The device is an off-line adaptation of an in-line machine sold via Xerox and Ricoh to produce booklets with the mid-production digital print engines supplied by those companies.
The BM500 can be supplied as a standalone hand-fed unit, or linked with either the recently launched AF602 or other Morgana feeders. Also available is the BM350, which is built on a similar platform and can produce booklets of up to 140 pages.
Morgana Systems sales and marketing director Ray Hillhouse said: “We have seen significant demand for the in-line version of this machine through our partnerships with the print engine manufacturers.
“There is a definite need for higher page count booklets and booklets created using much thicker paper stocks. This pushes the capabilities of our current set of bookletmakers, which are primarily focused at producing up to 30 sheets of 80gsm.
“We have linked it to our recently launched AF602 feeder, incorporating dual high-capacity bins, to provide the market with a unique solution to higher page count booklets at a very cost effective price.
“A common application is for people that want to do 25 sheets of 150gsm stock. It gives us an opportunity to tackle a slightly different type of booklet work.”
The BM500 will be the first Morgana bookletmaker to incorporate the new full-colour touchscreen interface, which gives clear visible instructions to the operator on all machine functions.
The device can also be supplied with a lead-edge trimmer and with the Morgana Squarefold option for flat-edged books.
“The Squarefold option is a great addition to the system when producing thicker booklets – it gives a really great, perfect-bound look to the book and offers the facility to display print added to the spine,” said Hillhouse.
“The full-colour interface is yet another step forward in our attempts to offer the most operator friendly equipment. We anticipate that this design will be incorporated into all new machine releases.”
A complete BM500 system with the Squarefold option and lead-edge trimmer will be priced at around £40,000 and is available to order immediately, though with a six- to eight-week lead time due to high back orders. The BM350 model will be priced slightly lower.
Morgana previewed the machine, which is manufactured at its plant in Riga, Latvia, in the US earlier in the year. Its formal UK launch will be held at an open house event at the firm’s Milton Keynes showroom which will take place from 12 to 14 May.
40 companies are already booked to attend the event, which Hillhouse said was open to all and will also feature a range of other Morgana equipment.
