The manufacturer has also reported strong levels of interest in the new press technologies on its booth (Hall 16, stand C47), including the RotaJet 76 inkjet web and Varius 80 variable-format, waterless flexible packaging press.

Major orders signed by the mid-point of the show included five Rapida 105 presses for printing group Beijing Hongbo Haotian, which is setting up a new commercial print facility in Beijing, China.

Italian-headquartered SEDA International Packaging has bought three Rapidas in medium- and large-formats, made up of 27 printing and coating units altogether.

And large-format Rapida 145 models are bound for Van Genechten Packaging, which is taking its second press of this type, and Druckhaus Mainfranken, which has ordered its third.

KBA president and chief executive Claus Bolza-Schünemann said results were exceeding expectations given the uncertain economic conditions in some countries. "Looking at the many projects initiated at the fair, we anticipate some brisk post-drupa business."

KBA is expected to announce the first order for the RotaJet 76 either at the show or shortly afterwards.

"A lot of book and commercial printers want to do their individual print tests on the RotaJet in the weeks after Drupa," said marketing director Klaus Schmidt, who described the feedback on the new Varius 80 as "very positive".

The Varius is made by subsidiary KBA MePrint. It uses the same waterless and keyless printing technology as the Genius sheetfed press and promises start-up waste reductions of as much as 80% on existing flexible packaging print methods. Print speed is 400m/min and the repeat can vary from 533mm to 864mm. Maximum web width is 800mm.

"Customers like the higher printing quality and the lower waste compared to flexo or wet offset," Schmidt added.