IBM is upping the stakes in high-speed digital printing with the launch of a new Infoprint that it claims can print four times faster than rivals and at cheaper cost.


The Infoprint 4100 is due for launch on 31 August and is targeted at digital publishers, print-on-demand companies and short-run book producers.
This web-fed press offers exceptional print quality, said Brian James, product marketing manager for IBM northern region.
Cut-sheet printers have been traditionally viewed as having better quality. This matches it, but is four times faster and offers up to 20% lower cost per page.


The Infoprint 4100 has a 19.5in paper width and starts from around 228,000. It produces 1,400 impressions a minute for books or A5 material, or 762 a minute for A4 work. Machines from Oc and Xerox formed primary competition, said James.
The key message is this is faster, cheaper and smarter and a true rival to any cut-sheet capability.


Meanwhile, IBM has sold an Infoprint 2000DP1 to the pension provider Winterthur Life for high-volume at its Basingstoke plant.
It cost 160,000 and came with a management information system, from software firm RSA, for insurance, marketing and customer documents in runs of up to 500,000.


Lee Burke, IBM sales specialist, said high-speed PostScript output was needed.
A test run of problematic print stock from tracing paper to 300gsm card was eased through the Infoprint 2000s vacuum and tractor feed systems.
You can throw anything at it, which is important for quality. A third of jams are cause by inefficient paper feeding.


Story by Jez Abbott