April 2, 2004 -- A new Enhanced Print Quality option (EPQ) for the Oce VarioStream 7000 raises the speed and quality benchmarks for digital continuous feed printing systems – all to the benefit of clients in the graphic arts industry and enterprises that print graphic-rich applications. For print products such as manuals and newsletters, quality is about precise reproduction of fine detail in graphics, pictures and photos. This is where EPQ makes a difference, enhancing the already excellent image quality of the Océ VarioStream 7000. The EPQ-equipped digital presses also achieve remarkable output speeds. Black & white applications run faster, and are output at 1,200 ppm in 600 dpi production quality. It is now also possible to print Océ CustomTone highlight colour applications at speeds of up to 1,000 A4 pages per minute. And complex graphic applications print around 40% faster than before at 1,000 A4 or close on 2,000 A5 images per minute with Graphic Arts Quality, so the productivity is higher than ever before. Greater efficiency and higher quality creates a key competitive edge for clients in the competitive Print-on-Demand market – as Océ’s pilot customers in Europe, the USA and Australia have found out. From its start in August 2003, the pilot rollout delivered such good results that Océ was able to sign off on this phase a whole month ahead of schedule. A key advantage of the Enhanced Print Quality option is a new patented method for transferring the image from the photoconductor to the paper. It ensures consistently excellent quality for graphics even at high printing speeds, irrespective of the choice of media. What distinguishes the quality is, above all, the clear colour gradations, homogeneity of fill areas, excellent reproduction of detail and clear blacks – due to ultra-precise placement of the toner dots. Since the beta release in August 2003, Océ has made 36 pilot installations of the VarioStream 7000 at commercial printing and mailing companies and media service providers in the US and Europe. By the end of last November 2003, the high-speed digital presses with EPQ had produced in excess of 150 million A4 images. The Northern Whig in Belfast was the first customer in the UK to receive an EPQ-equipped Océ VarioStream 7000. The company’s Managing Director, Peter McFadzean, said: “The Océ VarioStream has proved ideal for the wide variety of applications we need to service our existing and potential customers, and the new EPQ technology allows for unprecedented quality in black and white reproduction of text and photographs. It gives us considerable flexibility in terms of print sizes, high speeds and better quality, and we’re certain that it has put us at the cutting edge of printing.” He added that The Northern Whig has already has already won several new contracts as a direct result of the Océ VarioStream installation Enhanced Print Quality has quickly proven its value for digital Print-on-Demand applications that need excellent quality output: operating manuals, newspapers, special-interest books and other image-rich print products. Pilot customers also achieved better results when printing lightweight paper on the new Océ VarioStream 7000 presses. Print service providers profit from the speed-plus-quality combination for applications as diverse as newsletters, account statements and lottery tickets. The EPQ option is available for all the new pinless printing systems in the Océ VarioStream 7000 line-up. Océ’s upgrade concept ensures that digital presses that are already in operation can be equipped with the new add-on – providing protection for the customer’s investment. Among the large number of customers deploying the EPQ option are The Northern Whig in Belfast, Arvato Services, USA, a business unit of Bertelsmann AG, the system vendor Merkur, Germany, and Esser Druck GmbH, Germany.