Page 35 - Print 21 Magazine Jan-Feb 2019

Digital Printing
committed to R&D in toner-based products and we wi’ll keep supporting that vertical from here on in,” he says.
Though the cost to print an inkjet sheet may be cheaper, toner-based presses often have a lower initial capital investment. “Toner is a great middle- of-the-road option,” says Labrum.
The flagship toner press from Fuji Xerox is the Iridesse, released in 2017 and improved upon since, says Labrum.
“The Fuji Xerox Iridesse is our six- colour press which brings metallics into the mix. There is no other press on the market that can deliver a one- pass six-colour impression including metallic underlays, spot white, and spot clear,” he says.
In addition to adding white to the Iridesse, Fuji Xerox reduced the size of the toner particles in its new EA toner so they require less energy to fuse.
“From an energy efficiency point of view it has that advantage over a conventional toner press, and its fine nature improves the image quality,” says Labrum.
Iridesse is seeing external improvements as well, according to Labrum. “The Iridesse is also now available with third-party controllers, as well as Plockmatic finishing options,” he says.
Fuji Xerox has also invested in automation for print quality and colour management to ensure that every sheet from the first to the 10,000th has excellent colour, says Labrum.
“The devices are also quite clever
in that they can detect skew and registration of paper within the machine. We call our system SIQA, or simple image quality adjustment.
“It can be run on a press before a print to ensure integrity throughout
the job – colour,
registration, all the elements
that can make a print job go wrong can be adjusted before the print. That’s something available in all presses across our range,” he says.
HP Indigo offers
presses great and small
Currie Group, the local distributor of HP Indigo liquid toner presses, has solutions for both the bigger and smaller ends of town.
The high-quality, high-volume market is addressed with the the
HP Indigo 12000 Digital Press, a B2-sized press with a new high- definition imaging system that Phil Rennell, sales and marketing director at Currie Group, says surpasses offset quality, printing at 1600dpi and 290lpi.
“This is done with a new laser array, which HP has released onto the market. It’s not just dots per inch, it’s how the screening is done as well.
“We’re increasing the addressable dots, and therefore by doing that we can reduce the dot size and increase line screens and thus the resolution,” he says.
The 12000 is also
aimed at conventional
printers looking
to move into the
short-run space, says
Rennell. “We see a
lot of offset transfer
for smaller runs
and increasing the
utilisation of sheet
size – you can create
a lot of nice impositions, more than
you can on the SRA3 formats, and optimise your sheets,” he says. For printers on a budget, the
SRA3-sized HP Indigo 7r digital press is a reconditioned unit that offers a significant step up from older Series Two machines like the HP Indigo 5500.
“We have installed about 10 or 11 of them, which is great, because it allows our customers to upgrade from the original 5500, taking advantage of the higher speeds and productivity the 7r offers.
“As printers grow, that puts strain on the smaller machines, so machines like the 7r can increase productivity at a lower price point,” says Rennell.
The 7r is also an eco-friendly option, according to Rennell. “The environmental message is great, we are rebirthing these presses from machines being traded out. They are fully reconditioned, they come out virtually as new, with a full factory warranty,” he says.
Lastly, for those seeking more functionality in the SRA3 space, the flagship HP Indigo 7900 digital press is in high demand.
“The 7900 has the full set of option suites and every capability – there are some things the 7r doesn’t do, and the 7900 gives those extra functionalities. Customers doing a lot of work on synthetic materials
are able to do that with the 7900, for example,” says Rennell.
Konica Minolta applies
its IQ to automation
Last year, Konica Minolta introduced its new intelligent quality optimiser, the IQ-501. According to Grant Thomas, product marketing manager at Konica Minolta, the IQ-501 reduces setup time by 40 per cent, boosting productivity and saving on labour costs.
“One of the major time-saving automation features it offers is
Clockwise from left: Fuji Xerox Iridesse; the Canon C850; Ricoh Pro C7200 Graphic Arts
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