Konica Minolta launches new colour printers

Digital print solutions developer Konica Minolta is launching a brand new colour printer series, which it says will provide assurance for offset printers that their digital quality will satisfy their clients’ demands.

The new 60ppm bizhub Press C1060 and 70ppm bizhub Press C1070 – which are now available – have brand new engines, a vacuum feed option, a new image registration system and a new wider colour gamut.

They have had their pricing ‘repositioned’ over the former models, which is KM-speak for lowered, a strategy which the company believes will help propel them to top spot in the fiercely competitive mid-range market. Prices range from $50,000 up to $120,000 depending on the printer and finishing options.

A buoyant David Procter, general manager at Konica Miolta Production, says the new machines will give printers ‘more for less’, and will “provide assurance for offset printers that the digital quality will satisfy their clients”.

He says, “Konica Minolta has proved itself over the past decade as a solutions partner that has produced a continuing stream of printers which have delivered great print. The new C1060 and C1070 bizhub Presses now take digital print to the next level, with higher quality, great consistency and unmatched reliability.”

Procter, speaking to Australian Printer as Konica Minolta hosted its nationwide dealers and sales staff for training, says, “The new engine removes any doubts that commercial printers may have about digital print systems. The output is brochure quality.”

The printers have 1200 x 1200dpi resolution, which Konica says translates into 3,600dpi thanks to its Sead IV 8-bit multi-gradation processing power. They will print on stock from 62-300gsm in sizes from A5 to SRA3, and use a new enhanced Simitri HD++ toner, which Procter says extends the colour gamut and produces richer deeper reds.

The new bizhub Press 1060 and 1070 come with a choice of rips, which includes the Konica Minolta rip, an EFI Fiery, or a Creo rip. Procter says, “Some printers are used to working with Creo or Prinergy, which is why we are offering this as an alternative.”

There is a wide range of finishing options, which is all manufactured by Konica Minolta, apart from the GBC kit it supplies.

Procter says, “The market for mid range digital colour printers is growing well. Commercial printers are recognising that for a fraction of the price of an offset press they can have a full digital colour print system with inline finishing that is push button control and outputs finished product. And now with these new C1060 and C1070 printers they will have no qualms over quality.”

Konica Minolta has doubled the number of its sales staff over the past 12 months, as the company ramps up its sales efforts. Since Konica Minolta entered the commercial print market at PacPrint 2005 it has won a legion of fans, and is now the number two player in its market, behind long time market leader Fuji Xerox, whom it aims to topple with its new printer range.

The new C1060 and C1070 are the first in a trio of new releases by Konica Minolta, with a pair of new black and white printers due out in the next month, and the new C1100 and C1085 colour digital printers launched at Ipex due to be released into the market here in the next three or four months. The latter two run at 100ppm and 85ppm respectively and will run at top rated speed even on 350gsm stock.

Konica Minolta is hosting launch events for the C1060 and C1070 in all state capitals later this month. Printers attending will also see demonstrations of advanced colour management, as well as web-to-print and MIS integration.

Click on the city name to get to the invitation form:

Sydney – May 14, Macquarie Park

Brisbane – May 15, Bowen Hills

Perth – May 21, Subiaco

Melbourne – May 28, Southbank

Adelaide – May 29, Adelaide

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