Inkjet & Digital Printing
Konica Minolta launches innovative technology in top-end colour C6501 PROduction digital press
Friday 26. December 2008 - Konica Minolta has launched its next generation high-speed colour digital presses. The bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction is capable of heavy-duty production of up to 300,000 A4 sheets per month with an output capacity of up to 3,600 pages per hour (65 impressions per minute) in both full colour and black-and-white.
Output can be onto stock up to 300gsm thick for simplex print or 256gsm for perfecting print (duplex) output. The bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction provides a full and flexible range of substrate choices. Standard paper capacity is 7,500 sheets from five paper trays. Air assisted feeding rollers and new dehumidification heaters on each paper tray, as well as a double feed detection mechanism ensure paper feed reliability. Both paper and toner can be replenished on the fly, without the need to stop production on the digital press.
Konica Minolta bizhub PRO digital presses are designed to meet the print industrys preferred bleed size for media of SRA3 (320 by 450mm). This allows full size A3 documents with trim marks and A4 booklets to be trimmed to size. The accuracy of the output can be judged by the 0.5mm registration tolerance (per side) for perfecting (duplex) production and sheet-to-sheet.
In-line finishing options
Optional inline print finishing units are available for six-way folding, (Half-fold, letter-fold-out, letter-fold-in, double parallel, Z-fold and gate-fold) booklet making and post inserting. Automatic trimming means that booklets 50 sheets thick (200 pages) are trimmed to size for a flush edge finish. The post inserter can be used for pre-printed covers or to insert sheets at regular intervals.
The bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction colour digital press offers in-line perfect binding up to 300 sheets. Sheets can be bound between a minimum of 15 sheets (30 pages) and up to a maximum 30mm spine width (300 sheets/600 pages when 80gsm is used), including z-folded sheets. Automatic in-line trimming of covers to the exact size required ensures sophisticated print products every time without manual intervention. The bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction integrates hotmelt gluing technology into a fully automated, digital perfect binding production process, providing output flexibility paired with attractive low running costs.
As the bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction staples, punches and perfect binds at the full rated speed of 3,600 A4 impressions an hour there is no loss of speed for producing finished documents as against sheet production. This rapid throughput means the bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction generates high productivity for Inplants and maximum revenues in a commercial print production environment.
Choice of print controllers
The new bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction digital press is available with a choice of EFI Fiery IC-305 controller or the Creo powered IC-304 Plus.
The IC-305 controller features EFIs Fiery colour management system providing users with an extensive range of powerful software utilities for high-volume applications, as standard. Designed for high-speed colour printing, the IC-305 Fiery controller offers variable data printing support and a range of security features, ensuring complete data security control, including access to the controller itself.
Konica Minoltas IC-304 Plus print controller, powered by CREO, is the enhanced version of the innovative and powerful IC-304. The IC-304 Plus features open connectivity with current, industry-leading operating systems, different file formats as well as the latest Konica Minolta technologies.
The IC-304 Plus print controller provides advanced colour management technology for superior default colour settings and easy colour calibration. It provides the ability to make last-minute colour corrections easily, edit spot-colours and correct gradation without re-RIPing. The IC-304 Plus is the ideal choice for users who want advanced colour-management to produce high quality colour output.
In terms of finishing, operators using either print controller with the bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction gain access to all of the production printing systems comprehensive finishing capabilities. This includes full Perfect Binder support, enabling a completely automatic production of perfectly bound books. Tightly integrated with the bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction, the print controllers make printing a simple, continuous operation from automated imposition to printing and finishing the final product.
Innovation builds on success
Simitri HD high definition polymerised toner is used with all bizhub PRO digital presses, with advancements in image and colour quality to ensure that colour is precise and consistent in larger print runs. The environmentally friendly toner ensures fine lines and superb image quality. Another integral part of all digital colour printing systems is the S.E.A.D. technology, Konica Minoltas own screen-enhancing active digital processing technology. This proprietary technology does its share to improve image quality, colour consistency and sharpness of text.
“The bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction builds on the considerable success already achieved in this market sector by Konica Minolta” says Brett Palmer, Product Manager at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia, Production Printing Group. “The launch shows that we are determined to innovate and to offer our customers a product development path in digital colour. Previewed at this years drupa exhibition, the new bizhub PRO C6501 PROduction digital press has already generated considerable interest and we anticipate strong initial orders.”
About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia – Production Printing Group
Konica Minoltas Production Printing Group specialises in high-quality colour and monochrome printing solutions specifically designed to increase productivity. It has a strong training and education philosophy, and is committed to the success of customers profitability.
With innovative inline finishing options, including saddle stitching and perfect binding combined with high capacity stackers, Konica Minolta bizhub PRO digital presses can be configured with ease to produce a wide variety of time saving and cost effective outputs.
An industry leader in providing hardware and software solutions, Konica Minolta Holdings Inc is a publicly listed company with domestic and international sales of over US$8 billion. Konica Minoltas global network spans 70 countries and employs over 30,000 people.
Konica Minolta was formed in 2003 following the global merger of Konica Corporation and Minolta Company Ltd, offering a new era in digital imaging and innovation.