The Hertfordshire-based manufacturer took deposits for 27 machines at the NEC together with signatures for a further 21.
Andy Cook, managing director of FFEI, said: "Nobody really knew beforehand how it was going to be, but we had a really good show for CTP, which is sort of odd as it's a mature product for us.
"But the most surprising thing was how positive the atmosphere was – there was hardly a negative comment and I absolutely
agree that Ipex 2010 was a ‘recovery' show."
FFEI also reported strong interest in its RealPro 3D-Packager software, which it has just started beta testing, with a steady stream of visitors requesting demos.
"It's not unusual to go into a commercial printer and see they're doing fairly simple packaging work," said Cook.
The design and production tool can take a flat layout directly from Illustrator and simulate what it would look like as a 3D model.
Cook added that the company had been impressed by the international turnout at Ipex, with quite a few orders coming from Indian visitors and lots of interest from Chinese printers.
"We had one order from a Chinese customer for 17 machines," said Cook.
FFEI, which sealed a deal with India's largest plate manufacturer TechNova shortly after Drupa 2008, said it had also held meetings with integration prospects in plastic printing at Ipex.
