NexPress will ship its first alpha model of the 2100 in the next month, and is on target to start commercial shipments in mid-2001.


The company also plans to roll out new models every two years.


The NexPress design can potentially accommodate a wider format, higher speed and web as well as sheetfed.


The press will get its first showing as a shipping product at Print 2001 next autumn, but will be seen running live next spring at CeBit in Germany and OnDemand in New York.


"By this time next year we aim to have a number of machines in the field," said NexPress president Venkat Purushotham. "Installations will be in the high double or low triple figures by the beginning of 2002. Many are ready to just drop in."


The firm is carrying out internal alpha testing and working on maximising the reliability and life of the components as part of its pledge to provide the reliability of a press.


"Feedback from customers, especially existing digital colour printers, is that this is what they want - maximum uptime and simply replaceable parts," said chief marketing officer Chris Payne. "We found our strategy endorsed at Drupa."


The firm rebuffed claims from rival digital press manufacturers that the 2100 was too little, too late.


"It's designed for a million impressions a month - current high-end presses only produce about 300,000," said Purushotham.


"We decided not to go too fast in the first machine because there isn't the volume in the market or the ability to drive the press with variable data at full engine speed. If the industry wants faster we will develop a faster machine."


Story by Barney Cox