It showed MICR and UV-fluorescing inks printed in addition to CMYK using the additional print heads in its ColorStream 3000 series machines.

For MICR printing the fifth and sixth inkjet heads are both used for the special ink to enable printing at the full rated speed of up to 127mpm.

UV fluorescing inks have already been used by one customer as a security feature. They can be used for text and graphics including 2D barcodes and QR codes for document tracking in the same way as any other ink.

Océ added that the use of such inks was on a project basis rather than an off-the-shelf approach. The inks used are third-party fluids whose use is dependent on successful testing by the firm with its printheads.

It also added that working on a project bases enabled potential customers to use a wide range of fluids operating in UV and IR wavelengths along with different reading devices and substrates to tailor their approach.

The firm also highlighted the use of the fifth and sixth colour units on the ColorStream 3000 series to offer users additional flexibility for other print applications.

"The fifth colour can be used for a pigment black ink alongside a dye-based CMYK set or vice-versa for producing optimised monochrome and colour prints on one press," said Océ UK production printing marketing manager Chris Aked.

At Drupa the firm launched its Premium Pigment Black Ink, which by reducing penetration into the paper improves print density and contrast and enables the use of uncoated stocks. It believes the premium black pigment ink in combination with its four-colour dye set is an attractive option for book printers looking to combine colour and monochrome production on the same machine.

"In graphic arts applications we’d argue we are ahead in terms of colour placements," said Canon head of commercial printing group EMEA Peter Wolff. "While HP may lead in books with Kodak in second place their installations are predominantly in monochrome."