The CiPress SED was originally shown at Graph Expo in 2011, but development has brought it from the prototype stage to the fully operational printer that was unveiled at Hunkeler Innovationdays in Lucerne, Switzerland on Monday (11 February).

It is the lower volume counterpart to the roll-to-roll CiPress 325 and 500 twin engine duplex machines – which Xerox claimed to be the world’s first high-volume waterless inkjet printer – that were launched at the end of 2011.

The 600x400dpi CiPress SED 325 and 500 run at the same speed as the twin engine versions, 100m/min and 152m/min respectively. Xerox said the single engine configuration meant that it was suited to those with lower volume needs than were catered for by the machines twin engined siblings, but who still needed to take a step into continuous colour feed printing.

Xerox continuous feed marketing manager Jo Oliphant said: "Our primary targets are typically transaction, direct mail and transpromo printers.

"I always find that, when we launch a product, we have an idea of which customers are going to use it, and then customers start telling us that actually it can do lots of other things that perhaps we hadn’t thought of at the start."

The CiPress SED is half the size of the TED at 6m long, and runs a half width web of 241mm. The web runs continuously through the single engine to produce duplex prints with Xerox’s waterless inks.

Xerox is showcasing the flexibility of the machine at Hunkeler Innovationdays, running 29gsm paper, which Oliphant dubbed "Bible paper", through the CiPress SED.

He said that it was the first time he was aware that anyone had printed such lightweight paper using inkjet technology, and the process was helped by the waterless inks used and the absence of heat treatment.

The application would be suitable for pharmaceutical printing and bespoke catalogue and brochures to reduce the cost of postage through lowering bulk weights, Oliphant said.

Oliphant added that the SED can be upgraded to a twin engine machine as the customer’s needs and volumes change, which would allow them to print two separate jobs in parallel, or keep one engine running at all times during maintenance.

Pricing of the SED has yet to be finalised, but will be less than its twin engine counterpart. Xerox is taking orders for the machine at Hunkeler Innovationdays and expects to start delivering by early Q2.