The 2100 is targeted at small- to medium-sized printers and commercial businesses, as well as in-plants wanting to make a foray into the digital print sector. Available in a five-colour configuration, the fifth imaging unit enables users to add extras such as inline coating, glossing or a fifth colour for spot-colour jobs.
A major selling point of the NexPress is its ability to handle a wide range of substrates, including offset stock. Uncoated, matt-coated, glossy-coated, cast-coated and textured, wood-free, and recycled papers, including a wide selection of standard offset papers, are all fair game to the 2100.
Two secondhand models
And although the 2100 has enjoyed several major iterations, when buying a used model from Kodak, the manufacturer offers two reconditioned configurations: a 2100 and the larger-format, faster 2500. The latter offers the benefit of being able to process Kodak’s Dimensional Inks.
Andreas Nielen-Haberl, product category manager for EAMER in Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, extols the virtues of buying from the company.
"We take the carcasses back to the US and bring them back to a standard greater than when they left there originally," explains Nielen-Haberl. "They are updated with 30% to 80% new parts and a new front-end and software are installed."
The University of Surrey opted for a 2100 in 2008, enabling it to produce personalised prospecti and bring DM printing in house. Gary Ive, design and print operations manager at the university, says: "We bought the machine to produce personalised, bespoke collateral, such as prospectuses, but the developments of the 2100 platform enabled us to move into other areas."
In 2009, Ive and the team upgraded to the 2500 to take advantage of Kodak’s Dimensional Inks, whereby clear, dry ink is loaded into the NexPress’s fifth imaging unit, which creates a clear, raised layer on the page. The university has used the tactile effect to add variable height to its crest on degree certificates and open-day materials.
Other technical information to bear in mind before taking the plunge is the 2100’s running speed of up to 2,100 A4 pages per hour. The machine can handle sheet sizes from 210x279mm up to 350x470mm.
With a base unit weight of 3,843kg, the 2100 allows users to feed it with up to 6,500 sheets by using its three feeders.
When eying up the NexPress on the secondhand market, potential customers should look at general wear and tear and whether or not the machine will need any refurbishment.
A new 2100 with RGB and clear costs £140,000. Secondhand prices vary wildly but in July, PrintWeek’s For Sale & Wanted section advertised a four-colour 2100SE Classic, complete with compressor, for £23,000 – the machine had completed 15,379,000 A4 impressions.
Ive says that many parts on the 2100 are operator replaceable, which saves time on call-outs. Kodak’s Nielen-Haberl adds that more than 40 different parts are updated on an ongoing basis, aimed at making hardware changes easier and more efficient for press operators.
SPECIFICATIONS
Max sheet size 2100: 350x470mm
Speed
2100: A4/letter 5/5 sheets per hour;
1050: A3/tabloid 5/5 sheets per hour
Weight 3,843kg
Price
New 2100 with RGB and clear £140,000; four-colour 2100 SE Classic with compressor £23,000
What to look for
- Service history
- General wear and tear
