Digital

Fuji achieved a coup by pre-announcing the Jet Press 720 a week before the show, thus ensuring lots of interest in its B2 machine. A handful of people even saw it run, although the firm admits it didn’t run very often. Despite that, it garnered a lot of interest and, according to Fujifilm Graphic Systems marketing manager Graham Leeson, a number of customers said if it had been available they’d have got their cheque books out there and then. Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t ship until 2010. Fuji claims that its ability to print onto regular offset stocks (which it does with a coating applied in the machine prior to printing), its speed and its cost will make it competitive with offset presses on runs up to 5,000. With the feed and delivery of an un-named B2 press, which has an uncanny resemblance to a Ryobi, registration is spot on and compatible with existing finishing kit, which proved a plus for printers.

Its nearest competitor is the Screen machine, but at 2,700 sheets per hour, the Fuji is 1,100 sheets per hour, or 60%, faster. With printheads from Fujifilm division Dimatix, inks from its materials division and the press itself manufactured by Fuji Xerox, the Jet Press 720 is a demonstration to the market of Fuji’s end-to-end in-house expertise in digital print. The technology is scalable which, without any explicit promises, the firm points out makes one-pass perfecting, spot colours and larger sheet sizes a possibility for future products.

Format: B2 sheetfed
Size: 750x520mm
Colours: CMYK
Speed: 2,700sph
Technology: Piezo drop-on-demand
Shipping: 2010
Price: $1m (approximately)