TWIK "This Week in Kodak"

Kodak announced it will have a large booth at the upcoming Print 09 trade show in Chicago, IL in September.

Details:
- Will sow the new Kodak PROSPER system, a high speed b/w inkjet imprinting system
- NEXPRESS SE3600 production color system
- 120ppm top speed or 3600 sheets per hour
- new Intelligent Calibration System using a Kodak i1220 ICS color scanner
- new, improved Enhanced Dry Ink toner
- 25% more yield from toner bottles
- new, improved developer for more consistency
- fifth toner station for clear toner, which works with off-line Intelligent Dimensional Coating
- DIGIMASTER EX300 production b/w system
- 18,000 impressions per hour or 300ipm
- uses two b/w engines to print on both side of paper (similar to Xerox Nuvera 288 or Oce’ 6250)
- optional Watkiss SpineMaster and PowerSquare 200 bookletmaker able to make books
of 8 to 200 pages with square spine with text on spine

-=Good Selling=-

KODAK Stream Inkjet Technology Hits the Market with

All products using Stream Inkjet Technology now branded KODAK PROSPER CHICAGO, June 16—The commercial inkjet platform of the future is available today, as Kodak rapidly advances its breakthrough Stream Inkjet Technology. In commercializing the S10 Imprinting System, formerly referred to as the Stream Printhead, K
All products using Stream Inkjet Technology now branded KODAK PROSPER

CHICAGO, June 16—The commercial inkjet platform of the future is available today, as Kodak rapidly advances its breakthrough Stream Inkjet Technology. In commercializing the S10 Imprinting System, formerly referred to as the Stream Printhead, Kodak also announced it is branding all products using Stream Inkjet Technology under the KODAK PROSPER family name.

The new KODAK PROSPER S10 Imprinting System, the first product deploying Stream Inkjet Technology, is successfully installed at customer beta sites worldwide and is now commercially available. The monochrome continuous inkjet solution for inline digital printing on high-speed web devices delivers offset class, variable data printing with significant savings on production costs for direct mail, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, inserts, and transactional documents.

go here for rest of press release

-=Good Selling=-

RISO REDEFINES HIGH-SPEED LOW-COST DIGITAL COLOR WITH

RISO REDEFINES HIGH-SPEED LOW-COST DIGITAL COLOR WITH
LAUNCH OF NEW INKJET PRINTERS

Revolutionary ComColor® series prints up to 150 color pages per minute for
about half the operating costs of comparable toner-based MFPs
Danvers, MA – June 17, 2009 – RISO, Inc., a leader in digital printing technology, today introduced its much-anticipated ComColor® series of full-color inkjet printer/MFPs to the North American market. With ComColor’s print speeds of up to 90-150 ppm (A4), RISO continues its claim of providing “the world’s fastest cut-sheet inkjet printers.”

“There is an unfulfilled demand for faster, more reliable digital color at less than three cents per page,” said Todd Deluca, President and COO of RISO, Inc. “In today’s economy, organizations are actively seeking some new breakthrough in truly affordable printing technology. While many industry observers say that the future of production printing is inkjet, RISO provides that breakthrough today with our unique and powerful ComColor high-speed inkjet printers.”

Five new models comprise the ComColor printer line, which employs RISO’s FORCEJET® imaging system and a robust piezo drop-on-demand inkjet technology designed for production environments. The ComColor 9050, 7050, 7010, 3050, and 3010 models are distinguished by print speed, image area, paper source capacity, and accessory compatibility. These five new models are designed to appeal to a broad range of customer print volumes, applications, and budgets. VDP color applications ideal for ComColor include transactional and transpromo documents, direct mail, booklets, value-oriented marketing collateral, and more.

In addition to color applications, these inkjet printers are extremely cost efficient in producing monochrome output, with an operating cost that can drop to less than a half cent per page. Considering that the majority of all cut-sheet page output is black and white, this low page cost is very beneficial to high-volume users. ComColor offers the unique value of a single device that competes aggressively with low running costs of high-speed monochrome printers while also offering low cost color.

“Our customers will view the ComColor series as the fastest, leanest, toughest, greenest inkjet printers on the planet,” said David Murphy, Vice President of Marketing for RISO, Inc. “With the ability to reliably produce 500,000 pages per month, ComColor is a truly unique digital color print solution for organizations looking for high speed and low total cost of ownership (TCO). Add in ComColor’s versatility, intuitive operation, security and environmental features, and these inkjet printers offer customers something not available with comparable toner-based production printers.”

With their low power consumption, streamlined design, and operating costs at about half that of comparable photocopiers, ComColor printers are energy efficient, easy to use, and very cost efficient. All five models are ENERGY STAR rated and offer printing, scanning and copying capabilities.

The ComColor series expands on RISO’s previously introduced HC series inkjet printers, which the company will continue to market as an active product offering. The ComColor product will be available throughout the Americas in a launch schedule to be completed over the next few weeks. RISO provided a preview of these printers to print industry editors and leaders today during the PRINT 09 Media Days in Chicago, IL.
About RISO, Inc.

RISO, Inc., headquartered in Danvers, Massachusetts, is a wholly owned subsidiary of RISO Kagaku Corporation, Japan's leading manufacturer and distributor of production inkjet printers, digital duplicators and supplies. RISO, Inc. sells high-speed color and monochrome printing solutions throughout the Americas. RISO provides fast and affordable full color digital printers for everyday communications, at speeds of up to 150 pages per minute. Its line of digital duplicators includes one- and two-color systems that reliably produce millions of copies, are environmentally friendly, and are easy and inexpensive to use.
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To learn more about RISO’s ComColor series, visit http://www.newinkjet.com or call
1-800-876-7476. Visit RISO, Inc.’s corporate website at http://us.riso.com.
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Substrates provider GPA renews HP Indigo partnership

Chicago, IL – GPA, a widely recognized market leader in providing substrate solutions for HP Indigo digital presses, proudly announces that they have been granted the designation of HP Preferred Partner for a second year in a row.

The HP Media Team designed the Preferred Partner program to establish a standard of excellence for partners who exhibit best in class service and support, provide extensive depth and availability of HP Indigo certified substrates, and excel in supporting HP Indigo’s sales and marketing efforts. The renewed partnership between HP Indigo and GPA will continue to help owners of HP Indigo technology achieve a competitive advantage and profitable growth in the digital marketplace. “The first year of our partnership with HP Indigo was very exciting as HP unveiled new press technology highlighted by their 7000 digital press, while GPA unveiled our new Ultra Digital catalog and new Ultra Digital swatchbook featuring the widest range of Indigo substrates in today’s market. We remain committed to demonstrating our leadership in Indigo substrate innovation and outstanding service, as it has been a key to creating profitable growth for our HP Indigo customers,” said Bob Niesen, Vice President of Marketing for GPA.


As an HP Indigo Preferred Partner, GPA will continue to help leverage the unmatched capabilities of the HP Indigo press by pioneering new applications. GPA’s ongoing commitment to the HP Indigo community is evidenced by the resources it has committed to help its customers grow their business: the Ultra Digital Swatchbook that includes over 100 printed samples of the latest and most innovative substrates, the Ultra Digital Catalog which features an extensive offering of over 230 in-stock substrates for HP Indigo, a broad line of FSC certified products, dedicated technical and application support, and free 12” x 18” or 13” x 19” product samples of their entire range of products.


“GPA is extremely honored to once again receive the designation of HP Indigo Preferred Partner. GPA's extensive product offering and commitment to the success of the HP Indigo customer is unparalleled. We look forward to ever greater successes in partnership with HP Indigo for years to come,” says Michael Ratcliff, President and Chief Executive Officer, GPA.

-=Good Selling=-

Ricoh C900 Pro

Caught this video on the tube, KonicaMinolta calls this "fast plastic", however what this really means is that it's sturdier than a steel fram and can take more vibration.

IKON Delivers RICOH Pro C900 Digital Color Printer for Print & Letter Company of San Diego

IKON Office Solutions, Inc., a Ricoh company, today announced that Print & Letter Company has installed a RICOH Pro C900 digital color printer, giving them greater capacity and enhanced flexibility in meeting their customers’ wide range of printing needs.

With more than 12 years of industry experience, Print & Letter specializes in both commercial and digital printing. Based in San Diego, Print & Letter has a nationwide presence, and works with customers on their printing and fulfillment projects from start to finish — including concept graphic design, offset and digital printing, binding, packaging and complete direct mail and fulfillment services.

“Our philosophy is to exceed our customers’ expectations by combining a superior product with quick turnaround time at an affordable price,” explains Dan Mashburn, President, Print & Letter. “Our processes and equipment are second to none, and we take pride in utilizing the latest innovations in the commercial printing industry.”

As part of their commitment to innovation, Print & Letter is the first in the San Diego area to purchase a RICOH Pro C900, giving them more versatility, faster speeds and better print quality. “Digital printing is the future in the commercial print market,” says Mashburn. “The RICOH Pro C900 allows us to better create solutions for our customers and help meet their business needs. We’re building the future of our company around the capabilities of the RICOH Pro C900 and will be able to offer more robust graphic design and customized collateral via variable data technology. It has proven to be a perfect fit and has met all of our expectations with ease.”

Engineered to meet the demanding needs of the production print environment, the RICOH Pro C900 represents an advancement in efficiency and productivity combining consistent 1200 dpi output with 90 pages-per-minute speed. It utilizes Ricoh’s new image processing technology for unsurpassed quality and fast turnaround times, and can handle a wide range of media, including weight ranges up to 110 lb. cover. Its modular design enables a number of input and output configurations, and offers many production tools for advanced page programming requirements like tabs, inserts, covers and chapter breaks.

“I’m impressed with the RICOH Pro C900’s ease of use and its versatility,” says Mashburn. “It combines fast speed and outstanding quality. In addition, its color is brilliant and consistent, print run after print run. We’ve been very pleased with our results.”

The RICOH Pro C900 is designed to have extremely low maintenance requirements, and is backed by IKON’s team of locally based service and support professionals, along with a team of color and production specialists. IKON has many years of experience in meeting and exceeding the demands of corporate print centers and commercial print businesses. In addition, IKON customers can maximize their color solutions by engaging with IKON’s color and production specialists, and its Professional Services team, who can provide customers with a suite of services and application development, including variable data integration for marketing and personalized communications, advanced color management, forms design, data stream conversion and custom workflow solutions to help improve productivity, reduce turnaround time, and increase efficiencies.

It is this kind of support that led Print & Letter to purchase their RICOH Pro C900 through IKON. “We have received a tremendous amount of support from IKON, from our decision to purchase the RICOH Pro C900 through the delivery, set up and training,” says Mashburn. “They have a lot of ideas on how we can best utilize the machine, and having a team as experienced as they are pushing our creativity is great. They are truly a partner in our planning and success.”

“Our extensive experience in production environments helps us create solutions for our customers like Print & Letter that lead to increased capacity, faster turnaround times, and higher print quality using state-of-the-art technology,” explains Spencer Adamson, Vice President, Production Solutions and Commercial Print, IKON Office Solutions. “With its superior quality, high speed and broad workflow applications, the RICOH Pro C900 sets a new standard in productivity.”

Mashburn agrees. “The RICOH Pro C900 is vital for our future success and gives us more options to fulfill our printing needs. Working with IKON has proven to be a great experience. They fully stand behind their products and are helping us expand the digital printing market to all of our customers.”

About Print & Letter Company

Print & Letter is a pioneer in variable data and variable content printing. They are able to offer solutions to customers that help them grow their business. With consultative selling and a strong work ethic, Print & Letter has been the go to printer during these interesting times. Print & Letter offers ideas and concepts that fit within any budget and get results for customers. Direct mail to posters, banners and business cards, car wraps to boxes, we do it all.

About IKON

IKON Office Solutions, Inc. (www.ikon.com), a Ricoh company, is a leading provider of innovative document management systems and services, enabling customers to improve document workflow and increase efficiency. IKON integrates copiers, printers and MFP technologies, and document management software and systems, to deliver tailored, high-value solutions, implemented and supported by its team of services professionals. IKON leverages the manufacturing and engineering expertise of Ricoh, a more than $20 billion global technology innovator, with the experience and reach of its locally based sales and services teams, to provide end-to-end solutions and one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of document management services, including on-site and off-site managed services, technical service and support, and customized workflow design and implementation.

IKON Office Solutions®, IKON: Document Efficiency at Work®, are trademarks of IKON Office Solutions, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Océ Adds Five New Digital Cutting Tables to Océ ProCut System

June 9, 2009 – Trumbull, CT – Océ, an international leader in digital document management, today announced the addition of five new digital cutting tables to its Océ ProCutTM system. The additional table models enable shops with larger roll-based inkjet printers to effectively cut and trim media, and provide better support of oversized rigid media that can be used on the Océ Arizona® 350 XT UV flatbed printer, which can print onto rigid media up to 98.4 inches by 120 inches.

Océ ProCut Digital Cutting Tables offer a versatile solution to all finishing needs including trimming and contour-cutting, through-cutting, kiss-cutting, routing and creasing. The tables are suitable for roll media, sheets or rigid substrates up to 1.97 inches thick. Customers can choose from a variety of tables in the following sizes:
Model Size
Océ ProCut 2500 M 51”x 98”
Océ ProCut 2500 L 70” x 98”
Océ ProCut 3200 L 70” x 124”
NEW Océ ProCut 1600 XL 86” x 63”
Océ ProCut 3200 XL 86” x 124”
NEW Océ ProCut 1600 XXL 107” x 63”
NEW Océ ProCut 3200 XXL 107” x 124”
NEW Océ ProCut 1600 XXXL 128” x 63”
NEW Océ ProCut 3200 XXXL 128” x 124”

The Océ ProCut system includes this expanded range of Océ ProCut Digital Cutting Tables to automate cutting operations, Océ ProCut Software for preparing the cut data in a seamless workflow, and expert pre- and post-installation service & support. This complete package reduces labor and materials costs in the finishing stage while enabling customers to maintain high productivity levels and increase profit margins. It also opens the door to new business opportunities as customers can offer a wider range of services to their clients.

New V-cut Tool
Also now available for use on Océ ProCut Digital Cutting Tables is a V-cut tool, a specialized item that enables the creation of three-dimensional structural designs. It is ideal for cutting v-shaped channels into extremely rigid sandwich board. The V-cut tool will cut at a variety of angles on material up to 5/8” thick. Notched boards can then be bent onto their final shapes to create everything from furniture to temporary emergency shelters.

Availability
All models of Océ ProCut digital cutting tables are available for order now for U.S. deliveries.

Océ Display Graphics Systems
Océ Display Graphics Systems is a leading provider of professional, large format solutions for indoor and outdoor color display graphics applications. Océ solutions are specifically designed to enhance the revenue and profit opportunities for service providers by combining hardware with workflow software and the expertise to help companies expand into digital large format color. From extremely high-quality UV curable flatbed printers to outdoor-durable roll-based systems, Océ offers a total solution including hardware, software, imaging supplies, finishing systems, service & support, and financing. Customers benefit in working with a full-service partner they can count on to help their businesses grow.
About Océ
Océ is a leading international provider of digital document management technology and services. The company’s solutions are based on Océ’s advanced software applications that deliver documents and data over internal networks and the Internet to printing devices and archives -- locally and around the world. Supporting the workflow solutions are Océ digital printers and scanners, considered the most reliable and productive in the world. Océ also offers a wide range of display graphics, consulting and outsourcing solutions.

Océ employs around 23,000 people, with 2008 revenues of approximately $4.3 billion, operates in around 100 countries and maintains research and manufacturing centers in the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Romania and Singapore. Océ North America is headquartered in Trumbull, CT, with additional business units in Chicago, IL; New York City; Boca Raton, FL; Salt Lake City, UT and Vancouver, BC. North American revenues represented approximately half of Océ’s worldwide business in 2008, and employment is approximately 10,000. For more information about Océ, visit www.oceusa.com. Outside the U.S., consult http://global.oce.com.

“Océ” and the Océ logo are registered trademarks, and “Océ ProCut” is a trademark of Océ-Technologies B.V. “Océ Arizona” is a registered trademark of Océ Display Graphics Systems. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks and are the property of their owners and are respectfully acknowledged.

-=Good Selling=-

Print Production Weekend Notes 6/08/09

The National Association of Print Leaders (NAPL) economists announced:
- Total production hours are down 14.2%
- 80% of printshops report that payroll hours were lower than a year ago
- 41.5% of shops report that productivity is lower
- Commercial print sales are down 15%
- 80% report decline in output

Kodak announced it will partner with Xeikon. Xeikon, which makes production color systems, will now offer Kodak web-to-print solutions as an option to drive the output.

EFI announced it received three “BEST” awards from BERTL:
- EFI Fiery XF won for color management for wide format color inkjet printers
- EFI Fiery Central
- EFI SendMe
Ricoh now shipping the Pro C550EX and C700EX. As stated in previous newsletter, these are based existing workgroup color MFP, the C6000, but offer accessories to make these able to be sold into the production print space.
- Base MSRPs of $58,840 & $67,240
- C550EX offers 55ppm full color and 60ppm b/w
- C700EX offers 70ppm full color and 75ppm b/w
- uses polymerized toner (Ricoh PxP)
- uses 4 tandem OPC drum design
- has two 160GB hard drives
- Uses engines from the MP C6000 and C7500 mid-range color MFPs, which compete against
the Konica Minolta bizhub C552 & C652
- Offers the EFI Fiery E8100 print controller
- Supports up to only 80lb. cover in the paper drawers
- will auto duplex up to 90lb index only
- 110lb. cover stock must be placed in the bypass of the RT4000 large capacity deck for $4780.00
- Standard paper capacity is 5,300 sheets
- Finishing options include stapling, hole-punch, GBC punch, booklet maker and three ring binding
- SR4010 fifty sheet stapling finisher for $3150.00
- SR4020 fifty sheet staple and 20 sheet booklet maker for $5460.00
- SR5000 one hundred sheet stapling finisher for $5830.00
- Tab sheet holder for $47.00
- Hole punch kit for $920.00
- Cover insertion unit for $1160.00
- Z-folding unit for $7350.00
- 100 sheet document feeder comes standard
- Will be marketed with color click pricing as low as $0.0495, single click 11”x17”,
and b/w clicks as low as $0.0132.
- Designed to compete against the Konica Minolta PRO C5501 & C6501 systems
- 600x600dpi, but does not offer true 8 bits per pixel imaging