FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division recently hosted a Production Inkjet Summit at its Chicago Technology Center, showcasing innovative inkjet technology solutions to invited attendees. The two-day event, part of an on-going series, included hands-on demonstrations of Fujifilm’s J Press 720S, the world’s most widely adopted B2 sheetfed production inkjet press.
The J Press 720S is designed for print runs of just one or thousands, where traditional offset and other digital printing solutions fail to meet expectations. With a 29.5-by-20.9-inch sheet and an output of 2,700 sheets per hour, the 720S incorporates Fujifilm Inkjet Technology including FUJIFILM Dimatix Samba print heads, Fujifilm VIVIDIA aqueous inks, and Fujifilm image optimization. Quickly gaining market acceptance, the J Press 720S has become the ideal solution for printers looking for a digital inkjet solution that delivers the quality of offset prints with the versatility to handle even the shortest of press runs.
“Fujifilm continues to set the standard with the J Press 720S,” said Ed Pierce, product marketing manager, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division. “J Press 720S owners are telling us that the print quality and color consistency is better than any other digital device, and they are winning new business as a result.”
As a collaborative information exchange, the summit featured industry-relevant presentations, including a session on ‘Color Management’ as well as ‘Inkjet and the B2 market,’ presented by Jim Hamilton, Group Director, On-Demand Printing and Publishing, Info Trends. Hamilton is responsible for Info Trends’ production print and digital media research, forecasts, and analysis. Jim’s discussion focused on market trends, the growth of inkjet in production digital printing, and the B2 format and the commercial print market.
Hamilton encouraged attendees to use inkjet to add new applications and transform their business model to provide solutions that inkjet delivers.
“Digital print competes most effectively when it accomplishes what offset cannot do,” commented Hamilton. “I’ve seen a number of applications printed on the J Press sheetfed press and I’m impressed with the print quality.”
Hamilton went on to explain that the J Press sits between the cut-sheet color toner and the roll-fed inkjet products in a class of products that support paper sizes of B2 or larger, and added, “In the inkjet marketplace for B2 sized presses, the J Press is the most successful one in the market.”
The summit also featured a customer user panel session where actual J Press 720S owners shared their real-life experiences. The panel included Jeff Hernandez, of Chicago-based Classic; Rick Riegger with The Bernard Group in Minnesota; and Tony Bielecki, Gilson Graphics, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Attendees posed questions on print quality and color consistency, and were especially interested in comparisons to other digital toner equipment.
When asked about the color consistency of the J Press 720S output, Riegger responded, “We did a test on the J Press and measured color across the sheet as well as sheet to sheet. The maximum Delta E we recorded was 1.07 where other digital toner devices we tested had as much as a 7-8 Delta E variance.”
Bielecki added, “We run jobs several times throughout the year for some clients. The J Press 720S matches the color perfectly every time.”
Hernandez spoke out how Classic recently arranged a ‘shootout’ and had two of their key clients evaluate the output, side-by-side. “The clients accused us of slipping in an offset print within the blind test,” said Hernandez. “They thought the J Press 720S printed sheets were actually printed offset.”
Riegger, whose company prints a lot of variable work for high-end retailer’s summed it up by saying, “When it comes to print quality and color consistency, nothing can touch the J Press.”
To find out how Fujifilm Graphic Systems can help your business meet future challenges, improve quality, and reduce costs, please visit: www.fujifilmgraphics.com.
To learn more about Classic, please visit: www.classic-color.com.
To learn more about The Bernard Group, please visit: www.thebernardgroup.com.
To learn more about Gilson Graphics, please visit: www.gilsongraphics.com.
