What does it do?
This is the latest and the fifth generation of Konica Minolta’s unique high-chroma CMYK dry-toner presses. These can print a much wider colour gamut than standard digital or litho presses, to give noticeably more vivid, saturated colours. These were first introduced 15 years ago with the C65hc and for every new generation of Konica Minolta presses there’s been an update to the high-chroma version. This model is SRA3 width with a long-sheet facility up to 1,300mm banners, and a speed of 81 A4 pages per minute.
Given its entry level price around £35,000 (and £100,000 for a configuration with lots of inline input and finishing), Konica Minolta presents it as a highly economical alternative to competing makers’ five- and six-colour presses at much higher price points.
“Where it has real value is in anything with a photographic bias – light blues, greens, pinks and purples,” says Malcolm Smith, category manager, Professional Print. He also points out the high-chroma toners can match a very high percentage of Pantone ‘spot’ colours.
On the other hand, unlike rival machines with fifth and sixth colour units, there’s no provision for running special colours such as metallics or fluorescents.
Despite the impressive side-by-side comparison prints against conventional CMYK, the HC presses have never been big sellers in the UK. However, Konica Minolta says there have been “solid sales” in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France and the Czech Republic, more so than Asian markets. It says the press appeals to “industries which have a lot of imagery with people on it as the flesh tones show up particularly well with HC,” citing Italy’s lively fashion sector as an example, as well as a demand in Switzerland for precise Pantone colour matching.
When was it introduced and what is the target market?
The AccurioPress C84hc was introduced at Drupa in May 2024. Target markets are printers that want to offer more vivid saturated colour than standard CMYK. “It is primarily targeted at the commercial print sector rather than in-plant environments,” says Smith. He says that typically users would run a C84hc alongside conventional digital or litho presses to add extra services.
Konica Minolta quotes applications including “studio photos, photobooks, nature photos and web-to-print orders for commercial printers, dedicated design houses, advertising agencies, corporates and brands”.
It adds: “The high-chroma gamut delivers natural skin tones while the unique saturation of greens, blues, purples, pinks, and magentas, creates more natural results that were not previously possible.”
It also mentions its AccurioShine 3600 digital varnish and foil press as a good companion to add embellishment to high-impact colour.
How does it work?
The C84hc is essentially the latest generation AccurioPress 4080. However, you can’t run HC toners on a non-HC press – Konica says there are technical reasons why the two toners can’t be interchanged.
It can handle long sheets up to 330x862mm as standard, and banners up to 1,300mm long (simplex only) with the addition of the banner feeder kit.
A new option is closed-loop Auto Inspec-tion Technology (AIT). This inspects every printed sheet and detects problems including dirt, sub-standard imagery, or incorrect page orders.
The C84hc can run the same range of inline finishers as the 4080. This includes a GBC punch; auto ring binder; folder, booklet maker; perfect binder; slitter; creaser; stapler; Plockmatic PowerSquare stitcher-binder PSQ-60/224; Plockmatic SD-450/435 booklet maker. A GBC laminator is forthcoming.
Konica Minolta’s own TU-510 trim finisher is an important option, essentially a multi-finisher with swappable cassettes for slitting, trimming, creasing, and perforating. It produces trimmed full-bleed output, from saddle-stitched brochures to single flyers and business cards.
For front-ends there’s a choice of KM’s own IC-609 print controller, or a Fiery IC-317 image controller with advanced job management, or an internal Fiery IC-419 embedded controller.
How does it differ from earlier models?
The C84hc replaces the C83hc (the high- chroma counterpart to the previous AccurioPress C3080), and adopts the latest automation and inline finishing options of the C4080 presses.
What’s the USP?
Very wide colour gamut without the expense of fifth and sixth colour units. “Ultimately it’s a way of getting a different print to a traditional toner CMYK while remaining a traditional CMYK toner price,” says Smith.
How easy is it to use?
“Operators using the AccurioPress C84hc won’t need any additional training to manage the HC functions,” says Smith. “It operates just like the C4080 series, follows the same servicing process, and supports all the same options.”
Image workflows need to be RGB or RGB plus Spot all the way to the RIP – converting early to CMYK loses the advantage.
What does it cost?
KM says prices range from £35,000 up to around £100,000 when configured with lots of quality control, feed and finishing options. The C84hc is mainly available on click-based contracts. Konica Minolta says the price and cost-per-click are both similar to the C4080.
How about installations?
Just one in the UK so far (with another on the way), but Konica Minolta says there have been 25 installations in Europe as a whole.
SPECIFICATIONS
Process Dry-toner
Colours Wide-gamut CMYK
Print speed 81ppm (A4), 45ppm (A3)
Resolution 3,600x2,400dpi x 8-bit
Paper sizes 330.2x487.7mm, 330.2x862mm (max for duplexing), 330.2x1300mm (simplex only)
Paper weights 62-360 gsm
Maximum paper input capacity 15,390 sheets
Footprint 80x90.3cm
Weight approx 305kg
Price £35,000 to around £100,000 depending on configuration
Contact Konica Minolta 01268 534444 www.konicaminolta.co.uk
ALTERNATIVES
There are no direct equivalents to the AccurioPress C84hc at a similar price point. Competitors’ toner presses all have fifth and sometimes sixth units that may be able to extend gamut in one direction (for instance orange or violet), but not the overall wider gamut of Konica Minolta’s high-chroma pigments.
Fujifilm’s Jet Press 750S is a B2 sheetfed inkjet that includes wide gamut in its list of benefits, and is explicitly aimed at the photobook market. However, this is an ‘under £1m’ press rather than the C84hc’s ‘under £100,000’.
HP Indigo’s SRA3+ 7K digital press with six- and seven-colour capability can run the IndiChrome six-colour process set of liquid toner inks for wider gamuts (or alternatively smoother highlights), but these slow down production and cost more clicks, plus there’s no long-sheet capability, though there are B2 models at substantially higher cost of £1m-plus. On the other hand they can run specials as well.
Xerox’s Iridesse long-sheet SRA3+ press (and the near-identical Fujifilm Revoria PC1120) can have up to six units combinations of special colours white, clear, silver, gold, pink. However these are priced above the KM C84hc, from about £150,000-£180,000 depending on configuration.
Ricoh’s mid-range Pro C7500 long-SRA3 press has five colours and runs at 85ppm or 95ppm with a “productivity upgrade.” Heidelberg sells this as the Versafire LV.
