MGi Meteor DP8700 XL

What is it?

The Meteor DP8700 XL is the latest member of the Meteor toner-based family of four-colour multi-substrate digital presses. The manufacturer says it has proved popular with customers worldwide including commercial printers, plastic card manufacturers, book printers and photo production facilities. 

When was it launched? 

MGi gave the DP8700 XL its global launch in June last year and debuted the machine at the Grafitec show in Paris. Since then, the French manufacturer has showcased the press at shows such as Graph Expo in the US. Local distributor GBC Australia has yet to officially launch the product in this country, but Raj Dang says anyone heading to Drupa will be
able to see the machine in Germany.

Who is the system targeted at?

According to Kevin Abergel, director of marketing at MGi, a large number of digital printers have suffered from a ‘me too’ mentality where a saturation of companies offering the same range of print products has helped erode margins.

MGi says DP8700 XL customers can capitalise on utilising a digital press for day-to-day applications but also produce a large number of other products.

What is its USP?

Abergel says MGi decided to develop the Meteor DP8700 XL press, which he considers “conceptually different” from other digital presses, so it could inject margin back into print jobs by competing on applications where they could charge more than for just ink-on-A3-paper. 

The manufacturer has been particularly happy that customers can use the press to operate in four different market segments: XL-format printing, with the press able to print up to 1,011mm long for applications such as banners and landscape A4 brochures; plastics printing, with the ability to print onto PVC, PET, polycarbonates and vinyl for applications such as hotel keys, gift and loyalty cards; the ability to print envelopes in a variety of formats; and offset personalisation. 

What are its other main features?

The DP8700XL can print the standard jobs a digital production press can output and Abergel is keen to stress that the machine is not simply a ‘niche’ press.

Also important is that printers will still be able to print the normal bread-and-butter jobs, as the Meteor DP8700XL is a production digital press that is designed to compete on everyday applications. 

How easy is it to use?

According to Abergel, the machine is not a push-button press, but operators will quickly understand how it works.”

Whether an operator comes from an offset press or a pre-press background, MGi’s team of engineers will teach the operator everything he or she needs to know about how to manipulate colours, substrates and formats,” he says. 

What about training and support?

GBC’s Dang says it is too early to talk about local service and support, however, he points out that GBC has technicians trained on the machine’s predecessor, the DP60 Pro. There are a handful of these installed in Australia. According to MGi, training lasts five days and is done on-site. MGi tends to complete the training with some production shadowing, returning later, if needed, for additional training.

How much does it cost and how many installations have there been?

Local pricing is unavailable. However, MGi told ProPrint’s UK sister title, PrintWeek to expect to pay £165,000 ($242,000), which made the machine less expensive than any of the rival products listed here. Since its June launch, there have been nearly 100 installations of the press worldwide, although none in the Asia Pacific region, says Dang.

 

 


 

SPECIFICATIONS

Speed: Up to 4,260 A4/Letter pages/hour or 2,280 A3 pages/hour

Max print area: 318×1,011mm

Formats: Min: 100x148mm, max: 330x650mm

Resolution: 3,600dpi and 270lpi 

Substrates: Paper, plastic, polycarbonate, vinyl and PET substrates, envelopes

Footprint: 5×1.5m (LxW) 

Contact: GBC Australia, (02) 9738 4000, www.gbcaustralia.com.au

 

 


 

 

THE ALTERNATIVES

Xerox Color 1000 

Launched at Ipex 2010, the Xerox 1000 can print up to 100 A4 pages per minute on stocks of 330x488mm and from 55-350gsm.

Resolution: 2,400×24,00dpi

Stock: thickness 55-350gsm

Colours: Up to five colours

Speed: Up to 100ppm

Contact: Fuji Xerox, (02) 9856 5000, www.fujixerox.com.au

Kodak Nexpress 2500

The Nexpress 2500 can output up to 83ppm and is an attractive entry point to digital printing. 

Resolution: 600dpi

Stock: thickness 60-350gsm

Colours: Up to five colour

Speed: Up to 83ppm

Contact: Kodak, (03) 8417 8000, www.graphics.kodak.com/AU/en 

HP Indigo 5500

The HP Indigo 5500 can print up to seven colours and features optional capabilities including in-line connection to UV coating. 

Resolution: 800x1200dpi

Stock: thickness Up to 350gsm

Colours: Up to seven colours

Speed: 68ppm colour, 272ppm mono

Contact: Currie, (03) 9810 1331, enquiries@curriegroup.com.au

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