The fifth budget delivered by Treasurer Wayne Swan this week was promoted as a budget suitable for the prevailing economic times. Returning the budget to surplus is viewed as appropriate given the strong economic fundamentals and an economy that is expected to return to trend growth.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us…” Andy McCourt feels that Charles Dickens´ opening words from A Tale of Two Cities might well apply to drupa 2012.

Teaming a high-speed Océ colour inkjet press with a newly developed manroland web format-variable newspaper folder proves the key to unlocking the potential for local issues of metropolitan newspapers.

Printing Industries has enlisted some of Australia’s top innovative brains to assist printers to identify and make innovation work in industry businesses. The luncheon forum program - Innovate or Stagnate – the Why? How & What? - will work its way across the nation from 28 May.

April provided a wide and varied mix of market movements, starting with Focus Press, NSW, receiving a Federal Gov grant worth $6 million to establish a new state-of-the-art printing facility in Woolongong that will employ 190 people.

The Department of Health and Ageing is seeking tenders for the printing and distribution of residential aged care fee advice letters. Print and distribution services will be required on a daily basis followed by detailed reporting requirements.

Xeikon is making a bid to steal the limelight at drupa with the launch of its intriguing but highly secret Quantum technology, combining the advantages of electrophotography and inkjet. Patrick Howard went to visit Xeikon in Belgium to get some background on the iconic brand.

There was a time when manufacturers held back product launches to coincide with drupa. Not any more. Product development cycles move faster than once every four years and the imperative to get new development into the market and get some return on investment is intense.

Nothing quite like a rousing Heidelberg call to arms to bring the state of the printing industry into focus. Bernard Schreier, CEO, at the customary opening press event affirmed the company’s commitment to remaining the industry leader.

On the first day of drupa the press pack run like harried hares between press conference in the Conference Centre. Timings get out of whack, events overrun, journalists bolt for the exits and no one manages to get to every show. Here are some that I managed to catch. More to follow.

One bright idea and a ton of showmanship has allowed Benny Landa to dominate the agenda of this drupa with his ‘clever’ ink that laminates itself to any printable surface. In a reprise of the launch of the Indigo digital technology at Ipex 1993, the Israeli technologist revealed his new visionary printing method – nanography.

From the first press conference of drupa comes news likely to transform how printing is done in Australia. Reaffirming manroland web system´s technology leadership, Peter Kuisle, director of the resurgent web press manufacturer, confirmed that at least one of the two huge web presses destined for Australia will be fitted with the latest in automated control, the autoprint system.

Drupa 2012 is just two days away, the time has indeed come. But as Andy McCourt – the drupa Snooper – asks: is it not time to also step back and have a long hard think about how our industry will function in the years beyond this pivotal drupa?

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) decision to cut official interest rates has been welcomed by Printing Industries. The RBA announced that is was reducing the cash rate by 50 basis points to 3.75 per cent taking interest rates to their lowest level since December 2009.

The value and place of innovation and how you develop it in printing businesses will be the basis of a national forum program Printing Industries will launch at the end of May.