cutsheet inkjet

Down to Size

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By Cassandra Balentine

The print industry has experienced an inkjet revolution over the past decade. As market maturity continues on the continuous-feed end of the spectrum, cutsheet solutions are also making their mark.

Nicknamed the “Zone of Disruption” by research firm InfoTrends, an opportunity currently exists in the digital equipment gap found between cutsheet toner-based solutions and continuous-feed inkjet color printers.

“Cutsheet inkjet serves a space of the market left between traditional cutsheet toner and continuous-feed inkjet equipment,” comments Michael Poulin, senior manager, production marketing, Canon Solutions America, Production Print Solutions. He explains that cutsheet toner machines max at around 200 to 250 images per minute and can become expensive at these high volumes. On the other hand, continuous feed inkjet produces high-quality output at high speeds, yet the volume needs to be high enough—about 1,000 letter images per minute or more—to justify the initial investment in the machine. “Cutsheet inkjet fills the gap left between these two technology options. It can print at higher speeds more cost effectively than cutsheet toner and is less of an investment cost than continuous-feed inkjet,” he explains.

In its 2014 Cutsheet Inkjet Color Revolution analysis, InfoTrends recommends that products found in this sweet spot help drive new applications and transform business models through process improvement and operational efficiency, just-in-time manufacturing, and the creation of unique—as opposed to mass manufactured—content. Additionally, the firm states that product offerings should not have an acquisition price of more than a million dollars and should offer “impressive” productivity levels.

Key Applications
In general, inkjet—both cutsheet and continuous—serve three primary applications, transactional, direct mail, and books. With proven success in these areas with continuous-feed options, cutsheet inkjet is expected to follow a similar trajectory. Commercial printers and high-end direct mailers are among the early adopters of cutsheet inkjet solutions.

Commercial printers that have acknowledged the need to find a solution to serve shorter runs, but still require the same high-quality level provided by offset printing are early adopters of cutsheet inkjet technology, according to Ed Pierce, product marketing manager, Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division. He adds that printers with online storefronts, producing frequent short-run work, and touting fast delivery times benefit from the technology.

High-volume production environments also look to the technology to run proofs and reprints. “It is a far more cost-effective solution than starting up and running a larger system for a low-volume job,” adds Jesse Heindl, marketing communication specialist, RISO, Inc.

Pierce agrees, noting that cutsheet inkjet equipment is typically designed to complement traditional offset to profitability produce short-run versions and reprints that traditional offset cannot cost-effectively produce and where quality consistency is required.

Cutsheet Limitations
As the benefits of cutsheet inkjet are realized, print providers adopting the technology also face certain challenges, especially in the areas of substrate compatibility and print quality. Vendors strive to address these concerns as they introduce and enhance solution offerings.

“Cutsheet inkjet is an advantageous proposition to print providers who are looking to grow their business by cost effectively running monochrome and color jobs on one engine, moving monochrome applications to higher-value/higher-margin color products, and extending the cross-over point for digital print versus offset, helping more pages migrate to digital print,” says Canon’s Poulin.

He points out that substrate options are still in the early stages of development and cutsheet inkjet currently does not offer all of the media options that continuous feed inkjet or cutsheet toner have.

To address this concern, Canon Solutions America features its Media & Solutions Lab, where it currently tests and qualifies papers daily for certified use on the Océ VarioPrint i300. “We are also partnering more closely with paper vendors to help them bring to market papers developed specifically for cutsheet inkjet products. We expect to see media options for cutsheet inkjet grow as the technology captures the industry,” says Poulin.

In terms of print quality, Pierce says cutsheet inkjet solutions provide a profitable solution to taking on shorter run work while still maintaining the high quality levels that the market expects. However, he acknowledges that achieving offset quality has been a technical challenge that manufacturers are still chasing.

He says Fujifilm has achieved this level of quality with its J Press 720S, which is Fujifilm’s second generation of this press and technology. “Fujifilm is committed to the technology and industry, which is evidenced by the fact that this is the company’s second generation of the J Press and also its commitment to R&D,” says Pierce.

Scott Robertz, digital printing systems product manager, Komori, says the IS29 cutsheet inkjet platform provides the benefits of offset print quality, the ability to print off-the-shelf offset-grade media, the ability to produce six-up signatures, and the ability to handle/finish printed work immediately.

However, he points out that there is always the desire for higher throughput at lower cost. “While the Komori Impremia IS29 currently operates at a throughput rate of 300 letter impressions per minute, the press has the capability of handling sheets at many times that rate. As inkjet technology improves, the platform will be ready to handle higher throughput,” he explains.

Equipment Options
While cutsheet inkjet solutions have been on the market for quite some time, new entries from major players—such as Canon and Xerox—shed new light on the emerging segment.

Canon Solutions America’s Océ VarioPrint i300 features a monthly duty cycle of one to ten million pages per month. The solution supports a large variety of paper sizes up to 13.9 to 19.7 inches—or B3 format. Up to eight paper trays feed a broad range of standard offset and inkjet substrates from 16 lb. bond to 110 lb. cover.

The VarioPrint i300 provides 600×600 dpi output with drop size modulation to deliver 1,200 dpi perceived image quality.

Océ VarioPrint 6000+ input and output technologies help enable a white sheet in, finishing application out workflow required to meet the demands of today’s shorter run, fast turnaround print market place. Reliable high-speed, sheet-fed inkjet production is powered by Océ iQuarius technologies, a range of innovations that allow for robust, high-quality prints on sheets of paper at high speeds.

The Fujifilm J Press 720S runs at 2,700 B2 sheets per hour. “Customers running a single shift may experience monthly volume over 300,000 sheets and the number goes up accordingly as shifts are added,” says Pierce. The J Press 720S is an actual press that incorporates high-end inkjet technology.
The maximum print width is 20.24 to 28.86 inches. The thickest stock the press is specified to run is 14 pt. Maximum print resolution is 1,200×1,200 dpi.

The J Press 720S utilizes Fujifilm Dimatix Samba inkjet printheads, incorporating Fujifilm’s VersaDrop wavelength jetting technology along with Fujifilm Vividia aqueous pigment inks.

Differentiating factors of the device include a high image quality, which is achieved through its advanced printheads and jetting technology. Pierce notes that the press provides “industry leading” color consistency and the ability to achieve approximately 80 percent of Pantone colors with a four-color process. Additionally, Fujifilm provides its cloud-based ColorPath Synch color management solution. The J Press 720S has the ability to run both coated and uncoated standard offset stocks due to the use of a rapid coagulation primer, which is applied in real time to each sheet that acts as an ink receptor. It is colorless and has no smell.

Komori offers the Komori Impremia IS29, a UV inkjet printing system that prints six-up signatures at 1,200×1,200 dpi with multi-level drop sizes on a 23×29.5-inch sheet. It prints at full speed at this resolution. The solution offers a maximum monthly duty cycle of ten million four-color letter impressions. However, Robertz points out that this is a new product being introduced to the market in beta environments, therefore there is not enough empirical data to provide an average monthly duty cycle.

The press’ maximum print width is 22.6 inches; with a maximum one-sided media thickness of 24 pt and a maximum double-sided media thickness of 18 pts.

The press uses a 1,200×1,200 dpi Konica Minolta multi-level UV inkjet system with Komori sheet-fed press paper transport and construction.

Robertz notes that the print quality of the IS29 is “visually indistinguishable” from Komori sheet-feed offset presses, and it prints on the same substrates without the need for treatment.

UV inkjet technology of the IS29 provides substrate freedom compared to aqueous inkjet. “It can print on offset-grade gloss coated, matte coated, uncoated, textured, and embossed paper and some synthetic substrates,” he offers.

Additionally, the press’ LED curing provides instant sheet drying for immediate finishing/handling. “The 23- to 29.5-inch sheet size of the IS29 is the largest of the cutsheet inkjet devices and provides commercial printers with the ability to print six-up signatures and other multi-up impositions for applications such as direct mail postcards,” says Robertz.

Konica Minolta, Inc. plans to launch its sheet-fed UV inkjet press this Spring. Developed by Konica Minolta and Komori Corporation, the KM-1 accommodates paper up to 23×29.5 inches in size and handles papers of different thicknesses from paper to packaging paper.

RISO launched its HC series of high-speed color inkjet printers in 2003, and Heindl says the company has been spurring continuous advancement in the field of cutsheet technology ever since. The RISO ComColor X1 series of full-color inkjet printers are the fourth generation of RISO’s cutsheet inkjet technology, combining outstanding print speed, high-volume capabilities, and low operating cost.

Speeds on the ComColor X1 are between nine to 150 ppm in full color, with a duty cycle of up to half a million prints. Heindl says resolution of up to 600 dpi is possible due to the company’s FORCEJET technology, which feeds the paper horizontally beneath a series of 24 inline pizeoelectric drop on demand printheads arranged in parallel. He explains that piezoelectric printheads use vibration to create ink droplets—unlike thermal printers, which heat the ink inside the print cartridge to form ink droplets. As the paper moves beneath them, the fixed printheads lay down in parallel the individual colors that make up the four-color print. An eight-step control process assures excellent results with fine tonal gradations. “This innovation of moving the paper across the printhead—not the other way around—results in a more efficient, streamlined paper path through the machine, reduces the number of rollers and moving parts—cutting down on internal wear and service calls, and makes possible the higher printing speeds found in all RISO ComColor inkjet printers,” says Heindl.

ComColor X1 cutsheet inkjet printers have a low total cost of ownership with a price point between $30,000 to $50,000. Heindl says this is about half the cost of other full-color equipment.

RISO devices are positioned as a bridging solution for those transitioning from offset to inkjet technology, or as a backup system for short runs, reprints, and jobs too small for high-end digital or offset printing systems.

At its pre-drupa event this March, Xerox introduced its first cutsheet inkjet press, the Xerox Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press. With this launch, Xerox targets the product gap between high-end toner and low-end inkjet presses with appeal to print providers in the light direct mail, transactional, and book markets. The device incorporates many of the paper-path components found in the Xerox iGen, and additional features including an inline spectrophotometer, object-oriented color management, and black-only mode for cost-effective monochrome printing.

According to the company, the Xerox Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press will be available in Europe in May 2016 and North America in September 2016. Shipments will begin in June 2016. The list price starts at $649,000.

The Next Era of Inkjet
As more pages move to digital, vendors strive to close gaps in their equipment offering with new solutions and strategic partnerships. We watch as print providers test the limits of the technology, driving new trends in the marketplace. dps

May2016, DPS Magazine

The Era of Inkjet

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By Lisa Guerriero

Inkjet technology entered the print landscape over a decade ago, but its presence continues to expand. For the ultra-high volume color segment, continuous-feed inkjet presses deliver monthly duty cycles of ten million or higher. Cutsheet inkjet devices enter the high-volume printing segment, offering print speeds between one and ten million impressions per month.

Continuous-feed devices offer speeds between 500 and 1,000 feet per minute (fpm). As productivity improves, adoption steadily increases. “Since 2008 there really has been quite explosive growth,” observes Jim Hamilton, group director, InfoTrends. He notes that even during the 2008 to 2009 recession, the continuous-feed inkjet segment performed better than most other digital devices.

InfoTrends anticipates continued expansion for the high-volume, continuous-feed inkjet segment and predicts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.5 percent between 2014 and 2019 for the U.S., and 21.7 percent CAGR for Western Europe during the same time frame.

While less mature, the cutsheet inkjet production segment is expanding. Speeds of more than 200 pages per minute (ppm) are attainable. For instance, Canon recently introduced its Océ VarioPrint i300 cutsheet device, which delivers up to 294 letter-sized ppm—over 8,700 pages per hour. The device entered the market in June and the company estimates its average monthly duty cycle between two and five million.

Hamilton says the printer’s capability positions it in a “zone of disruption,” bridging the productivity gap between continuous-feed color inkjet and cutsheet color toner devices.

“There has been a tremendous shift in the industry within the past five years and during that timeframe, most adoption challenges have been overcome as production inkjet becomes a force in the market,” says Michael Poulin, senior manager, Canon Solutions America.

This article describes the current inkjet landscape, covering technology improvements and highlighting features of continuous-feed and cutsheet production inkjet devices.

Speed, Quality, and Capability
Continuous-feed inkjet represented 36 percent of 348 billion impressions in 2013. By 2018, InfoTrends expects global digital production color to exceed 725 billion impressions with inkjet representing about 58 percent.

While improved speed is a factor driving adoption, part of inkjet’s value is its ability to transform business models.
“You don’t buy a high-volume device just for short runs and quick turnaround work,” notes Hamilton, explaining that digital’s capacity for lights-out production and variable data increases its value.

Automated workflows and reduced touch points, as well as electronic finishing and collation, add to inkjet’s appeal. Specialty ink—including white for printing on packaging and Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) for financial applications—also increases its value.

“Today inkjet can offer printers many of the advantages that come with digital printing—from personalization to workflow automation and high-speed electronic collation to productivity and higher volume applications—often at a price point very comparable to offset,” explains Ed Wong, director, product marketing, Ricoh.

Transactional, promotional, and publishing drove high-volume continuous-feed inkjet adoption over the past decade.
“The transactional and direct mail segments had been waiting a long time for this speed, quality, and price in continuous-feed color. Once inkjet hit that, it was as easy as a multimillion dollar purchase can be,” says Hamilton.
Advancements in printhead technology provide improved color and resolution, enabling additional applications, allowing commercial print and packaging to migrate from traditional printing methods to continuous-feed inkjet printing.

“From posters to catalogs of all types, our customers have created revenue streams across a variety of industry verticals, including retail and grocery applications. From our perspective we aren’t waiting for something to happen to support commercial, we do it today,” says Pat McGrew, M-EDP, CMP, Hewlett-Packard (HP) inkjet high-speed production solutions.

Limited media capability previously restricted inkjet adoption. Ink and printhead developments address this barrier, enabling digital printing on lower cost offset stock. Paper treatment and drying systems are also available to improve media compatibility for inkjet devices.

“It will mainly come down to two things. Ink formulations that optimize performance on offset gloss and matte coated media without the need for pretreatment or bonding agents and printheads that improve the resolution and print quality to meet offset and toner standards,” predicts Deana Conyard, worldwide marketing manager, high-end production inkjet products, Xerox Corporation.

Continuous-Feed Printers
Continuous-feed presses offer numerous advantages for high- and ultra-high-volume production environments. Products on the market target different application needs with various speeds, printhead technology, and media capabilities.

Canon launched its new continuous-feed inkjet product in June, the Océ ImageStream 3500. The system prints up to 3,436 ppm with a maximum monthly volume of 111 million. It produces up to 19,200 B2 sheets per hour and offers 1,200×1,200 resolution at high speed, using piezoelectric drop on demand (DOD) printheads and pigment inks, which makes it suited to book, magazine, and commercial print. The Océ ImageStream 3500 handles standard offset media and prints on media up to 8.5 to 31 inches wide.

HP’s T410 Color InkJet Web Press produces over 5,000 full-color, letter-sized images per minute, or nearly 7,000 in monocolor. For monthly volume, it is capable of 140 in color or 175 million in monocolor. Targeting runs of one to 10,000, the roll-fed device handles media between 16 and 42 inches wide, 60 to 350 gsm. The InkJet Web Press line uses Scalable Printing Technology (SPT) to deliver sharp text, images, and uniform area fills at any speed. “SPT is designed to optimize press uptime. Multiple nozzles address each pixel to minimize print defects and reduce waste,” explains McGrew.

This year, HP released the T410 with its Priming Solution, which applies and dries HP’s priming agent across the web. The feature readies the paper for HP’s InkJet Web Press inks to enable printing on a variety of coated offset media with high color saturation, dark black optical density, and crisp text.

Still in development, High Definition Nozzle Architecture (HDNA) is a technology HP created to foster more applications for high-speed production inkjet. HDNA is designed to double the native resolution of current HP InkJet printheads from 10,560 to 21,120 nozzles, delivering 2,400 nozzles per inch. It supports dual drop weight per color for sharp text, fine lines, accurate skin tones, smooth gray and color transitions, and enhanced highlight and shadow detail. Nozzle redundancy ensures reliable and consistent printing.

Koenig & Bauer Group’s (KBA’s) RotaJET family offers multiple high-volume presses with web widths from 30.5 to 88.5 inches. With the RotaJET L series, web widths can be upgraded to accommodate new format requirements or increase output. All of the models use Kyocera printheads to provide 600×600 dpi native resolution, with enhanced quality from the two-bit multi-level and variable droplet sizes. The system includes an integrated cleaning system and the web-fed devices print with water-based pigment polymer ink.

Duty cycles start at 85 million per month for the 30.5-inch RotaJET 76, and increase for the wider width models. Many of the models print 500 fpm, which the company expects to raise to up to 1,000 fpm.

KBA recently released the RotaJET 168 and 225 from its RotaJET VL series. Designed for industrial applications, the devices print 15 and 20 square meters per hour, respectively. “The RotaJET VL, with web widths of up to 88 inches, is specially designed and already in daily operation for new industrial digital market segments like décor printing,” notes Klaus Schmidt, senior VP, marketing and corporate communications, KBA Group.

Kodak provides multiple options for continuous web-fed color inkjet production. It also features monochrome cutsheet and cut/web hybrids, which offer monthly page volumes of up to 36 million. For color web devices, the Prosper 6000 and Prosper 5000Xli each offer a duty cycle of up to 90 million, handle media up to 24.5 inches wide, and are suited to eight-, 12-, or 16-page signatures.

The Kodak Prosper 6000 model provides full-color, four-over-four output at up to 1,000 fpm. Its printheads are designed for use with water-based, micro-milled pigment ink. It delivers offset-like quality without compromising productivity, approaching 200 lines per inch on a range of media—including uncoated, coated, glossy, and silk papers. It is ideal for producing color variable data direct mailers, customized catalogs, books, newspapers, or TransPromo materials.
The Kodak Prosper 5000Xli, released last year, uses water-based nanotechnology ink and offers speeds up to 650 fpm for full-color, four-over-four output. Designed for efficiency, it produces up to 90 million A4 or U.S. letter pages per month.

Kodak’s continuous Stream Inkjet Technology allows the Prosper devices to be used in a variety of applications, from transactional and publishing to lottery and packaging. The technology “allows for compelling economics, high quality, and peerless productivity,” states Mansfield. The company also offers inline and offline optimizing stations that pre-treat media for use with its inkjet presses.

Debuting at Graph Expo, the Pitney Bowes AcceleJet Printing and Finishing System targets mid-volume transactional print and mail operations. The system offers a combination one-up roll-fed, high-quality duplex color inkjet print engine with integrated finishing.

The AcceleJet System provides a lower entry point for production inkjet printing and is designed to keep cost of ownership expenses low. It features Dual Print Modes and built-in flexible finishing options.

The Dual Print Modes let users fine-tune production to help tackle demanding color quality or service level agreements.
Inline finishing features include dynamic cross perforation, linear perforation, automated job separation, and servo-controlled precision cutting.

Ricoh’s web-fed inkjet offerings include the Pro VC60000 and the InfoPrint 5000 GP and MP. All three models feature piezoelectric DOD technology with Epson-made printheads, use water-based ink, and accept media up to 20.4 or 20.5 inches wide. The Ricoh Pro VC60000, released last year, produces more than 100,000 letter images per hour and offers a monthly duty cycle of 40,000 duplex. It renders up to 1,200×1,200 dpi and adjusts ink drop size dynamically for every pixel. It features two ten-liter containers for each color.

The InfoPrint 5000 models both offer 720×720 dpi resolution, with printheads designed to last an average of 18 months. They print 420 fpm—producing up to 40 million letter/A4 pieces per month.

The series includes a suite of measurement tools that enable quick, accurate ink estimates at the job costing stage and capture ink usage upon print completion. For example, Ink Savvy can reduce ink usage from ten to over 50 percent. It can also be used on coated stock. The MP model has the same features and benefits as the GP, but has additional options, including monochrome and MICR versions for customers that want to start transitioning these applications to inkjet.

Screen’s web-fed devices include five models in its TruepressJet 520 Series. The EX-Color, EX-Mono, S, ZZ, and HD all accommodate media up to 20 inches, use piezoelectric DOD technology, and use either dye or pigment ink.
The Screen TruePress 520 HD model, released this year, uses a proprietary printhead. It offers 1,200×1,200 resolution at speeds of up to 394 fpm, with a maximum monthly duty cycle of 45 million.

“Our newest device, the 520 HD, is targeted at commercial printers. The quality coming off this machine is better than high-end, high-volume color toner devices, more consistent, and total cost to produce is less than half the cost of using toner,” suggests Aron Allenson, sales engineer, high-speed inkjet, Screen.

The four other models in the series use Epson inkjet printheads and offer between 720×360 and 720×720 dpi. Depending on the model, speeds range between 210 and 722 fpm, with monthly maximum volumes of 20 to 100 million. The total cost of ownership is generally 20 to 30 percent lower than competing printers with similar image quality, adds Allenson.

TKS targets color newspaper production with the web-fed JETLEADER 1500. Typical output includes newspapers in the multi-section broadsheet and tabloid formats, as well as books and direct mail. The device offers a 170,000,000 average monthly duty cycle for A4, producing 492 fpm. It handles media up to 22 inches wide.

The JETLEADER 1500 uses Kyocera’s piezoelectric DOD printheads, which allow for water-based ink, ideal for newspaper printers that want to avoid ink rub off on readers’ fingers. The press is open source for ink. TKS designed a full complement of inline finishing that targets newspaper production, including a variable cutoff folder and a sheeter for cutsheet work.

The variable cutoff folder allows great flexibility in product size, which helps newspapers transform their business model, suggests Mike Shafer, VP of sales and marketing, TKS. To compensate for advertising or circulation declines, they can keep the press busy with commercial printing. “Having this kind of flexibility opens the door for additional work that was not possible with the more fixed format of a traditional offset press,” he says.

Xerox features a range of web-fed inkjet solutions, with average monthly volumes between two and 60 million depending on the device. All utilize piezoelectric DOD technology. Its Impika models offer adjustable print quality with up to three resolutions up to 1,200×600 dpi, and five drop sizes. Using water-based dye or HD pigment, speeds range from 416 to 833 fpm.

Xerox CiPress devices use waterless solid ink, allowing prints on plain, low-cost paper and lightweight media. Models offer either 600×600 or 400×600 dpi, enable MICR, and feature an intelligent scan bar for missing jet correction.
Xerox’s Impika products support stocks from 60 to 160 gsm on a range of plain, inkjet treated matte coated and silk stocks, while its CiPress inkjet technology supports 50 to 160 gsm. Both work well with plain offset media that does not require pretreatment or bonding agents. The company’s Impika HD ink formulations and CiPress waterless ink are optimized for quality and optical density on plain media, which minimizes the need for media advancements. “This is unique as pre-treatments, primers, bonding agents, or special coatings are not required to achieve high levels of image quality,” explains Conyard.

Xerox recently introduced the Rialto 900 Inkjet Press for continuous-feed production color. Offering an average monthly volume of 1.5 to five million impressions, the Rialto 900 prints single-pass, duplex jobs on narrow web—9.84 inches. It handles uncoated and untreated stocks as well as inkjet treated media.

Cutsheet Devices
An emerging segment, high-volume cutsheet inkjet is small but varied. Products offer a range of speeds and resolutions.
As previously mentioned, Canon launched its new cutsheet inkjet option, the Océ VarioPrint i300, earlier this year which complements its line of continuous-feed devices. The device attains speeds of nearly 300 ppm and over 8,700 pages per hour. It offers an estimated average monthly print volume of two to five million and an estimated monthly maximum volume of million. It is well suited to the book, magazine, and commercial print segments.

The device offers 600×600 dpi, in color, using Océ DigiDot piezoelectric DOD technology and pigment inks. It handles sheets of 8×8 to 13.8×19.7 inches, including standard offset stock. “We expect that with one Océ VarioPrint i300, a customer can accommodate the production output from two toner machines while still saving up to 40 percent in total running costs,” notes Poulin.

Fujifilm offers the J Press 720S for short runs, high-quality, and high-value work, and jobs requiring color consistency between versions and runs. Printing 2,700 sheets per hour, including variable data, it is compatible with standard offset stock. Fujifilm designed the cutsheet B2 device to produce output equal to, or better than, offset. It uses water-based pigment inks and offers 1,200×1,200 dpi native resolution.
Its Fujifilm Dimatix SAMBA printheads lay down droplets as small as two picoliters. Each B2-width print bar features 17 modular printheads—amounting to 34,816 nozzles per bar. “The SAMBA print bar also takes advantage of unique VersaDrop technology, allowing the size and shape of each ink drop to be precisely controlled and placed on the paper, resulting in fine lines and text,” says Ed Pierce, product marketing manager, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division.

The J Press 720S handles media up to 20.9×29.5 inches, using an offset paper feed mechanism to ensure registration accuracy. The company’s Rapid Coagulation Primer prevents ink droplets from spreading when they hit paper, ensuring uniform ink formation regardless of paper type and preventing curling. An inline sensor system scans each sheet to maintain quality, modifying the printhead nozzle map and ink deposition parameters to correct deviations.

Konica Minolta is developing the KM-1 production inkjet press. The sheet-fed press will offer duplex printing in process color and a print size of 23×29.5 inches. The target monthly duty cycle is 1.5 million impressions. It will feature piezoelectric DOD printheads by Konica Minolta. The company predicts other inkjet advancements, with the potential for exploring larger sheet size, white ink, or spot varnish for a six-color mode.

RISO’s ComColor X1 Series offers several cutsheet models for color inkjet, with average monthly duty cycles of 65,000, with a maximum of 500,000. The five versions handle media up to 21.44 inches wide, with hourly output speeds of 90 to 150 depending on the model. Using oil-based ink and piezoelectric DOD technology, they provide 300×600 dpi.

Launched in 2013, the series features RISO’s FORCEJET technology. It utilizes 24 stationary piezoelectric printheads, and moves the paper across them instead of the other way around. “This approach has led to a straighter paper path, faster output, and the ability to print on a wide variety of media—all in a device with a smaller footprint, a shorter start-up time, lower power requirements, and fewer moving parts to replace,” describes Naoji Igarashi, VP/GM, sales division, RISO.

FORCEJET technology facilitates diverse media use. The ComColor X1 models accept a variety of uncoated stock, from 12- to 56-pound bond, including cardstock and cardboard, envelopes, and some forms of Tyvek.

Inkjet Evolution
As the continuous-feed inkjet market matures, it is increasingly able to compete with conventional printing methods. Advancements in ink technology, as well as expanded media capability, remove many of the barriers to adoption by improving image quality and lowering the cost of ownership.

Additionally, the potential for higher productivity in cutsheet inkjet is poised to disrupt the production segment. dps

Oct2015, DPS Magazine