Quick Printing is the resource for the Commercial printing, visual and graphic arts industries. Since 1977, Quick Printing has focused on improving efficiency and increasing sales and profits in the print shop. Industry experts share their ideas and
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14 Quick Printing | February 2015 MyPRINTResource.com Trillium is Xeikon's latest continuous-feed B2 technology, which is going into feld testing this month in France. I was really impressed with what I saw," said managing director Hervé Lesseur. "I'm convinced that Xeikon Trillium will be a game-changer for the printing market, so I signed up right away for early installation of the new press…." Unveiled at drupa 2012, the four-color press based on Trillium technology prints at speeds up to 200 feet per minute (fpm) at 1200 dpi, with a print width of 19.7 inches. Lab tests have demonstrated the ability to increase throughput to a speed of 400 feet fpm in the future. Trilli- um-based presses are specifcally designed for high quality production of high volume direct marketing materials, transactional documents, books, catalogs and magazines. Wim Maes, CEO of Xeikon added, "We are extremely pleased to be working with TagG Informatique on the frst Trillium feld test… We are looking forward to getting their valuable feedback about press performance to help us improve the technology even more as we prepare it for commercial availability." In the meantime, a spokesperson for Landa Corp. reported that its S7 small-format (B2), commercial press is not presently on the nanograph- ic frm's digital printing road map. "We are focused on delivering our large-format presses, starting with the single-sided Landa S10 press," she commented, offering no insight as to the S7's projected launch date. Not all OEMs are convinced that B2 is the answer, however. Kodak and Xerox, for example, have yet to jump on the half-size digital bandwagon. "We just don't see the economic advantages," said Will Mansfeld, who directs the global marketing and sales of the frm's inkjet press- es. Kodak remains focused on the traditional digital 12.6 x 17.7-inch (SRA3) sheet format and models with HEAD TO THE WEB For a resource chart on B2 digital presses in the market, see our chart online: MyPRINTResource.com/12034887 options for extended sheet sizes. Xe- rox, meanwhile, declined to comment when asked about future B2 plans for later this year and leading up to drupa 2016 next May. What can we expect to see going forward and at the quadrennial printing trade fair in Germany next spring? "While I can't speak to new developments, just look at what we have been able to do in last four years in terms of overall growth in inkjet," pointed out CSA's Hawkin- son. "At the end of the third quarter, our inkjet market share in the US was at 32 percent and, based on our performance in Q4, we think we are going to gain market share enhanc- ing our position as the market leader in production inkjet throughout the globe. This growth has resulted in our customers printing over 72 billion digital pages in 2014. With this leadership comes great responsibility to our customers and the market. I have no doubt that we will continue to drive press improvements so that this number of pages for our custom- er will continue to grow—page size is only one aspect of this growth." Meanwhile, InfoTrends talked to 40 users, who cited that B2 digital color presses not only increase effciency in production but also help to fnd new customers: A full 75 percent said that owning this technology has expand- ed their customer base and another 10 percent expect it will do so after they become more familiar with it. The full report is available here: infotrends.com/public/Content/ Multiclients/B2Digital.html . Showing at Hunkeler Innovation Days later this month, the new KBA digital continuous-feed press series includes fve RotaJET printing systems that can handle web widths ranging from 35.2 to 51.1-inches. FEATURES AND BENEFITS § High output (max. 3,000 four-colour A4 pages/min) § Excellent print quality (native print resolution 600dpi) § Proven APPE-based native PDF workfow for high data throughput § Industry-standard JDF interfaces to third- party systems § Individual inline/offine confgurations supported § Precise register thanks to intelligent web lead § Minimum waste and maintenance § Superior paper logistics at and in the press