The machine, which uses Konica Minolta’s own UV inkjet technology, and a press chassis from Komori, was first shown in concept form at Drupa 2012.
According to Konica Minolta, output speeds of 3,300sph simplex and 1,650sph duplex, as well as true 1,200dpi resolution, will make the press suitable for high-speed commercial printing and for producing short print runs to tight deadlines and processing variable data.
Business Solutions Europe head of market development Mark Hinder said details of the commercial launch of the press, as well as further information its capabilities and beta testing, will soon be made public.
"The product is highly stable now, from a technology platform, and we’re working towards launching it into the marketplace.
“We’re going to the book event because we’re starting to identify key verticals within the graphic communications print industry as to where that product will sit and one of those will be in the book market for applications such as book jackets, which are more traditionally litho printed."
With a maximum sheet size of 750x585mm, the KM-1 will be able to print three book jackets per sheet. It will also be able to print onto a range of challenging substrates, such as very heavy, textured stock.
“With the KM-1 we can take costs out of a business and provide them with a digital platform to accommodate for the shift from mass production to short-run production,” said Hinder.
The business will show a number of book cover samples that have been printed on the latest iteration of the press at the event, held at the Royal Society, Carlton House Terrace in London on 25 June.
The forum, organised by market and technology research firm Interquest, will focus on key trends in the book market, the evolution of book manufacturing and the supply chain and the use of digital printing to produce books.
Speakers will look ahead to what can be expected from Drupa 2016 at the event.
Konica Minolta will also be discussing and promoting its business development programme, Digital 1234, which it has strengthened for those wanting to invest in the KM-1.
The company is working with the Direct Marketing Association, to better integrate the brand agency market with Digital 1234 and KM-1. Publishers are next on the list.
Hinder said: “KM-1 as a platform is going to create a huge amount of opportunity for a lot of people but it’s about understanding what that opportunity is going to mean to them and turning it into physical cash.
“We want to show people, in an easy four-step approach, how you can take a product, target a key vertical, understand and profile those customers and develop the right application to go and make some cash.”
For more information, or to register for the 2015 London Digital Printing Forum, visit: bit.ly/interquest.
