Ideal entry model for digital production printing

Langenhagen, October 2007. Considering a move into full-colour digital production printing? If so, it is well worth taking a closer look at the ineo+ 5500 from DEVELOP. This system is the ideal entry-level model for corporate printrooms, digital printshops or offset printers. It delivers high-quality output in colour or black & white, is equipped with all the essential functions for efficient production printing, runs economically and is easy to operate. The ineo+ 5500 lowers the barrier to entering production printing – and as such is a sensible first-time investment.

What makes this digital system so suitable for production printing? As Patrick Klaus, the ineo+ 5500 Product Manager, points out, “the ineo+ 5500 can handle a wide variety of media, offers professional colour management possibilities, delivers quality output at up to 250,000 pages per month and is available with a range of first-class finishing options. All that adds up to ex-cellent value for money in an entry-level model.”

Flexibility and precision in handling media

Corporate printrooms and digital printshops have to handle a wide variety of print jobs, e.g. invitations, reports, dissertations, posters, etc. So a digital production system needs to be flexible in its media handling. The ineo+ 5500 is just that. It can take thin, thick, coated and offset paper in all sizes from postcard to SRA3 and weights of up to 300 g/m2. The optional heating unit, which is ideal in cold or humid environments, dries the paper in the optional large capacity cassette prior to feeding. This adds to the system’s flexibility in handling heavy, coated or offset media – flexibility also evident in duplex printing. The paper is fed in at high speed and the page-to-page and back-to-back registration in duplex printing is accurate down to ±0.5 mm.

Innovative toner, robust design

The ineo+ 5500 uses a specially developed high-density (HD) polymerised toner with ultra-small and extremely smooth particles of just 3-5 µm in size. The benefits of this toner are par-ticularly obvious in the crisp and clear reproduction of fine lines. Another advantage is the toner’s lower-than-average melting point, which prevents toner blistering and reduces the stress on the media in general and the engine in particular. This feature combines well with the robust construction of the ineo+ 5500. As a result, this system is ideally suited to the rough-and-ready environment of production printing and a maximum monthly output of 250,000 A4 pages.

Advanced technology for better output

Numerous features of this digital printing system enhance the quality of its full-colour output. The appropriate screen type is automatically selected for line or dot screening for visibly smoother colour gradations. Another technological breakthrough known as TagBit adds to the quality of the output by extracting or filling in pixels to sharpen frayed edges in halftone print-ing. The drum has a specially developed wear-resistant outer layer for improved colour stabil-ity. The newly designed developing unit allows the OPC and developer to rotate in opposite directions to ensure more even toner density, eliminate the undesirable halo effect between contrasting colours and support high-speed optional printing. The transfer belt unit has a thin, flexible belt that adapts to different media and varying toner coverage, which again helps to eliminate halos and white spots. Last but not least, the optional embedded Fiery controller features a SpotOn tool, which makes accurate spot colour reproduction possible, and a Col-ourWise colour management tool, which delivers superior colours – all from an easy-to-operate user interface. Lots of advanced technology with one crucial benefit: impressive speed and image quality.

Productive finishing functions

First-class finishing functionality is not an added extra in a production printing system. It is an absolute must in deadline-critical environments where customers demand professionally fin-ished documents. The ineo+ 5500 is available with two optional finishing units, one an 80-sheet automatic booklet maker with a 50-sheet stapling and a letter fold-in function, the other a 50-sheet stapling finisher. Both finishers can be optionally equipped with a post-inserter, e.g. for pre-printed covers, and a 2- and 4-hole punching unit. The bottom line is a boost to productivity through timesaving online finishing – with no need for manual intervention.

Personalised mailings

Corporate printrooms, digital printshops or offset printers investing in a digital production print-ing system naturally want to profit from the unique advantages of digital printing. First, print runs of one are just as economical as high-volume jobs. Second, digital printing makes per-sonalised documents possible. The ineo+ 5500 allows images, texts and database contents to be varied so mailshots, invoices, letters and the like can be individually tailored to each and every recipient. The optional Fiery controller also has a useful tool, FreeForm 2, which pro-vides fast and flexible support by streamlining the production of variable data printing files.

Though packed with sophisticated technology, the ineo+ 5500 is not difficult to operate – an-other reason why this system is an ideal entry-level solution for full-colour production printing.