Beneath the glitz of Australia’s PacPrint, a technology which holds part of the future of print was hiding… but you had to scan for it.

Two augmented reality applications were being shown on stands at last week’s Melbourne print trade show, but without a great deal of fanfare.

Take your smartphone to the web of Fuji Xerox’s new inkjet press – shown as a technology preview – and you could experience the AR enhancements of the UK-developed Blippar system, marketed in Australia by Franklin Web.

Catalogue printer Franklin has already used Blippar to add experience and value to a range of printed pieces for its customers, while News Limited used it though the launch edition of its new Sunday Style magazine supplement.

FXA were demonstrating how Blippar can bring to life, content in newspapers, magazines, and posters, adding instantaneous content and experiences.

Another AR product at the show was Ricoh’s Clickable Paper, shown as an Australian preview following its launch at DRUPA and GraphExpo. This also uses a downloadable app for smartphones or tablets to connects readers from the printed page to up to six different rich media links. Ricoh also plan to help users build and modify content for the ‘back end’, ensuring they can deliver a seamless experience to their customers.

The product is currently undergoing pilot testing in Japan and the US, prior to a release “in the near future”.