Noel Ward Maximizing the uses of individual machines is a key criteria for convergence-savvy companies. As legacy databases, print streams, applications, organizational  roles and responsibilities converge to create documents with more value, organizations are realizing they can reduce redundancy and better use existing resources by integrating production print operations. Digital print engines and document management software can facilitate content repurposing and running multiple job types. Producing variable content for customized and personalized messaging is easier than ever before. Still, not all digital machines are created equal. Some lack the flexibility and fast changeovers required in high-volume print operations. At PRINT you'll see the Oce DemandStream 8090cx, the first in a family of high-performance digital presses built for converging markets. Both print speed and image quality can be changed depending on the application. Broadening its capabilities, the DemandStream 8090cx system is configured with Oce's unique Quick Change Developer Station (QCDS) for switching between black, spot color and MICR toners. Who needs this capability? Consider a financial services firm running a new prospectus in black and white, then changing toners and printing statements or dividend checks on the next job. For jobs requiring cut-sheet printers, Oce will be showing the DemandStream 4040 DI handling 401K statements, book blocks, and newspapers. The newspaper is  Handelsblatt News Update, a German business newsletter published by the German business daily of the same name and  produced in association with The Wall Street Journal Europe for use on Lufthansa Airlines. The 4040 will be printing in black and white and pulling paper stock from different bins to include color on selected pages. Convergence is Cost-Effective Short-Run Printing. The convergence of the latest digital printing technologies and resulting changing customer expectations are having a dramatic impact, not only in very high-volume print environments, but also in mid-volume, short-run printing as well.  The need is for fast, reliable, and cost-effective short-run document production. The 6000 page-per-hour Oce DPS 400 is the only document production system on the market that can handle any length production run at full engine speed, whether copying, scanning or printing. Equipped with Oce DocWorks Exec™ software, it offers centralized document management, fast production of both complex jobs and print-on-demand work, and intuitive job preparation. For a powerful on-demand printing solution, the Oce 3165SL printer/copier teams with the Oce DPS400 as the capture device for scanned originals, allowing for uninterrupted printing and copying of analog and digital documents. The Oce 3165SL, with its Oce Scan Logic™ technology, scans documents at an impressive 3240 scans-per-hour, plus provides back-up  copying and printing functionality.  The combined system offers fast  turnaround, high-speed printing at 9,780 pages-per-hour. See it scanning daily news clippings and printing two-sided documents in ledger sizes with 600 dpi resolution. Convergence is Finishing & Binding With Quick Changeovers Customers want fully finished documents, and convergence demands flexibility in finishing and binding. At PRINT, some documents printed on the DemandStream 8090cx and 4040 DI will be finished on the new AmigoDigital perfect binder, which switches from saddle-stitch to perfect binding for commercial print operations handling a range of convergent applications. The GATF award-winning DigiStitcher, AmigoDigital binder, and a Hunkeler stacker -- all offshoots of Oce strategic partnerships -- enable the different applications and quick changeovers that commercial printers require. Meanwhile, a Duplo saddle-stitcher will be getting WSJ Europe ready to travel. Convergence is Colors (seven of them) The growing market for digital color is being stimulated by opportunities for personalized output, presenting commercial printers with the potential for many new and profitable services. Convergence comes from the transition of monochrome documents to color. While some of this is highlight color, a growing number of pages are full color, a trend likely to continue as price per page declines. This means you'll hear a lot about color digital printing at PRINT '01. Reduced costs, improved reliability, and increased run lengths have made full color more attractive to the graphic arts marketplace, and the digital arena is being transformed as color takes on a greater role in driving new business. Some of the new machines you'll see at PRINT are just becoming available to select customers, while others won't be on the market for some months. One new technology machine you can buy now is the Oce CPS 700. The new press uses  a fundamentally new short-run color production system incorporating a patented technology which applies seven colors in one step, pressing the toner directly onto the page for an offset look and feel. A low operating cost and 50 percent less toner consumption enables commercial printers to offer cost-effective full-color printing for short run jobs. Workflow stays steady with virtually no downtime for color calibration. The new CPS 700 is being shown with a powerful EFI Fiery™ controller using variable data files for customized print applications. For high-volume production color applications Oce is featuring two different Xeikon DCP 500 applications. The DCP 500 system produces eye-catching, high-resolution calendars and posters featuring the Chicago skyline in full color. The second DCP 500 application demonstrates 401-K statements for high net-worth investors. Oce and GMC Software Technology join together on this color application to demonstrate how easily personalized documents composed with GMC software can be produced on Oce systems. Convergence is Digital Workflows The demands of converging information and producing different types of documents requires workflows that perform multiple functions and work with multiple makes of print engines and document management systems. At PRINT, an array of standalone Oce PRISMA servers will highlight the variety of capabilities that PRISMA modules deliver in "making digital workflow work." DPconnect software gives Xerox DigiPath™ users easy access to the entire range of high-performance DemandStream presses. It automatically receives and converts DigiPath print and job tickets data into a format suited to the features and capabilities of the high-speed DemandStream web press. DocMaker is an advanced tool for scanning and editing hardcopy documents needed for digital print applications. TrueProof, a precise soft proofing tool that eliminates the time-consuming steps and waste associated with set-up and running a production  printer for manual hardcopy proofs. The Unity RIP and Bookstore tools demonstrate Oce's just-in-time book publishing solutions. The new Order Distribution System (ODS) provides a central point for control and monitoring that make convergent environments easier to manage. When configured with ODS Master capability, an Oce PRISMA server becomes a master console for managing configurations of multiple Oce printers, even when they are in different locations. Convergence is Personalization Data centers have long been able to handle the variable data necessary for personalization. But convergence means commercial and in-plant printers are facing the need to handle variable content documents. Oce and GMC Software Technology will demonstrate the ease of producing personalized documents composed with GMC software and produced on Oce DemandStream and Xeikon DCP digital presses. You'll see the evidence of convergence at many booths at PRINT. As you look at the many offerings, consider your needs now and in the future to make sure you are ready to meet the challenge of convergence.