MINNEAPOLIS, March 8 -- The world's fastest toner-based digital printing technology just got faster. Delphax Technologies Inc., a global provider of high-speed digital printing and publishing systems, today announced a major advance in the speed and productivity of its CR Series roll-fed digital presses. "With this advance, we have accelerated the performance of our fastest press -- the CR 2000 -- from its industry-leading continuous running speed of 450 feet per minute to 500 feet per minute," said Jay Herman, Delphax chairman and chief executive officer. "With our top end press, our customers will be able to produce approximately 2,200 8 1/2-by-11-inch pages per minute, or 4,000 6-by-9-inch book pages, at a true 600 x 600 dots per inch print quality. At this speed, this press can produce high-quality 200-page books at the rate of one every three seconds." This increased productivity, made possible by Delphax Technologies' patented electron-beam imaging technology, will be reflected in enhanced performance levels throughout the CR Series family of digital web presses, Herman said. The CR Series consists of three models, the CR2000, the CR1300 and the CR900, to cover a wide range of high-speed printing needs. The model number approximates the number of 8 1/2-by-11-inch pages per minute each of these presses can produce. With the upgrade, the CR2000 will be re-designated the CR2200, with its production speed increasing to 500 feet per minute. The CR1300 will become the CR1500, with throughput increasing to 350 feet per minute from 300 feet. And the CR900 will become the CR1000, with throughput increasing to 230 feet per minute from 206 feet. Delphax intends to provide this increased productivity while maintaining current model pricing, Herman said. The upgrade is expected to become available early next year. Customers who purchase the current CR Series models between this date and new model availability and who desire current-to-new model upgrades will receive them at no additional cost. "Because we're not changing our prices, the enhanced performance of these presses will offer lower printing costs for our customers, adding to the intrinsic cost savings made possible by the speed and quality advancements that we have built into the CR Series," Herman said. "We believe that the enhancements we are announcing today will allow us to further differentiate ourselves from our competition at every performance level -- and will make our equipment increasingly attractive in segments of commercial printing that have previously belonged exclusively to offset printing equipment." Delphax customers can use the CR Series presses to produce a wide range of books and booklets, legal and financial documents, packaging inserts, transactional and security printing applications, tickets and ballots and direct mail products on a very broad range of paper weights and sizes. Delphax will exhibit its flagship CR2000 digital press at IPEX 2006, the largest printing exhibition of the biennium. The event takes place in Birmingham, England, on April 4 - 11, 2006. Along with its industry-leading post-processing partners, Delphax will demonstrate saddle-bound brochure and perfect-bound book printing and finishing in one versatile, high-speed production line. Additionally, Delphax will exhibit a complete production line at the On Demand Conference and Exposition in Philadelphia on May 16 - 18, 2006. Delphax will produce saddle-bound booklets at the rate of one 64- page booklet in approximately two seconds.