DIGITAL digest
Océ Speaks Volumes, Adds Ink-Jet Line
BOCA RATON, FL—Gone, its seems, are the days when equipment vendors waited for a major trade show to launch new products. Océ staged its own event just before the holidays to debut two additions to its line of continuous-feed, high-volume printing systems, including an ink-jet system.
The company already has more than a 50 percent market share in that printer segment, noted Joseph Skrzypczak, president and CEO of Océ North America. “We expect that to grow…as we expand our market and geographic coverage and drive brand awareness.”
The new Océ JetStream platform is based on piezo-electric ink-jet (drop-on-demand) technology, which the company has branded DigiDot, that prints CMYK color with water-based inks. Currently being offered are the model 1100 single-engine (1,074 ipm, two-up letter) and model 2200 twin-engine (2,148 ppm) systems. Both offer a 600x600 dpi resolution with variable dot sizes for multi-level printing that is said to produce smooth gradients and finer detail appearance. The machines handle a maximum 201⁄2 ˝ roll width and a substrate range from 16-lb. to 40-lb. bond.
Filling a performance gap in the company’s electrophotographic line, the Océ VarioStream 8000 product family supports black-and-white and CustomTone custom color printing. Three base simplex models have been introduced, including the 8550 (530 ipm for two-up, letter size printing), 8650 (636 ipm) and 8750 (750 ipm). Faster twin and triplex (two-over-one color) configurations are also available. The print engines feature new LED imaging and Super Cell technology to output up to 256 gray levels for enhanced halftone and custom color printing.
The first U.S. product install, a VarioStream 8750 Twin configuration, is already running at IWCO Direct, reported Mal Baboyian, president of Océ North America, Production Printing Systems. It is printing variable data direct mail pieces, achieving a production rate of more than two million feet of output per engine in just the first week of operation. According to Baboyian, the product line can also serve as an “on ramp” to the transpromo market.
