Sometimes there’s more to winning than just the glory as two young industry professionals learned this year with fully funded trips to drupa in Germany. This time around the two LIA prizes went to Jessica McAuley from Drum Print in WA and Robert Smithers of Dominion Print Group NSW.

3D printing is the sizzle of the industry at present, even as printers recognise that accretive manufacturing has little to do with actual printing. More industry suppliers are picking up 3D technology; Konica Minolta sold over 20 units into the local market last year, although none to printers.

The long awaited arrival of manroland’s digital finishing system in this part of the world has gone into the Pacific Daily News in the US Territory in the Pacific.

Leading Sydney bookbinders McPherson Binding and Graphic Bookbinding have merged into a new company called Sydney Binding after what they describe as a dramatic fall in the market. Graphic will close its factory in Kingsgrove and move into McPherson's building at Rockdale.

South Australian-based global packaging group Detmold acquired Adelaide carton packager Custom Cartons to expand its manufacturing capability. Custom will continue to trade under its current brand from its existing premises located adjacent to Detmold Group in Brompton.

A two-man team from Australian Graphic Servicing (AGS) of Melbourne return home from drupa with a number of distribution deals to expand the company's range of graphics equipment on offer to Australia and New Zealand markets.

The Lithographic Institute of Australia (LIA) is holding a special post-drupa dinner in Sydney this month to hear all the latest from the big trade show. Drupa Revisited guest speakers will include Print21 magazine editor and industry guru Andy McCourt, Phil Rennell from Currie Group, and others.

Global manufacturer OKI launched a new addition to its Pro Series range of printers that produces fluorescent designs aimed at the graphic arts market. The Pro6410 NeonColour 'liberates graphic design from the limits of standard CMY colour spectrum and offers A4 versatility.'

Landa has racked up more than €450 million ($A685m) in orders for its Nanographic Printing® presses after 200,000 visitors crowded the Landa stand at drupa 2016 to watch daily press demos. "Everyone is leaving drupa with the understanding that Nanography is a game changer."

Much has been written about what happened at drupa and it’s all good. Finally, finally; our industry is waking up to life beyond dyes and pigments smeared onto mashed up trees, writes Print21 magazine editor Andy McCourt.

New Zealand's antitrust regulator outlined key issues it will consider in assessing the proposed merger of the country's two largest newspaper publishers, Fairfax Media's NZ division and APN News & Media's NZME - including whether it would have an impact on their printing operations.

It’s not too late to catch the 2nd day of the high-powered industry event and learn from the brightest and the best. Neopost Australia is bringing together a panel of industry experts and training specialists over two days today and tomorrow to download information to the industry.

Despite a fall in visitor numbers, drupa 2016 was a resounding success with excellent business reported in an outstanding investment climate, according to the organisers."The print industry has moved out of the 'valley of tears' and grasped the future by the neck," said Claus Bolza-Schünemann.

Great opportunity to buy a nearly new CTP at half the price of a new machine. The 2014 model has all the current specifications and represents good value to anyone who can make use of it.

The 'truly innovative' PaperLab office papermaking system boost will boost Epson's revenues by 10 billion Japanese yen within three years, rising to ¥50 billion ($A640m) in 10 years, according to CEO and president Minoru Usui, who spoke with Laurel Brunner at drupa.

A stellar line up of top notch printing companies have inked letters of intent at drupa for the new Landa Nano presses, with at least three choosing the Komori-built model, the Impremia NS40.