No (or some) surprises from Océ
Digital Printing: As expected, Océ is launching a 4/4-color roll-fed color printing system.
Digital Printing: As expected, Océ is launching a 4/4-color roll-fed color printing system. Océ recently made a big splash. The Dutch corporation, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, invited more than 150 trade journalists to Poing, a production site located not far from Munich. The occasion was, on the one hand, the annual «Océ OpenHouse» customer event, where—in stark contrast to the Hunkeler Innovationdays (see Werbewoche 9/2007)—the leading providers of post-press solutions, and thus key partners of Océ, showcased their offerings. On the other hand, Océ used the opportunity to introduce new products and provide updates on business performance and strategic plans.Growing with Four-over-Four Web Printing SystemsAfter Océ had expanded its VarioStream series year after year by adding a toner-based printing unit, the series reached a new milestone this year with the introduction of a four-color machine. This means that, instead of just black and—depending on the configuration—one or two process or custom colors as before, the system can now produce four-color printed materials on both sides. The newly introduced VarioStream 9240 is thus suitable for a wide range of applications. In addition to black printing and printing with additional process colors for company logos, etc.—as with previous models—Océ’s continuous-feed presses can now, for the first time, produce complex, full-color content, for example in the field of transaction printing. Rokus van Iperen, CEO of Océ, explained that more than 50 percent of all machines installed worldwide in the transactional printing segment are from Océ. «With the four-color VarioStream 9240, we aim,» said Iperen, «to secure our leadership in digital web printing and continue to grow.»
Although Océ is responding to the (slowly) changing demand for color transactional printing with the VarioStream 9240, it became clear in Poing that black-and-white printing still dominates there. 100 billion pages printed in black-and-white (per day!) are offset by «only» two to three billion pages printed in color. It is therefore hardly surprising that Océ continues to make significant efforts to improve the print performance of its black-and-white systems. For example, the VarioStream 9000 produces up to 1,270 A4 pages. By comparison: The top model in the VarioPrint series can produce up to 250 double-sided A4 pages per minute—while the new VarioStream 9240 color system manages «only» 168 pages per minute.
The announcement of the Océ Arizona 250 GT large-format printing system came as only a partial surprise. This printer, which had already been introduced in the U.S. and is now making its European debut, can print on both rigid substrates (up to 1.25 meters wide x 2.5 meters long and 48 millimeters thick) and, with the use of an optional roll module, flexible media up to 2.2 meters wide. The printing system uses UV-curable inks (CMYK) and achieves excellent print results thanks to a technology called Océ VariaDot (variable dot size achieved through the controlled dispensing of ink droplets). The varying droplet sizes enable photo-like print quality. Océ specifies the print speed as more than 16 m²/hour. According to Tom Egelund, who heads the large-format printing systems division at Océ, the Arizona 250 GT—which Océ developed in-house—is expected to cost only about half as much as comparable competing products. And Océ plans to introduce additional products in this category.
If you look at the evolution of Océ’s products, it becomes clear that the company is likely guided by the principle of «slow but steady.» The best example is the VarioStream 9240 roll-fed color printing system, which is now set to be launched as a four-color system—following the single-, two-, and three-color models. For Océ’s customers, this makes the company a predictable partner. As a result, no unexpected surprises are to be expected from the Dutch company.
Europe's Largest Digital Printing Trade Show Under the theme «Beyond the Ordinary,» Océ, together with more than sixty partners, presented solutions from its Digital Document Systems and Wide Format Printing Systems divisions from March 5 to 9, 2007. With nearly 9,000 square meters of exhibition space, the OpenHouse organized by Océ is Europe’s largest digital printing trade show.
According to Océ, more than 5,800 customers and prospective clients from 90 countries gathered in Poing, near Munich, to learn about trends in digital printing as well as new solutions and products from Océ and its partner companies. Visitors to the event—primarily industry professionals and decision-makers from companies in the graphic arts industry and sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, utilities, and the public sector—were able to see for themselves the cutting-edge, end-to-end solutions on display at more than 60 booths.
During its in-house exhibition, Océ signed a promising strategic distribution partnership with China’s Founder Group. The Founder Group’s sales organizations will sell Océ’s digital printing systems in China’s high-volume printing and graphics market, thereby further tapping into this fast-growing market for Océ products.
Jürgen Franck
Although Océ is responding to the (slowly) changing demand for color transactional printing with the VarioStream 9240, it became clear in Poing that black-and-white printing still dominates there. 100 billion pages printed in black-and-white (per day!) are offset by «only» two to three billion pages printed in color. It is therefore hardly surprising that Océ continues to make significant efforts to improve the print performance of its black-and-white systems. For example, the VarioStream 9000 produces up to 1,270 A4 pages. By comparison: The top model in the VarioPrint series can produce up to 250 double-sided A4 pages per minute—while the new VarioStream 9240 color system manages «only» 168 pages per minute.
The announcement of the Océ Arizona 250 GT large-format printing system came as only a partial surprise. This printer, which had already been introduced in the U.S. and is now making its European debut, can print on both rigid substrates (up to 1.25 meters wide x 2.5 meters long and 48 millimeters thick) and, with the use of an optional roll module, flexible media up to 2.2 meters wide. The printing system uses UV-curable inks (CMYK) and achieves excellent print results thanks to a technology called Océ VariaDot (variable dot size achieved through the controlled dispensing of ink droplets). The varying droplet sizes enable photo-like print quality. Océ specifies the print speed as more than 16 m²/hour. According to Tom Egelund, who heads the large-format printing systems division at Océ, the Arizona 250 GT—which Océ developed in-house—is expected to cost only about half as much as comparable competing products. And Océ plans to introduce additional products in this category.
If you look at the evolution of Océ’s products, it becomes clear that the company is likely guided by the principle of «slow but steady.» The best example is the VarioStream 9240 roll-fed color printing system, which is now set to be launched as a four-color system—following the single-, two-, and three-color models. For Océ’s customers, this makes the company a predictable partner. As a result, no unexpected surprises are to be expected from the Dutch company.
Europe's Largest Digital Printing Trade Show Under the theme «Beyond the Ordinary,» Océ, together with more than sixty partners, presented solutions from its Digital Document Systems and Wide Format Printing Systems divisions from March 5 to 9, 2007. With nearly 9,000 square meters of exhibition space, the OpenHouse organized by Océ is Europe’s largest digital printing trade show.
According to Océ, more than 5,800 customers and prospective clients from 90 countries gathered in Poing, near Munich, to learn about trends in digital printing as well as new solutions and products from Océ and its partner companies. Visitors to the event—primarily industry professionals and decision-makers from companies in the graphic arts industry and sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, utilities, and the public sector—were able to see for themselves the cutting-edge, end-to-end solutions on display at more than 60 booths.
During its in-house exhibition, Océ signed a promising strategic distribution partnership with China’s Founder Group. The Founder Group’s sales organizations will sell Océ’s digital printing systems in China’s high-volume printing and graphics market, thereby further tapping into this fast-growing market for Océ products.
Jürgen Franck
