I'm doing some research at the moment for the upcoming PrintWeek/Printing World Technology Report. This has involved re-reading my drupa notebooks, where I found a scribbled note to myself saying "where is Riso?"

Where indeed. I was surprised and disappointed not to see Riso in Düsseldorf. Back at drupa 2004 the company came out of leftfield with one of the surprise stars of the show, in the shape of its nifty HC5000 ink-jet copier/printer. Happening upon this gem remains a vivid memory, four years on. With a print speed of 105ppm, colour that was more than adequate for a host of applications, a low cost per page, and a piffling price tag of €24,000, it was little surprise the machine was an instant hit.

With that in mind I was eager to see what Riso would have in store for us in 2008, it being "the ink-jet drupa" and all, but there was no sign of them whatsoever. Well, there was a small sign if you looked hard enough, on the Olympus stand where the OP-1, a clever and compact roll-fed colour ink-jet printer (160ppm duplex A4, price point circa $300,000) made its debut. The OP-1 is a joint venture between Olympus and Riso, and it will be available at the tail end of the year. But there was no Riso branding in evidence.

So I remain mystified as to why Riso didn't have a presence in its own right, as it was surely the perfect stage to capitalise on the momentum and interest gained at its previous drupa outing. I fully expected to see them there with another clever machine at the sort of price point that would result in an eager queue of customers looking for an angst-free entry into ink-jet. Seems like a major opportunity missed.