A massive influx of visitors from the increasingly powerful markets of Latin America, central and Eastern Europe and Asia helped the show to buck the current poor credit climate and post record figures.

Around 391,000 entries to the show were reported from 138 countries worldwide, while 1,971 exhibitors from 52 countries were showing off their wares.

Significantly for the show, the number of non-German visitors rose by 4% compared to 2004 to 59% of visitors.

Messe Düsseldorf chief executive Werner Dornscheidt said: "This means Drupa has further developed its global market significance and its international status. Given the difficult economic climate this is a remarkable success."

As we report elsewhere in this week's PrintWeek, exhibitors, too, have been reporting strong sales on the back of the show and many expressed surprise at the level of investment given the tough economic situation.

Agfa reported €100m (£79.4m) in orders, while Kodak GCG announced it had 10,000 sales leads from the show.

EFI managing director EMEA Paul Cripps said: "We have seen ever increasing numbers of visitors from abroad. This is reflected in the high-quality leads captured and the many deals closed, with exceptionally strong sales, especially from Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia."

Junya Shimada, president of Komori International Europe, added: "The broad geographical spread is the most significant factor with buyers ranging all the way from Latin America to Latvia."