The show is starting to heat up, quite literally. It’s a lovely day outside. Here in the halls I’ve lost all track of time. I’ve been here since Monday but I’ve no idea what day it is today.

Venturing beyond the digital halls, I’ve had a quick look at some of the conventional printing presses and it’s obvious that they are still drawing a large crowd. Yesterday, Lawrence Roberts of Agfa told me that plate usage was still going up, predicting that he would sell around 25 B1 systems this year. It’s hardly surprising given that, with the exception of HP, none of the inkjet presses are really ready yet
Earlier in the week Presstek has announced its B2 machine, the 75DI. I’ve always liked the concept of a DI press, but the general consensus amongst the journalists here is that the plate prices are too high and that most customers would prefer to have a choice of plate suppliers.
I quizzed George Clark of Heidelberg UK about the premium that Heidelberg charges on the Anicolor press, and right on cue, up popped Mike Greene, managing director of ABC Print, based in Herefordshire here in the UK. ABC has just signed an order for a second Anicolor 52. Greene says that because the makereadies are done within the first 15 sheets, over the course of a year he is saving a fortune on paper, enough to pay for the second press.
By now it’s an open secret that Heidelberg will have a 74 Anicolor later this year.