The doors have closed at drupa now, and the last trains are leaving the station. As I've noted previously, this show has been about many things. But from the presentations I've listened to and the technologies I've seen, drupa 08 is really about how virtually all types of printing are becoming more closely integrated and that applications will continue to drive the choice of press, while increasing the scope of what can be done.

As my colleague Cary Sherburne noted on WhatTheyThink.com, applications have been everywhere at drupa, showing what can actually be done with the latest technology rather than just talking about potential and leaving the "how to do it" up to the imagination. This approach has been growing over the past few years and goes a long way towards helping print providers see how they can get a return on the substantial investment most modern digital presses require. After all, people buy what products do, and what a digital print engine is supposed to do is make money for a printer and help him or her grow their business.

The type of device on which the applications shown at drupa will be run is another matter. For the time being it's still going to be predominantly toner and there is nothing the proponents of inkjet can do about that. With only Kodak, InfoPrint, Océ, and Screen actually having production-class products available in the market, and there being numerous concerns and skepticism about exactly where inkjet fits for all but a handful of applications, IJ has a ways to go before it is widely accepted as a real alternative to electrophotography. This is okay, because it is a new technology, and just as EP took a while to get going, IJ will take a while to gain traction. Just remember one thing: no printing process is perfect and each has its strengths and weaknesses.

Meanwhile, a couple of industry pundits have been bickering over which one first dubbed this the "inkjet drupa," as if it matters. The fact is, to my mind drupa 08 is many things, but the lighthouse show for inkjet it is not. Sure, inkjet machines littered many stands, but even in large format where IJ is the de facto standard, some machines were smoke and mirrors and not even running. In almost every case at drupa, the IJ boxes getting the most hype won't be available until sometime next year and even then will be going to a very limited number of customers.

There are those who say the inkjet train has left the station while others, like me, say it is still loading --and that some of the passengers are missing their luggage. And moreover, inkjet will not become this magical replacement for offset that some claim it will be. This is not to imply that inkjet won't become an important printing technology, but no printer should bet the farm on inkjet anytime soon. Although a technology can be an enabler, it is the application ultimately drives how something is printed, not the other way around. The print providers who are successful five and ten years from now are going to be the ones who use an intelligent mix of offset, EP and IJ systems and do so based on the applications they need to run. What this drupa showed beyond all doubt is that the digital printing train has left the station and among the cars and engines being added at each stop are inkjet printers that will ultimately help the train go faster and be able to do more.

Noel Ward
WhatTheyThink.com
Brimstone Hill Associates