Drupa... The Olympics of Printing, and I'm sure 2008 will be a gold medal performance. Drupa is derived from the German words "drucken" (to print) and "papier" (paper) and has a history of bringing out the best and most innovative products from all who exhibit at the show. I think one of the questions on everyone’s mind is, “What will be the big trends we will see at drupa 2008?”

Here’s what we think are some of the biggest:

First, a dramatic expansion of digital solutions. Digital printing solutions will continue to be big news in this industry – in fact in 2008, different from past drupas, there will be 4 halls dedicated to digital solutions and, according to the Messe Düsseldorf board chairman, Werner Dornscheidt, this entire exhibit space is booked and expected to be jam-packed. You can expect to see all the latest digital technology advancements and demonstrations at the show including continuous feed, production color, inkjet, and wide format solutions. There is also a lot of interest around the co-existence of offset and digital technologies and the seamless integration into hybrid environments.

The second trend we’ll see and hear a lot about at drupa is the increased emphasis on workflow. As print providers continue to deal with the challenge of generating greater margins and profits for their business, workflow and automation tools that help reduce costs, connect with customers, and enable new applications and new revenue streams become increasingly important. You’ll also see an increased focus on producing applications and print jobs more easily as well as business development tools, resources, and services to help print providers grow their business and address this challenge.

The last trend I think you’ll see is the growing awareness of the social and environmental impact of print. This will include both what technology vendors are doing to promote “green” in their business operations and products, as well as how print providers can capture new opportunities by being more green.

According to PIRA, the digital printing opportunity is 54B Euro and is expected to double in the next 5 years. Our goal for drupa 2008 is to help print providers truly connect with this amazing opportunity, in a 3500 square meter stand with the theme "Connect with Opportunity". What's more, our stand is built from recycled or remanufactured materials wherever possible - so it's very green.

Drupa 2008...it's finally here and we're very excited about the demonstrations that we have planned for the show.

Tracy Yelencsics
Vice President, Marketing Communications
Production Systems Group
Xerox Corporation