April 19, 2007 -- The press was demonstrated on KBA’s 6,500 square feet stand alongside a Performa 74 and a Genius 52UV. The impact the trio made on trade visitors, most of whom were from China and Southeast Asia, may be gauged by the fact that by the time the show closed on 14 April orders had been booked for some 80 printing units. KBA has several outlets in China employing around 80 staff. The new Rapida 105 universal, a five-color version of which was exhibited in Dongguan, sports a new optical design, a practical level of automation and new graphical user interface. It has the 16,500sph output that has already made this model a popular choice among Chinese commercial and packaging printers. The press exhibited was shipped straight from the stand to Shanghai Minjia Packaging, while the four-colour B2 (29in) Performa 74 was snapped up by Shanghai Mingda Printing. A five-colour version of the Rapida 105 universal was booked by Hong Kong printer Waiwah and similar model, but with a UV capability, was earmarked for Shanghai Gaoxin Packaging Printing. Chen Zhihe, managing director of Zhongshan Yangguang, followed up the installation of a Performa 74 and Rapida 105 by moving into large format with contract for a five-colour Rapida 142. Print China 2007 attracted over 1,000 exhibitors – 268 of them foreign enterprises from 15 countries – and some 100,000 trade visitors, making it the biggest print media fair this year in the Asia-Pacific region. Order bookings on the KBA stand far exceeded expectations, and post-fair business should also be brisk. While the focus of KBA’s presence was on sheetfed, a number of web press projects were also discussed.