Over the past 50 years, the international print, paper and media trade fair drupa (www.drupa.com) has evolved and expanded to match the information requirements of the global print community. drupa 2000 introduced an optimized venue that included the integration of paper converting and packaging production. Today, a digital infrastructure is the common link in the graphic-arts production cycle, and one of the key messages at drupa 2008 is that electronic media are not replacing print. On the contrary, the Internet, video or CD-ROM, online and offline services are delivering significant, new market opportunities.

Set for May 29-June 11, 2008 at the Fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany, drupa 2008 will offer attendees more than 1.8 million sq ft of display space and over 1,800 exhibitors from around the world. One important highlight will be an expanded presentation of digital solutions housed in two new exhibition halls on the north edge of the Fairgrounds. Look for major exhibits by Xerox, HP Indigo, Agfa-Gevaert, Fujifilm, Kodak, Konica Minolta and Ricoh.

Drupa is to the printing and paper industries what the Olympic Games are to athletes, says organizer Messe Düsseldorf. The success of the previous event in 2004 was evident by a strong upswing in visitors. Fifty-five percent came from outside Europe, and 13,500 visitors alone hailed from North America. Surveys indicate that attendees have the greatest interest, of course, in print and prepress products, but over one-quarter of drupa visitors were in the market for packaging-material printing and production and paper-processing machinery and equipment.