Konica Minolta has launched two new top-end digital printers it says can print at the same level as offset and provide an alternative for printers producing more than 100,000 SRA3 sheets a month.

Production printing general manager David Procter says the 100ppm bizhub Press C1100 and 85ppm the bizhub Press C1085 are aimed squarely at commercial printers and high volume copyshops and franchises.

“These new high end digital colour printers will change the crossover point from offset to digital. They will give offset printers complete confidence that digital can print to the same levels,” he says.

 “The quality, reliability and productivity of these printers are what will appeal to and more than satisfy this market.”

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The C1100 is the highest specified printer in the Konica Minolta line up and is aimed at printers that produce at least of 100,000 SRA3 sheets a month.

“They will print at 100ppm or 85ppm on stocks from 55gsm to 350gsm with no slowdown in rated speed irrespective of stock,” Proctor says.

“They will print on different media including synthetics. Energy consumption is low. The new version of the Simitri HD toner gives accurate resolution, the reds for instance are remarkable.”

The C1100 comes with the company’s biggest colour gamut, vacuum feed, trays that can hold up to 6000 sheets, inline closed loop colour control and a choice of four rips, two from EFI, one from Creo and one from Konica Minolta.

Finishing can be inline but Procter says that for high output printers such as the C1100 it is more likely that customers will use offline or near line finishing.

Procter was speaking as some 50 sales staff and dealers went through the C1100 before fanning out across the country. This year Konica Minolta has doubled its sales force.

“If anyone says print is in decline they are not looking at my figures. All our printers, all of them, are increasing their volumes, and we are selling more kit than ever,” he says.

Because commercial printers are the target for the C1100 Konica Minolta is changing its service structure from five days a week to seven.

Konica Minolta has now revamped almost its entire product line up this year, it launched the new C1060 and C1070 just three months ago, and is about to launch a new monochrome printer. The company is now one of the biggest players in the digital printer market.

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