Fujifilm North America’s Graphic Systems Division hosted an Inkjet Technology Summit recently at its Chicago Technology Center, showcasing innovative inkjet technology solutions specifically to commercial and package printers. Highlights of the three-day event included hands-on demonstrations of the Fujifilm J Press 720S (an offset quality B2 sheetfed production inkjet press), along with the Fujifilm J Press 540W (a web-fed inkjet press).
At the Summit, an educational presentation on “Moving to Inkjet – Where, Why, and When?” was delivered by Jim Hamilton, Group Director of On-Demand Printing and Publishing at InfoTrends. Attendees also participated in an interactive application user panel. This was a lively and engaging question-and-answer session that included real-life success stories of how Fujifilm’s printer customers used their J Press 720S and J Press 540W to grow their businesses and boost their bottom line.
Other invited industry experts also gave compelling presentations. “The additional insight and information shared by industry experts Elizabeth Gooding with Insight Forums, and Mary Schilling of Schilling Inkjet Consulting, allowed our customers to gain a further wealth of knowledge about trends in the marketplace, and understand more about Fujifilm as an inkjet leader,” said Ed Pierce, Product Marketing Manager, Fujifilm North America, Graphic Systems Division.
The J Press 720S is Fujifilm’s second generation of the J Press 720 that was first introduced into the market in 2007. At that time, the J Press established an entirely new product category – the high quality, sheetfed production inkjet press. The new J Press 720S includes many of the features of the original 720 press – such as a traditional offset paper feed, and a proprietary inline paper priming system that enables printing on a wide variety of coated and uncoated standard offset stocks.
Newly introduced innovations now include the use of a unique barcode system for accurate variable-data printing, inline scanning of each sheet to automatically adjust printhead nozzles (to insure quality output throughout a print run), and an improved drying system that uses IR heaters and hot-air knives to deliver post-process, ready-printed output.
The J Press 720S has a 29.5” x 20.8” sheet size and can output 2,700 sheets per hour. It incorporates variable-data capabilities at full production speed and is characterized as an ideal solution for printers looking for “a product that has the print quality and robustness of an offset press, as well as the versatility and efficiency to handle even the shortest of press runs.” The 720S combines Fujifilm’s Vividia aqueous pigment ink and Fujifilm Dimatix Samba printheads, along with unique FM screening and cloud-based colour management – to produce “output that rivals offset quality while providing consistency from run to run with a single-pass, four-colour inkjet press.”
The J Press 540W is targeted at shorter-run print applications traditionally run on web offset presses. It’s ideal for the production of catalogues, calendars, educational textbooks, manuals and on-demand books. The 540W uses Fujifilm’s high performance Vividia ink and unique FM screening technology to facilitate “superb image quality with smooth colour tones and sharp text” – enabling duplex printing within a single tower design, resulting in an extremely compact footprint of 22’ x 9’ and print speeds up to 416 feet per minute.
Fujifilm J Press 720S and J Press 540W take centre stage at Inkjet Technology Summit
