Despite the fall, most exhibitors are reporting brisk business and are sealing deals with serious customers who are at the show to buy.
Speaking at the mid-point, Drupa 2012 president and Heidelberg chairman and chief executive Bernhard Schreier said: "To be honest, before coming here to Drupa I didn’t know what to expect.
Yes, it’s not such a big crowd, but all the decision-makers are here, which is very important for exhibitors.
"We are having exciting discussions with customers – exciting and forward-looking. People are not pessimistic and they are not hesitating. They are looking to the future."
Schreier said Germany and – surprisingly – China were currently sharing top spot in terms of incoming order volumes. Visitors have journeyed to the show from 115 countries thus far.
HP, Goss International, Xerox, Kodak, and Canon have been among the major exhibitors reported strong sales in the first week.
And first-time Drupa exhibitor Nikolai Ladanyi, founder and chief executive of publishing app PadPublisher, said he was "overwhelmed" at the authentic interest of visitors.
"We are meeting high-quality people and gaining qualified contacts. It’s so busy we doubled our team here from two to four to cope – I came with 300 business cards and have had to reprint three times."
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Drupa visitor numbers down but international trade rises
Contraction in the printing industry is evident in the Drupa visitor numbers - although 170,000 visitors had attended by the half-way point, this figure is 20% down on the 2008 show.
