October 13, 2008 – Trumbull, CT –  Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, today announced that Strahm Automation and Mailing Services, an expert provider of document composition, handling and delivery services headquartered in Kansas City, MO, has acquired an Océ ColorStream 10000 full-color digital print solution to respond to growing demand for high-quality color for transactional business documents.

"The Océ ColorStream 10000 is a continuous feed, digital color press that enables Strahm to print a variety of statements, invoices and other customer correspondence in color without the need to maintain a costly inventory of pre-printed stock. Its ability to print high-quality black and white at high speed also adds flexibility to the variety of applications that can be printed," said Océ North America Production Printing Systems Vice President of New Technology and Client Development, Guy Broadhurst.

With a commitment to service, quality and innovation that spans nine decades, Strahm works diligently to embrace advancements in digital document technology and to design market strategies that will maintain a competitive edge. The company needed a solution that would streamline its printing process and absorb the volume of multiple cutsheet applications. The Océ ColorStream 10000 system is the newest element in its strategy to automate and optimize print production.

"We print a multitude of small jobs, often under 10 pages, and the process required a lot of intervention and warehousing because of the variety of pre-printed stock that was needed," explained Strahm CEO Brian Dicker. "We wanted a way to eliminate that burden and establish a more efficient process. The Océ ColorStream 10000 gives us flexible and appropriate business color on the fly and at a very high rate of speed. The result is that we can now get away from managing a warehouse full of cutsheet shells."

While presenting high-quality color at high speed, the Océ ColorStream 10000 system provides Strahm with a cost of ownership that makes sense for black and white printing as well. "The operating costs of this printer allow us to run black and white at a competitive price point," says Dicker. "We get high volume color and black and white from the same printer, and this provides tons of flexibility that I didn't see from other suppliers. Other devices we looked at had a cost premium that would have prohibited this kind of production flexibility and affordability." 

Reliability was also an important factor in the decision to purchase the Océ ColorStream 10000 system. Since previous Océ equipment at Strahm had proven to be extremely dependable, the company felt comfortable continuing the relationship.  "When we first saw the Océ ColorStream 10000 in action we were confident that it would be a workhorse as well," says Dicker. "Today it is printing nearly a third of the total work going through our facility."

In a challenging market with increasing demands, Strahm will rely on the Océ ColorStream 10000 as a key component of its strategy to maintain a competitive edge through process innovation. "Our only way to compete is to automate," says Dicker. "We are going to save significantly by streamlining the operation and our people are really excited about how the Océ ColorStream 10000 is changing what we do."

About the Océ ColorStream 10000 digital press

The Océ ColorStream 10000 digital press provides full-process color for virtually every color requirement. The 172 ipm system powers through over five million full-color, letter-size images a month, making it one of the world's fastest toner-based full color presses. Monochrome jobs print at 852 ipm. With the ability to mix color and monochrome pages, the system handles jobs that weren't previously affordable or even possible on one system, such as printing the first few pages of a document in color and the next 50 pages in black and white. With dynamic pricing, an Océ ColorStream 10000 system prints full color at its appropriate cost and monochrome output at black and white speeds and costs. The black-to-full-color digital printer has the ability to change speeds and costs automatically, on demand, per application, and within an application. Further value comes from built-in Océ GraphicArts dot modulation for brilliantly sharp reproduction of both black and white and color images. The system can print on almost any stock, from lightweight media to newspaper to heavy and glossy paper.