Product Almanac: 16 September 2009

Keep up to date with the latest releases. This week there are new products from Oce and Epson.

Océ keeps up to speed with VarioPrint 6320 Ultra
Océ boasts the release of its most productive digital perfecting system.

The ultra high-speed system clocks in at 336 A4 prints per minute (2up on an A3 sheet) or 314 (A4) ppm, extending Océ’s leadership into a new 300+ ppm segment.

The Océ VarioPrint 6320 (pictured below) model is the centrepiece of the new Océ VarioPrint 6000 Ultra line, the fastest, most productive family of ultra high speed, high volume digital perfecting systems. This robust platform is built to sustain monthly duty cycles up to 10 million prints, ideal for greater productivity, particularly in the growing digital book publishing market.

Features include new Océ ScreenPoint technology quality control, allowing fine-tuning of printed product at the printer itself, eliminating the need to return to the desktop to change a file. Océ also points to open platform integration to bring greater productivity to a variety of production environments.

The release comes three years after the introduction of the popular Océ VarioPrint 6000 family in 2006, the first cutsheet printer to exceed 200 ppm through use of its patented Océ Gemini duplex technology.

Bert van Agen, vice president, marketing and strategic planning, Océ-Technologies B.V. said that Océ was “once again setting benchmarks for speed, reliability, performance and productivity with the Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra system, which establishes the standard for a new class of 300+ ppm Ultra High Volume (UHV) devices.”

“The original OcÄ VarioPrint 6000 series introduced corporate and commercial print operations to breakthrough levels of productivity, but that was just the first step. Now we are raising the bar again with the next evolution of award- winning Océ Gemini Instant Duplex technology and the world’s fastest cutsheet printer,” van Agen said.


Epson builds on Stylus Pro brand with 7700 and 9700 models
Epson has announced two new large format printers with speed and quality output to assist architects, engineers, construction companies, spatial data analysts and retailers to expand their businesses.

The Epson Stylus Pro 7700 (24-inch wide) and Epson Stylus Pro 9700 (44-inch wide) (pictured below) four-colour large format printers are designed to deliver enhanced productivity and image quality for accurate reproduction of architectural drawings and colour presentations, engineering plans, spatial data maps, and attention-grabbing point-of-sale displays.

Unlike previous four-colour models, the Pro 7700 and Pro 9700 have the ability to automatically switch between photo and matte black inks depending on the media selected, improving productivity when a variety of different papers are used.

With five individual high capacity ink cartridges available in 150, 350 or 700 ml capacities and automatic switching between photo and matte black inks, the Pro 7700 and Pro 9700 offer longer unattended print runs and lower operating costs.

To ensure enhanced productivity the Pro 7700 and Pro 9700 incorporate Epson’s new Auto Nozzle Check System to automate and reduce the risk of misprinting caused by nozzle clogging. The nozzle check system uses advanced ink droplet detection technology, takes less than 15 seconds to run, and consumes no media and only a few drops of ink. It can be run before every job or periodically, giving improved reliability and a reduction in media costs.

Other improvements on the Pro 7700 and Pro 9700 include a colour LCD panel for easier selection of commands, more convenient paper handling with no need for spindles to hold rolls, and the ability to quickly and easily switch from normal tension to high tension when using thinner media. New layout manager software assists users in maximising paper use with nesting capabilities and easy layout tools for a range of large format printing applications.

The Pro 7700 and Pro 9700 are also supported by leading software companies, ensuring easy integration into existing workflows. Both printers come standard with USB2.0 and Ethernet connections and are supported with Windows, Macintosh and HDI drivers.

The Epson Stylus Pro 7700 and Epson Stylus Pro 9700 are available in November 2009 from selected authorised Epson professional graphics dealers.