Océ kicks off customer center as firm targets newspapers

By Mary L. Van Meter
Publisher

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Océ last month opened its Customer Experience Center as the digital press vendor demonstrated its continued commitment to the newspaper and graphic arts industries.

Mal Baboyian, president of Océ’s North American production printing systems unit, encouraged printers to avoid standing still, particularly in the face of the global economic downturn.

Océ’s 18,000 square-foot Océ Customer Experience Center in Boca Raton, Fla.

“We are committed to strengthen our core business and advance our technology,” he said as he formally opened the 18,000-square-foot center. “We have increased our printing speeds and technology innovations as printers demand scalable and modular solutions in order to achieve profitable growth.”

Newspapers, which are beginning to evaluate the role high-speed digital presses might play in the future, are a prime target for Océ, Baboyian said.

The vendor beefed up its JetStream family of inkjet machines, adding models capable of producing up to 3,000 40-page newspapers per hour.

In addition, Océ bolstered its 1100 and 2200 product lines with magnetic ink character recognition. The MICR systems are the first of their kind to integrate magnetic ink directly with the print engine, Baboyian said. MICR support allows printers to produce a wider variety of marketing materials and promotions. The MICR-equipped presses will be commercially available in February 2009, Baboyian said.

Océ’s integrated MICR ink unit, far right, is located directly on the print engine.

All of Océ’s presses are equipped with DigiDot, a piezoelectric, drop-on-demand technology. The ICC profile compliant technology varies the size and amount of each ink drop, Baboyian said.

Océ has also launched an education program to help printers implement digital production. The Graphic Arts Alliance Program “will help simplify (printers’) transition from offset to digital workflow,” Baboyian said.