There is an article by Frank Romano at i-grafix.

This suggests that the proportion of print jobs where the internet plays some part in the procurement will rise from roughly 20% at the moment to 80% by 2007.

This would mean that the Adobe take on 'Network Publishing' would make a lot of sense, though possibly not in 2004 as originally claimed when the concept was first promoted. Creo are now working on ideas around 'Networked Graphic Production' . Adobe is one partner with this and there is reference to Network Publishing as a related idea.

My guess is that this will mean that the 2004 drupa is the last one in this format. The four year cycle around drupa assumes that the machinery is the important feature. If the web is significant and print only one option for communications, then there will be many shows around the web that will contribute to discussion. I am not sure what happened to Imprinta. My guess is that this could have been a more frequent event between drupas, with an emphasis on software. In the UK, Digital Solutions and Digital Print World have shown there is a demand for shows around digital print that also cover workflows relevant to all forms of hard copy. Frank Romano's article suggests that the web will be involved in 60% of print procurement by 2006. What will this mean for an IPEX? It could be a very different show.