Visitors to this year’s drupa trade show in Düsseldorf are encouraged to ‘Touch the Future’ of printing as the industry prepares for the greatest exhibition of the latest printing technology ever.
Currie Group is the largest single graphic arts supplier in Australia and New Zealand with an unrivalled range of printing and finishing equipment, consumables and software. From industry leading commercial and label digital presses by HP Indigo to state of the art digital finishing equipment from Horizon through to Cron CTP and Scodix digital embellishment to a wide range of printing plates and chemistry, Currie Group has the equipment and expertise to guide every printer towards a sustainable printing future. The company’s national reach across Australia and the Tasman, along with is unique mobile showroom that traverses the country bringing the latest technology to the regions, ensures that no printer is ever far from Currie Group assistance and advice. Now it is bringing the same assistance to local visitors who are making the trip to drupa at the end of May. The in-depth engagement and knowledge of printing built up by the Currie team over the years, combined with its enthusiasm for the latest developments in the graphic arts industry, ensures visitors who register their interest with the company will be given a unique perspective on the future of printing. A personal guided tour of the latest developments of the leading industry brands, with privileged one-on-one access to experts who can answer your questions, will ensure a rich and rewarding drupa experience. HP Indigo powers up its press range for drupa Six new presses reinforce HP Indigo in top position for digital printing across the widest range of printing applications. HP is without doubt the largest single exhibitor at drupa taking over nearly an entire exhibition hall. It will display a mind-boggling array of technology including high-speed PageWide inkjet, Scitex imaging engines along with new models of wide format latex printers and, of course, the full range of HP Indigo presses along with an extensive display of real-world applications of the new technology. Currie Group visitors will be escorted around the stand to view the five new commercial print presses plus a new label machine that are at the heart of the show. Designed to maintain HP Indigo’s technology lead in the digital printing space, the new presses are bigger and faster, building on established models in the market and providing an upgrade path for just about every up sector. While most of them are incremental developments, there are at least two radically new presses – one commercial and one for labels.
Top of the range is the HP Indigo 50000, (right) an oversized B1 (112 x 74cm) duplex roll-fed press designed for high-coverage jobs on virtually any type of paper. Powering along at 42 m/min it’s output is measured at 760 pages per minute in full colour (142 M/min in monochrome).
The giant digital web press is the largest HP Indigo has ever produced and is aimed squarely at high-volume producers of everything from catalogues to brochures, even newspapers with lots of colour at a stretch. It is required viewing for anyone contemplating buying a large offset press, or even a high-speed inkjet machine.
The other three new commercial presses – the HP Indigo 12000, HP Indigo 7900, and HP Indigo 5900 – are all based on existing models but re-engineered to take advantage of the increased productivity that is a feature of the range. A new Indigo high-definition laser array capable of 1,600 dots-per-inch resolution is lifting the already high image quality to another level.
The other radically different press is the new HP Indigo 8000 label press. On the surface it appears to be simply two of the best-selling WS6800 presses linked together. While this holds true superficially, the technology that doubles the web throughput is quite innovative.
Rob Dunnett, CEO Currie Group, (right) is expecting a good roll-up of Australian and New Zealand customers to the HP stand. While he’s still counting numbers he says he’s impressed by the enthusiasm of the local industry, and especially HP Indigo customers, to attend the show.
“We’re taking plenty of appointments not only for HP but also the the Horizon and Scodix stands from customers. It’s going to be a big Australian and New Zealand show,” he said.
Scodix’s largest digital enhancement press
A massive B1-size press, the E106, will take centre stage in the Israeli-based, manufacturer’s drupa stand this year as the digital embellishing technology moves up to the top level.
- The giant E-106 emerges at the Scodix facility in Israel.
printers. Following the success of the UltraPro the new machine closes the gap for the new technology.
Its ability to use a variety of print enhancements allows printers to customise their line with anything from foiling to three different polymers. With a throughput of up to 4,000 B1 sheets per hour it is a true industrial press that is sure to attract plenty of attention at drupa.
According to Phil Rennell, sales director Currie Group, (right) the local industry has responded very positively to the opportunities the Scodix equipment makes available. “We’ve placed a number of Scodix machines into Australia and New Zealand. They are proving their worth in different environments from large print companies to ‘for-trade’ suppliers. The new generation on display at drupa will only increase the interest we’ve already seen in the brand,” said Rennell.
Horizon unveils new finishing landscape at drupa
Currie Group’s long-term finishing partner, the Kyoto-based Horizon (Hall 6, D5) will host Australian and New Zealand printers seeking to explore new digital finishing solutions. With equipment designed for HP Indigo presses as well as a wide range of commercial collators, folders and binders, Horizon was one of the first to recognise the different requirements of print shops in a digital age.
At this drupa it is launching an A4 landscape bookletmaker that will produce perfectly finished booklets. The SPF/FC200L incorporates all the highly automated features of the SPF/FC-200A and can feed A4 landscape sheets up to 640mm long.
The 4,500bph machine is JDF-ready and offers instant set-ups via a large icon-based colour touchscreen, which can be used for on-the-run adjustments and can store up to 200 jobs. A built-in error reject tray and a hand-marrying tray help to produce perfectly finished booklets, while the fold-roller gap changeover is also automated for smooth operation.
The SPF/FC200L can be connected to Horizon’s new HOF 400, which the company said could run at 42,000 sheets per hour. The digital sheet feeder delivers superior feeding performance and modular concept design to enable flexible booklet production for digital printed output.
Bernie Robinson, managing director, Currie Group, (right) is deeply versed in the Horizon finishing technology. He is looking forward to escorting visitors around the extensive drupa stand and explaining not only the technical aspects but also the business model of the ‘new age’ finishing equipment.
“Horizon’s finishing solutions are designed to fit into the new digital printing landscape. If you’re serious about digital finishing you must come and see the Horizon stand at drupa,” said Robinson.
CRON increases stand space at drupa
Currie Group’s preferred CTP supplier, CRON, has taken on more stand space at drupa to accommodate several new products as it continues to expand its product portfolio from its original CTP-centric foundations. Having established its industry-leading range of CTP products, Cron has diversified to take on the broader issue of retaining offset competitiveness against the growth of digital print.
Part of the response is the opening of a high-tech plant for lower-cost, precision plate production, a focus on CTP automation from plate loading to quality controlled processing and the creation of colour management links to the actual press run. At drupa, CRON will advance these concepts further with a series of new products, which will have positive impact for all offset printers from two-page to VLF.
“CRON has set itself the ambitious target of being the ‘guardian angel’ of offset. This will continue to excel in volume print but also has much more potential in short runs,” says Mike Xiang, Founder and CEO. “We are working towards the ultimate and perfect solution: eco-friendly, high quality, economic returns, simplicity of operation and faster turnarounds.”
The CRON stand, located in a prominent position at the front of Hall 5, will run live demonstrations incorporating the benefits of each element of its integrated approach to offset competitiveness. It will give Currie Group visitors an unexpected insight into the offset fightback.
Everyone's welcome
Currie Group will have a large contingent of friendly faces at drupa ready to meet and greet all local visitors. You don't have to be a Currie customer to take advantage of the Group's outreach and expertise. David Currie, chairman, (right) has a well known reputation for hospitality and for supporting the local industry. He extends a warm Currie Group welcome to all visitors to get in touch and meet up at one of the Currie Group exhibitor stands.
To arrange to meet with Currie Group at drupa email: info@curriegroup.com.au
It has to be the best way for everyone to make the most of their visit to drupa.