Ralf Schlozer

This week will see the launch of a revolution in printing that may turn out to be as significant as the invention of the Gutenberg printing press - if entrepreneurs and analysts are to be believed.

Visitors to drupa 2012 will see a number of rival technologies launched, each of which promises to deliver a "second digital revolution in printing" that will allow the digital printer to kill off the offset press for commercial printing, and may even allow the printed page to compete with the iPad.

Direct mail, books and bills/statements, projected to be the top three digital production printing applications by 2015, are expected to exceed page volumes of over 270 billion impressions, according to InfoTrends’ recently published “U.S. Digital Production Printing Application Forecast: 2010-2015.”