It's generally accepted that at drupa 2008 (May 29-June 11), the high-profile output technology will be high-volume inkjet. But if the Graphic Systems Division of Ryobi Ltd. gets the attention it is hoping for at the giant trade fair, excitement also could be felt in a product area where some might expect to see little that has not already been accomplished by others: multicolor sheetfed offset in the B1 (40") range.

Ryobi believes it can generate just that kind of excitement by introducing its first press series in the 40" category at drupa, with commercial availability to follow in 2009. Nevertheless, the significance of the debut isn’t apparent at first glance. Although entering the 40" market is a major milestone for Ryobi, rival press manufacturers are already well established there. And Ryobi’s new platform, while thoroughly equipped with advanced features for automated productivity, doesn’t incorporate any technologies that truly could be called revolutionary.

But the buzz, when it comes, will arise from the fact that printers who did not anticipate having a broader choice in full-size sheetfed equipment will enjoy precisely that when Ryobi begins to ship the new series, designated 1050, next year. What’s more, the line will reach the market with a price tag that Ryobi says will make printers prefer 1050 presses to comparable equipment from Heidelberg and Komori, which Ryobi regards as its primary competitors in the full-size category.