As part of this month’s State of the Industry look at the world of production print, leading manufacturers in the office technology space have provided a sampling of the products they offer through the dealer channel. From label printers to wide-format devices and high-volume production printers, this equipment is suited for a highly diverse end-user list, from printers and in-plants to the full range of office and business verticals.
In addition to product specs, our OEM panel outlines some of the challenges business verticals are facing in the post-pandemic era and cites examples of how production equipment has addressed their evolving needs. The manufacturers also offer some insight into use scenarios that can help dealers identify opportunities within their own client and prospect roster.
Canon U.S.A.
Increasing business for print providers and captivating customers’ attention are just two of the many goals of Canon U.S.A. Inc. To help meet these goals, a new cloud-based platform was recently added to its lineup of high-quality PRISMA solutions portfolio, as well as the world’s first large-format inkjet printer to include aqueous pigment fluorescent pink ink.
The new PRISMA Go Suite featuring the application PRISMAprepare Go will help small print shops and in-plant print centers streamline online job submission, providing one interface for users as well as an easy-to-use experience. Files and print orders can be directly uploaded to streamline the order management, preparation and printing. Another application called PRIMSAlytics Accounting includes print data tracking, presenting clear reports for the user.
As the print industry rapidly shifts to cloud-based solutions, Canon is looking to help print providers and dealers through the transition. The PRISMA Home platform allows dealers to manage their customers’ subscriptions, and the PRISMA Go Suite is easy to implement and support.
The company has also launched the imagePROGRAF GP Series, the world’s first aqueous printers with a pigment fluorescent pink ink. This new series consists of the 24” GP-2000 and the 44” GP-4000 models, which include 10 colors plus fluorescent pink ink and boast the widest range of colors in the imagePROGRAF’s history. The series also has two new five-color plus fluorescent pink ink models, the 24” GP-200 and the 36” GP-300. Millennial and Gen Z audiences are purchasing more and more items with fluorescent colors, and Canon’s new printers aim to attract these consumers with the ability to replicate graphic posters, wall art and custom pop art.
The models are equipped to load the paper automatically and detect the length and width of the print job desired. The compact design of the printers makes them easy to store without taking up too much space. The new imagePROGRAF’s ability to perform large-format printing makes it ideal for use in industries such as retail stores, restaurants, schools, government agencies and general companies.
Epson America
The Epson WorkForce Enterprise lineup spans from mid- to high-volume multifunction printers and is engineered for environments with demanding print requirements. The WF-C21000 and WF-M21000, with speeds of 100 ISO ppm (black/color), specifically, are primed for high-volume print jobs. Because downtime can result in extended turnaround times and lost revenue, it’s critical that print solutions in production environments are reliable.
Built with PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, Epson inkjet printers contain fewer moving parts than typical laser printers that require periodic replacement (such as the drum, transfer belt, and fuser), resulting in fewer potential failure points that may require intervention to rectify the issue. As a result, Epson inkjet printers offer improved reliability and significantly reduced downtime, ultimately allowing businesses to focus time on managing the business, not the printers, and efficiently provide customers with the best possible prints.
A testament to this is customer DivcoData, print and mailing service provider, which implemented the WF-C21000 to accommodate long-run print jobs and large monthly quantities of prints with up to 300,000 impressions per machine. While the WF-C21000 and WF-M21000’s stapling, stacking, hole punching and booklet making finishing solutions are suited for print shops, they’re also ideal for applications such as education for printing syllabi or course booklets.
On the wide-format front, the Epson SureColor T-Series printer lineup is designed to enhance workflow for offices across corporate and engineering settings. The SureColor T3170M 24” and SureColor T5170M 36” multifunction printers are equipped with an integrated 600 dpi scanner, ideal for technical fields that require large-format printing, copying and scanning with precise detail and precision. Dealers can offer current and potential customers a fast, reliable, multifunction solution to produce high-quality, client-ready output. For reseller duplicator sales and services, the printers have proven to be a cost-effective solution to bring wide-format printing in house.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions
The large-format market was growing steadily prior to COVID-19, but declining foot traffic, minimal live events and furloughed employees really impacted this segment. Many print shops started using manufacturing capacity and printing capabilities to make face masks, sneeze guards and social distancing signage.
The capabilities of wide-format digital printers include printing signs and display applications such as banners, POP materials, charts, maps and engineering drawings. Manufacturers have continued to make advancements to provide varied widths, higher output quality, different ink technology and wider substrate capability such as printing to acrylic, metal, glass and textiles.
Large digital printers print on a variety of media including flexible media on rolls or in sheets, and rigid media such as foam board. Advances in ink technology enable applications such as outdoor signs, textiles and wall/floor coverings to be printed. Applications are expanded with large-scale flatbed and roll cutters for standup signs or die-cut items. Wide-format printers can cost-effectively produce a higher volume of valuable graphics, such as advisory billboards, distancing markers, drive through/curbside banners and other special signage.
Konica Minolta’s AccurioWide 160 and AccurioWide 200 UV LED hybrid wide-format printers, featuring the OEM’s print head technology, offer the ability to print a wide range of applications on flexible and rigid materials. The thin ink layer chemistry used in the printing process allows for great color density with low ink usage to reduce running costs. In addition, the AccurioPro WideDirector sign and display workflow software speeds operations.
The combination of the AccurioWide printers and the AccurioPro WideDirector workflow software provides great wide-format solutions for printers looking to expand applications with solid printer performance, outstanding prints and an ease of use that operators will love.
Kyocera Document Solutions
The shift towards all things digital over the last 18 months has been stark, but paper documents have shown impressive resilience. Kyocera believes that the untapped potential of production printing is something worth getting excited about.
With the TASKalfa Pro 15000c inkjet production printer, Kyocera is determined to build upon the momentum generated during its first 12 months in the production space. The OEM has seen how the pandemic encouraged businesses to consider new ideas, and many of its customers have opened their eyes to inkjet, transferring from higher-cost toner applications and becoming more competitive as a result.
At the other end of the scale, a copy shop in Maine decided to invest in its first production solution with the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, upgrading from light-production devices. With a sustainable investment in this technology, they could open their business to new opportunities by meeting deadlines that were previously impossible.
One takeaway from the pandemic is the importance of flexibility. The ability to switch between media types and volumes on demand in print-heavy environments is priceless, and this is where Kyocera feels that the TASKalfa Pro 15000c comes into its own. One mail manufacturing company in Washington, D.C., found that the quality and flexibility, particularly for personalization, was second to none.
Internally, Kyocera has added new specialists and dedicated extra resources to its marketing team with a focus on this area. The manufacturer is confident it will make major gains in the production market over the next 12 months on the strength of its flexibility, output quality, industry-renowned reliability and extremely competitive pricing.
Like most sectors, the one-size-fits-all approach is dead and buried, and the latest additions to the Kyocera Evolution Series (its series of color and black-and-white A3 devices ranging from 25 to 70 ppm) demonstrate a commitment to serving the changing needs of today’s businesses.
These new color and monochrome A3 MFPs are the perfect fit for demanding workspaces that produce light-production volumes of high-quality output. Moreover, outstanding finishing capabilities such as the new Z-fold option and inserter unit add a real punch to booklets and brochures.
Ricoh
There’s increased need for certain production print applications, for which the RICOH Pro L5160e latex roll and RICOH TF-6250 flatbed wide-format solutions are ideally suited. They represent an opportunity for dealers to expand into rapidly growing industries, including health care and education.
A significant number of health care facilities, for example, currently require banners, safety barriers, wayfinding signage, and floor and window decals or stickers—all of which can be produced on various types of wide-format equipment—to graphically communicate distancing requirements and information about health protocols. These types of precautionary measures are likely to remain vital to health care organizations, as hospitals, medical offices, testing centers and pharmacies all increasingly add more vibrant signage to communicate a welcoming and safe environment. Similar requirements are true for educational institutions, as much of the same messages are needed to help manage student queuing, facilitate campus navigation and minimize congregation on an ongoing basis.
Wide-format printing devices, such as the RICOH Pro L5160e and RICOH Pro TF-6250, with their ability to produce both flexible and rigid applications of varying thicknesses and expanded use of clear primer or white ink, help enable dealers to offer premium products to health care and education industries. In addition, the RICOH Pro L5160e increases CMYK scope with the addition of orange and green, which produces more vibrant, nuanced color output and allows for precise color matching across substrates. This is essential to meeting specific brand requirements common to logos and color-specific emblem displays commonly used in health care and education.
The bottom line: Ricoh’s varying wide-format solutions are beneficial to health care, education and other industries, giving dealers additional ways to add value, increase customer reach and boost their profit potential.
Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
In September, Sharp launched the Monochrome Pro Series MX-M1056 and MX-M1206, which print at 105ppm and 120ppm, respectively. They replaced the Monochrome Pro Series MX-M1055 and MX-M120, and are targeted at in-house print shops, central reprographics departments (CRD), in-plant print facilities, copy rooms and office environments with high-volume printing, scanning and copying requirements. These models are targeted at verticals such as K-12 education, higher ed, manufacturing, legal, health care and local/state/federal government, where ease-of-use and high productivity is essential.
These new Pro Series models provide workgroup convenience with production-class productivity, offering the same award-winning user interface and feature set across virtually the entire Sharp lineup. Additionally, a 15.4” touchscreen display offers seamless job management with integration of Fiery Command WorkStation right from the operation panel of the MFP.
Sharp is one of the first manufacturers to introduce the new GBC SmartPunch Plus production punch option. This offers a variety of popular punch styles and patterns, including double-punch, for two-up punching, perforation and crease dies, yielding unmatched productivity and flexibility. It also allows more work to be brought in-house to help save time and money while providing professional results.
Amongst the stringent requirements in the on-demand print market, the ability to run a wide range of media reliably and with professional results is paramount. By means of Sharp’s exclusive triple air-feed paper-handling option, customers can rest assured their media requirements are fulfilled with optimum performance and dependability.
Key features include:
- Ease of use—award-winning touchscreen display with intuitive menu navigation combined with alternative touchless operation capabilities for basic copying, scanning and print release.
- SmartPunch Plus option—fully automated in-line punching system that dramatically improves productivity and streamlines workflow from printing to punching in one easy step.
- New powerful Fiery Print Server—an intuitive feature is available for advanced workflows and high productivity. Command WorkStation is fully integrated with the Sharp touchscreen for unmatched control and ease-of-use.
Toshiba America Business Solutions
COVID-19’s impact on businesses is severe, forcing organizations to rethink strategies to expand revenues while sustaining profit. Discovering which other products to leverage from existing technology partners multiplies the value to resellers’ customer networks.
Beyond Toshiba’s industry-acclaimed e-STUDIO multifunction printer (MFP) line, the company features an extensive label and receipt printer portfolio including mobile, desktop, and industrial label printers, and point-of-sale (POS) receipt printers. These products extend resellers’ share of wallet with existing customers while expanding into thriving vertical markets including transportation/logistics, health care, e-commerce and more. The systems maintain Toshiba’s focus on high productivity and low total cost of operation. Therefore, the value is clear and the learning curve is short as Toshiba’s printer line fully optimizes operations and uptime for front- and back-office operations.
Toshiba’s systems address everything from storefront POS receipts and mobile printing applications to health care needs by creating laboratory labels and patient wristbands. The printers also prepare labels for warehouse and logistics as well as shipping and receiving applications while helping ensure smooth business operations for most vertical markets.
One particular aspect setting printers apart from MFPs is the demanding environments in which they perform. Toshiba’s ruggedized label and receipt printers blend sturdy components with IP-rated dust and moisture protection to ensure such performance. Toshiba’s latest mobile receipt printers, the HSP Series POS, feature an IP21-certified, splash-resistant design protecting the system against solid objects and liquids prevalent in restaurants, bars and hotels. Its premium print quality and text readability improve customer satisfaction.
Toshiba’s industrial-level label printers are tried and true. With long-standing reliability, these systems endure the harshest of environments while delivering consistent, high-volume printing. When it comes to expanding revenue with products built for the task, Toshiba printers present a clear opportunity for resellers.
Xerox
With today’s faster turnarounds and shorter print runs becoming the norm, there’s a greater need to tap into the demand for more diverse print applications with a press that’s versatile, automated and categorically colorful, including the Xerox Versant.
Since its introduction, Versant has always been the shortest path from potential to profit. The Versant 280 represents an exponential leap forward, running 400 gsm with no slow down, plus in-line Spectro for color automation and 10-bit resolution.
The Versant 280 lets dealers target one of the fastest-growing digital print segments. Digital enhancement of print is projected to be a $25 billion market,* but access to that opportunity usually requires capital investment in a new press. The Xerox Adaptive CMYK+ Kit for Versant gives print providers the ability to swap out toners to print colors and provides enhancements that increase profitability and deliver higher margins without needing a new press.
Customers need only to swap out the standard CMYK toner set with the Specialty Toner Sets. In minutes, with no purge, they’re printing new applications. The toner sets go beyond CMYK with 11 colors that add seven specialty colors to an existing production press, enabling instant digital print enhancements. Gold, silver, white, clear, and process fluorescents join CMYK for an industry first. The new inks will transform greeting cards, invitations, posters, and anything else designed to attract and retain the reader’s attention. It is ideal for designers, print shops and print buyers.
- Keypoint Intelligence/Infotrends, “Beyond CMYK: The Use of Special Effects in Digital Printing”
