The bizhub PRESS C71cf is aimed at making a significant impact on the label converters of Australia because of its unique positioning and offering.
A number of Australian label converters made the trip to LabelExpo 2016 in September this year with a clear focus to examine the C71cf first hand. First shown at drupa the press is notable for what it is not; it is not a desktop engine and nor is it a high-end press. Rather Konica Minolta is looking to meet the requirements of the industry in the middle band with a machine that it claims is a good blend of speed, feature, ease of use, and of course price positioning.
Apart from commercial printers exploring the possibilities of entering the label sector, the C71cf is aimed at label printers who are looking to shift volumes from conventional presses to digital – in order to deal with shorter print run lengths, requests for faster delivery times, personalisation and versioning, and the production of on-demand runs.
The C71cf prints at speeds up to 18.9 meters per minute. It has the ability to deliver industry standard benchmark high quality through 1200 x 1200 x 8 bit resolution in CMYK. Fine lines, small characters and subtle gradients are no issue for the C71cf. Utilizing a 330mm wide web allows the C71cf to conform to a large percentage of finishing and converting processes post printing.
Future developments will see the C71cf released with narrower web alternatives as a result of early customer feedback. With continuous imaging up to 1200mm, the C71cf can begin to offer label solutions across a wide range of applications.
Volume growth in digitally produced labels has increased by approximately 15 per cent each year. And, an estimated 60 per cent of all conventionally printed labels are in run lengths of below 10,000. These figures support Konica Minolta’s strategy of providing for a growing opportunity in the shorter run digital label space
The combination of high quality print, short run capability, a wide range of stocks (without pre coating), and variable data applications will lend the C71cf to satisfy requirements in a huge cross section of applications such as wine labels; beverages; pharmaceuticals; foods; industrial labels; household products and cosmetics.
Konica Minolta is also exploring various options to connect inline converting and finishing solutions, which will see the C71cf develop into a fully-fledged label press that can flood coat, spot UV, laminate, die cut, slit and dual rewind producing finished labels without operator intervention.