will be the new KODAK FLEXCEL NX System ’16, which builds on Kodak’s award-winning NX Advantage technology. Brand new system features include NX tags for the application of multiple patterns on a single plate layout, and Advanced Edge Definition, a Kodak patented technology that controls ink flow at the edge of objects, resulting in cleaner print and greater visual edge definition. Kodak will also launch its next generation inkjet technology platform, KODAK ULTRASTREAM Inkjet Technology. Built on the company’s continuous inkjet stream technology, ULTRASTREAM will move production inkjet into the mainstream of commercial printing and packaging. At the booth, visitors can expect to see live demos of Kodak Prosper 6000C Press with inline finishing, and Kodak’s Extended Gamut + Varnish (XGV) technology demo for flexible films produced on narrow web.

In the digital space, Kodak will showcase their electrophotographic print solutions offerings, which will include the new KODAK NEXPRESS ZX3900 Digital Production Color Press, an enhanced version of the KODAK NEXPRESS SX Platform; and KODAK NEXPRESS White Dry Ink for NEXPRESS devices for the Fifth Imaging Unit.

FY 2015-16 for Kodak: Eastman Kodak Company (global) delivered earnings higher than the full-year guidance. This is a clear reflection of significant progress in Kodak’s transformation. Our key product lines achieved strong growth in 2015. The operating performance was strong, exceeding the Operational EBITDA guidance we provided for the year, delivering greater than the targeted cost structure savings and meaningfully improving the quality of our earnings. “We are executing well within the new divisional structure, and making the progress necessary in our key businesses to drive future growth,” said John McMullen, Kodak chief financial officer. “We are also exceeding our aggressive cost goals to ensure we have the structure and capacity we need to invest in growth and to return the company to sustained profitability.” What next? 2016 looks promising, especially since it is a drupa year. We are looking to constantly provide printers across the world with solutions that help them serve the market better, as we deliver strong performance across the company and especially in our growth drivers. Kodak has announced certain strategic and product decisions regarding two of our businesses – Enterprise Inkjet and Silver Metal Mesh Touch Sensor.

Kodak is in talks with prospective buyers about offers to purchase its KODAK PROSPER Enterprise Inkjet business, with its highly acclaimed PROSPER Press Platform, PROSPER S Series Imprinting Systems and related products. Sagent Advisors, an independent investment bank, and DC Advisory, a European corporate finance adviser, which share Daiwa Securities, a Japanese investment bank, as a common shareholder, have been engaged by Kodak to manage the sale process.

“The PROSPER business has significant potential for accelerated growth, which will expand even further with the planned introduction of KODAK ULTRASTREAM, a next generation inkjet writing system,” said Jeff Clarke, Kodak chief executive officer. “To achieve its full economic potential, PROSPER will be best leveraged by a company with a larger sales and distribution footprint in digital printing markets.”

Functional 3D printing, including touch screen sensors, is an important element of Kodak’s portfolio and Kodak will continue to develop leading-edge technology in this segment. After advancing both silver and copper metal mesh technologies, Kodak has decided to focus on copper. “Based on feedback from industry participants, it’s clear our fully additive copper metal mesh is the winning approach in terms of overall cost, setup cost and scalability to larger screens,” said Clarke.

Kodak will exit its position in silver metal mesh development, but will continue to make silver halide film available to touch screen sensor manufacturers.

RICOH India fully gears up for drupa 2016

Key showcase will be RICOH Pro VC60000 digital production press

As the final countdown to drupa 2016 begins, overall excitement in the air is about the innovations to be showcased in the Olympics of printing. RICOH India is all geared up for the mega expo. Sambit Misra, COO, RICOH India Ltd, shares what they will present at the world’s largest printing expo and the future plans of the company in an exclusive chat with Sonal Khurana, managing editor, Print & Publishing.

Like they have done before in every single edition of drupa, Sambit Misra says the stand of RICOH this year will also be pretty big, designed in a way to ‘Open New Worlds’ for printing firms looking for maximised productivity, increased profitability and additional markets. “This year, we will shed our spotlight mainly on RICOH Pro VC60000 digital production press as key highlight,” he asserts. This fully configured digital press is compatible with a variety of media in roll-to-roll and roll-to-sheet modes.”

“RICOH Pro VC60000 is featured with inline under-coating and overcoating systems, which any CF machine in the market till date cannot do this functionality,” explains Sambit, adding that one of the major applications of this production press is short-run magazine production, with run length of around 500-1000 copies. At the same time, this press is designed to print in multiple languages. An example in this context is that a printing firm in Europe uses RICOH Pro VC60000 to produce a magazine in five different languages for circulations in five different regions.

Apart from the on-demand magazine production, RICOH Pro VC60000, according to Sambit, is a suitable press to print personalised stationery items, such as envelopes, letterheads, pamphlets, inlets, brochures and the like. Direct mail is also one of the major applications of this press. And in the cut-sheet category, RICOH will be showing RICOH Pro C9110 and RICOH Pro C7100x with its fifth toner station during drupa 2016. RICOH at the expo will be providing a new pathway for any printing firm that wants to transform, optimise and expand their business to new verticals.

In the large-format category, where RICOH has recently landed upon, main showcase will be the company’s newly developed aqueous resin (AR) latex inks for its popular Pro L4100 series signage graphic printer. Another attraction at the company’s stand will be the increased finishing capabilities with the Watkiss PowerSquare 224 booklet maker running inline with RICOH Pro C9100 series, Pro C7100x series and Pro 8100 series digital presses. The portfolio will also include Pro C7100x and Pro C9100 production presses, showing for the first time and RICOH TotalFlow Cloud Suite, a hosted portfolio of cloud-based services.

Ricoh India executives will also be present at drupa 2016. The colossal stand of the company will be structured into separate sections to accommodate the showcasing products as per their categories. “Some applications of cut-sheet, large-format and such kinds will be shown within the relevant sections divided for the categorised machines,”mentions Sambit. He says that they have identified nearly 30 customers from India, which may go up later, who will be visiting drupa 2016 to witness the prowess of the new RICOH Pro VC6000 production press.

On the future plans of RICOH India, Sambit mentions that a big launch this year in India will be the upgraded RICOH Pro L4100 large-format printer, which will be equipped with aqueous resin (AR) latex inks. These printers will also be using the Piezo printheads and 7 colors including Orange, Green and white. About the success story in cutsheet segment, Sambit says, “We had a pretty good record of cutsheet presses last year; hoping the same this year as well. Last year, we closed with 125 units of colour presses and we ruled the monochrome cut-sheet market with 75 units sold, which was about 45 percent share of the market,” he reveals.

Talking about RICOH India’s move towards educating the print buyers, Sambit says their focus is more on brands, which means ad agencies or print middlemen, not much with end print buyers.“Last year, we kept ad agencies engage in learning use of ‘white or clear ink’ in production of their art works to generate unique graphics for their customers. Every year, we pick up one key highlight of RICOH engines and try to educate our customers or printers about the innovation,” he mentions. Similarly, this year RICOH India will focus on educating customers about the better applications on 400 gsm paper as the company launched its new Andromeda Series last year that can take up the paper (of such grammage), which, perhaps, none of the printer in its class can take up.

On continuous feed machines and book publishing segment, Sambit exclaims that RICOH India’s focus is to try to get hooked more and more publishers and educational buyers. The company is now working with a publishing firm that produces books for about 6000 schools all over India. “We are trying to help this firm with our short-run production presses. At present, on an average they waste around 18 percent materials in print obsolescence or cancelled orders. If we move them to print-on-demand, they will be able to convert 40 percent of their total volume into it (print-on-demand).

Eventually, on-demand application in education sector is what RICOH India is eyeing to carry forward. But it’s not schools but higher education sector where the company is endeavouring to penetrate for churning highend books, such as medical and technical books,in which obsolescent contents are revised in regular intervals. Of course, what attracts Sambit to this sector is its phenomenally high volume of production.

Puneet Datta, director – sales &
marketing, Canon India

At drupa: There will be a lot of new products on offer but some of the highlights are the sheetfed inkjet press – B3, known as Varioprint i300, which has been very successful in Europe and multiple tens of installations are already there. We are now trying to make a version 2, where even standard offset stocks can be taken by the machine, which will bring it to a completely different sphere.

We will also showcase Imagestream inkjet press, which is our first continuous feed inkjet press, which has a technology to print on without any pre-coat or post process to print on standard offset print stock.

Besides, we will be showcasing the new series of Oce ColorWave 900/700, new Oce Arizona 660XT and ProCart G3. Also, the products on lookout are the new imageprograf 8400, 6400 and 9400S. These products will be launched in Asia in Q3/Q4.

Application zones: There will be seven application zones at our stand (commercial print, business communication, publishing, advertising & creative, functional industrial printing, packaging and photographic) and each zone would represent a particular vertical/application. India Day: It will be celebrated on 6th June. Attractions for Indian visitors: drupa 2016 would be commercialisation of technologies, showcased at last two drupas. There is a lot of interest for the newly launched Varioprint i300 and imageprograph wide-format graphic arts series. Many people from continuous feed printing, like book printers or transactional printers, are showing interest in Oce Colorstream 6000 Chroma series.

Indian contingent@drupa: There will be 5-6 people from Canon including national sales heads and marketing heads.

New initiatives for India in FY 2016-17: We are aiming at more than 20% growth with the imageprograf and new products in the graphic arts. We are looking at more channel partners.

V Balakrishnan, executive general manager
– marketing & new business development at
Konica Minolta Business Solutions India Pvt Ltd

At drupa: We will showcase our leadership in digital printing market. We will showcase KM-1 and MGI JetVarnish series. We already had a share of 10% in MGI but have now acquired an additional 30% share to provide new solutions to the customers in packaging market in India as well. So, drupa is a good opportunity for us to showcase MGI products as well.

On industrial printing: KM-1 has a product ability to large gamut of applications because of its capability to handle a variety of media and grammage. Packaging is one segment which will benefit from it largely. We are working on special samples for display at drupa.

Plan for India Day: We have scheduled two-day interactions with our Indian customers. There will be common sessions with our experts from Japan to address the visitors’ queries.

Attraction for Indian visitors: We have been talking a lot about the KM-1 machine for quite some time. People have seen first versions of these machines in exhibitions like last drupa, China Print etc. Based on the feedback received, the final engine of the machine has been changed. There is tremendous curiosity amongst Indian visitors to see the machine as there is a technology shift.

Co-developed by Konica Minolta and KOMORI Corporation, KM-1 is a UV inkjet press designed to produce outstanding image quality comparable to that of outputs from a sheet-fed offset press. The press can cover an entire process of creation of a wide range of printed products with its outstanding reproducibility of sharp-edged, high density images in 1200×1200 dpi, accepting a print area of 23×29.5 inch, at the print speed of 3000 sph (single side) and 1500 sph (both sides). KM-1, even after continuous long-time use, can produce prints of consistent density and colour tone, thus ensuring high print quality at all times. This production press is designed to handle paper of different thicknesses, ranging from thin paper to packaging paper. We are also expecting a lot of interest on new series of MGI products on the printing side, where size is going to be bigger.

Key features of MGI include the machine’s ultra-precise digital inkjet UV spot coating technology, which is capable to coat up to 3,000 sheets per hour. The machine handles sizes from 8-1/2×11 inch to 14.33×40.15 inch, creating catchy 3D tactile effects. MGI machines are ideal partners for both digital and offset presses – no expensive, time-consuming plates, screens or setups required beyond creating a graphic description file (fifth colour). It is equipped with the Konica Minolta’s Drop-on-Demand technology, which uses ultra-precise piezoelectric printheads to produce extremely thin lines (0.5mm) as well as wide uniform solid areas.

Indian contingent @ drupa: There will be atleast 3-4 representatives from our company everyday at drupa.

New initiatives for India in FY 2016-17: Last year, we started the colour seminars to educate the Konica Minolta users, how to leverage the engines and give value-additions to their customers. We would strengthen this initiative in this year. We will also be launching a few more initiatives on the education side and access to case studies on newer applications done globally. The seminars will also focus on digital label printing.

EFI acquires dye and color systems
developer Rialco Limited

EFI has acquired Rialco Limited, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of dye powders and colour products for digital print and industrial manufacturing industries. Based in Bradford, UK, Rialco will now operate as part of EFI’s industrial inkjet business, and will continue to work closely with and support its existing clients as well as expand and grow its capabilities with new products and new customers. EFI plans to improve its inkjet portfolio with Rialco’s advanced ink component capabilities.

The dye-sublimation ink market Rialco serves is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the global ink industry, with new research from Smithers Pira forecasting 18.4% year-over-year growth in dye-sublimated material print volumes through 2021, and a greater than 100% increase in volume and value of dye-sublimated printed material in that same timeframe. Financial terms of EFI’s acquisition of Rialco were not disclosed, but the deal is not expected to be material to EFI’s Q1 or full-year 2016 financial results.

“The deal announced today gives EFI the platform to extend the technical advantages we provide to customers in the signage, textile, ceramics and other industries that are rapidly transitioning from analog to digital printing,” said Stephen Emery, vice president of EFI’s ink business. Rialco employees have joined EFI and will continue to work from Rialco’s facility in Bradford.

“Being part of EFI gives Rialco an important opportunity to continue growing our offerings as part of a leading developer of advanced industrial ink products,” said Paul Davies, Rialco co-founder and current director of EFI – Rialco. “Our team is looking forward to working with our colleagues across EFI to bring Rialco’s innovations to a broader range of customers and markets.