This morning I went to a very informative briefing here at Drupa, put on by the clever folk at InfoTrends.

That chap Barney Cox, late of this parish, had some insightful thoughts on the emerging market for digitally printed packaging, and said the sector was on the cusp of a major transformation.

He likened the arrival of the Highcon Euclid digital die-cutting and creasing system as having as much potential significance for packaging converters as the advent of CTP did for commercial printers in the nineties.

The Euclid is certainly one of the must-sees at drupa for any serious packaging printer. It's not cheap, at around $900,000, but as the machine removes the need for costly dies, and all the inherent tools, counter plates, storage and management of same - never mind the time-savings in not having to make dies in the first place - it's easy to see why beta site Graphica Bezalel is singing its praises.

And isn't it fascinating that this development has come from a company that's just two-and-a-half years old, and run by alumni from the Indigo and HP school of digital printing?

Also noteworthy is the connection to another Drupa must-see, Landa, which is an investor in Highcon via its Landa Ventures wing.

InfoTrends chief Jeff Hayes opened this morning's briefing with a great phrase: "Technology disrupts, and recessions clarify," meaning that in recession business owners have to make hard choices about what to do, and when.

There's no shortage of [potentially] disruptive technologies on show here in Dusseldorf. Those print bosses who've come to Drupa with chequebooks at the ready should avoid too much Altbier, as they will need the clearest head possible in order to decide what to buy, and when.