Page 24 - Print21 November-December 2021

Inkjet Printing
anything from 60 - 600gsm, with
no pre-coating, the highest of print quality, instantly dry straight to finishing. As the press is based on
an ink coverage model not the old fashioned click model you can also move work around your printing
fleet to produce it the most cost effective way. Built on a familiar offset chassis and paper transport system uptime is best in class! The new KM-1e enables our customers to produce current work faster and more cost effectively, more importantly enter new profitable markets”.
Headline data is exactly as
its predecessor, such as the 3,000sph simplex, equivalent to 200 A4ppm, and 1,500sph duplex top speed. Konica Minolta has focused on a broader media range, increased uptime and reduced service requirements, productivity enhancements, and says the new version can integrate with every workflow on the market.
The new machine offers the same 1,200dpi image quality and LED UV drying system as the first machine, but will run new versions of the firm's KM 1800i heads, along with a tuned UV inkset.
The 585x750mm oversized B2 format press can handle the same stock thicknesses as the original KM- 1, 0.06-0.6mm, but Konica Minolta’s engineers have worked to improve the handling of the thinnest stocks.
The new UV machine can handle “almost all offset stocks, and with most we don’t need any pre-coating”, but it can now also print on a significantly wider range of substrates, including clear plastics, films, metallic papers and coloured media, although it does not yet have a white printing capability and is still CMYK only.
Ricoh Pro Z75
Imaging giant Ricoh will be launching a B2 sheetfed inkjet press next year with the aqueous inkjet technology delivering instant drying and printing onto coated and uncoated offset stocks, as well as inkjet stocks.
Details are yet to be released,
but Print21 understands the new Ricoh Pro Z75 will be promoted as printing at offset quality, which will be achieved through Ricoh’s own printhead, aqueous ink, and dynamic drop size technology.
The new Ricoh Pro Z75 will be Ricoh’s first sheetfed inkjet press, although it has been manufacturing market-leading high speed inkjet web presses for the past decade, with the latest version the Pro VC70000. Ricoh’s inkjet head technology
is used in oem deals by multiple technology developers.
For the new Pro Z75, Ricoh will use its proven paper transport, auto- duplexing, and drying technology, together with a new digital front end, with the press simple to operate.
The new Pro Z75 will be aimed squarely at the commercial market, with applications including commercial print, direct mail, books, manuals, specialty publishing, and packaging. It will print six-up on the B2 sheet.
According to the company, today’s commercial print environment is “radically different than it was just a year ago, as companies in this space evolve to be hyper-relevant in today’s constantly changing landscape”. While the transition to digital has been progressing for years, it says, printers are now looking to further accelerate that transition while uncovering new opportunities. 21
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Launching next year: Ricoh Pro Z75 B2 inkjet
The rest
Canon
Visitors to the last drupa came across the
B2 Voyager on the Canon booth, which was essentially a concept press. Canon does have its inkjet i300 A3 sized sheetfed inkjet printer, including a couple installed in ANZ.
Fujifilm Business Systems
The company that used to be Fuji Xerox until its 1 April rebrand launched the Bravo and Baltero inkjet sheetfed presses at the last drupa. They have been sold into the US and Europe, but have so far not appeared in ANZ. Fujifilm Business innovation will though sell the Fujifilm JetPress in ANZ
Heidelberg
Heidelberg launched the world’s first B1 inkjet print system, the PrimeFire, at drupa four years ago, which it placed in several printers across Europe. However take-up wasn’t at
the pace that Heidelberg needed to justify development, and as part of its strategy of focusing on the B1 and B2 offset presses and finishing equipment, it ended the project last year.
Komori
Offset press giant Komori is in the inkjet sheetfed market, with the Impremia S29 and Impremia S400. The former is a rebadged Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1e, while the latter is a rebadged Landa S10 40” press.
Landa
Launched with much fanfare at drupa 2012, the Landa nanographhic print technology took a longer than expected gestation period. The first systems have been going in over the past year or two, although they are mainly in the beta class, which is why none have arrived here yet – we are a long way from Israel.
The S10 is a B1 sheetfed press, and this is the model that has been installed in the US, Europe, and China.
Screen
Screen had a B2 sheetfed inkjet printer, first shown a decade ago, however, the company has since decided to focus on its reelfed inkjet printers, and now has the TruePress Jex SX and Truepress Jet SD printers, with its SC Inks, with which it is targeting commercial, book, transactional, labels and packaging.
** HP Indigo
HP indigo is not included in this list as it
is not an inkjet printer – rather it uses its own liquified toner. However, any print business looking at digital B2 would check out the HP Indigo B2 machines, and indeed they dominate the B2 digital market, with more machines installed than all other manufacturers combined.