Printers planning to go to drupa next May are in for a very interesting 11 days, with the news that the biggest press manufacturer in the world, Heidelberg, will show a B1 inkjet sheetfed digital press, with release scheduled 'soon after'. It is a co-development with Fujifilm, which is already in the vanguard of inkjet printing, and will be based on the Speedmaster platform with Fujifilm Samba inkjet printing technology. Heidelberg has said the press will not compromise on quality. This particular model is designed for single sided folding carton printing.

It is likely to be the forerunner of more versions, including commercial presses. Heidelberg will go head-to-head with Landa, which is also planning to show a B1 inkjet digital folding carton press, and this as the first of a fleet of digital inkjet nano presses for every application.

Does it signal the beginning of the end for offset litho? Well no-one knows, but some of the arguments are compelling – no plates, no make ready, variable data – effectively a digital inkjet B1 press can run non-stop producing job after job with no need to set up between jobs, and in these days of short run work that is very attractive – take all your makeready times out of your production schedule and imagine how much more you could print. Already digital printers have killed off the A3 offset market. However B2 digital inkjet presses have been around for a while now, particularly those from Screen and Fujifilm, but have made little impact. A sheetfed inkjet press from Heidelberg though is a different matter. With its enormous market penetration and an inkjet press that does deliver the quality levels that the company is promising the new press may well make a major impression.

In the end, as always, it comes down to the money. If B1 inkjet can indeed deliver the efficiencies without compromising on quality it may spell the biggest change in print production since litho knocked over letterpress half a century ago.

Nothing happens overnight of course, it is 22 years since digital print first became available and it is only in the last few years that it has taken over the small offset market. So no need to throw out litho just yet, there will be many summers before commercial inkjet presses are ready, but if and when that day comes it will be a game changer.

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