WINDSOR, Conn., Feb. 18 -- Konica Business Technologies, Inc. (Konica), the innovation leader in digital imaging solutions and a subsidiary of Konica Corporation, today introduced the Konica FORCE 85 Production Printing System. Delivering high-volume functionality and true 85 pages-per- minute (ppm) output, the FORCE 85 offers the most capabilities in its class. Ideal for central reprographics departments (CRD) and print shops, datacenters, large workgroups and back office environments that concentrate on long-run and specialized print jobs, the FORCE 85 offers wide paper support for up to 12" x 18" paper; Konica's Simitri Polymerized Toner; and production finishing capabilities such as three-hole punching, three-hole punching with z-folding, multiple post-sheet insertion, booklet-making and trimming. Following the success of Konica's FORCE 75, the FORCE 85 is a next generation network printing system that represents an ideal replacement for page and line printers in environments where high-speed, printer-only and multi-environment printers are necessary for productivity. The FORCE 85 combines virtually unmatched speed and versatility -- 85 impressions-per- minute (ipm) printing, high-speed stackless duplexing, fully featured PCL5e and PostScript 3 print drivers for advanced feature access, robust job building, host printing solutions and the industry's largest standard/available memory capacity. Built on the award-winning Konica 7085 Production Printing System engine, the FORCE 85 provides superior paper handling flexibility with three universal main paper trays that are capable of accommodating from 16-lb. up to 110-lb. stock (200 gsm) through all five paper trays -- including index, card and NCR paper -- and a choice of two optional large capacity trays, with the LT-412M supporting up to 4,000 sheets of up to 12" x 18" paper. With a 6,150-sheet total online paper capacity, and tray switching capabilities that allow for a job to pull from multiple paper trays during production, the FORCE 85 is designed to handle a diversity of production print jobs and to deliver uninterrupted operation for high-volume environments. The FORCE 85 offers high-performance network printing with the powerful embedded IP-602 print controller. The fastest print controller ever offered by Konica, the IP-602 allows for even quicker transmission of information and features a 20.0GB hard drive, 866 MHz processor and a maximum memory of 512MB. With the IP-602 print controller also comes increased functionality, including a visual PostScript driver, a mixplex and tab driver, expanded hard drive access for virtually unlimited job storage, two byte character support, IP-602 PCL5e driver Microsoft certification, and Konica visual NDPS print driver support for Novell NetWare. Tandem print capabilities have also been built in. Users can now print between two FORCE 85's without purchasing any supplementary hardware. Additionally, new job spooler (PCL5e only) and email alert capabilities have been added to its IP Connexion Web Utilities 3.0, allowing for print jobs to be managed through a standard Web browser and the delivery of warning messages to the system administrator's email address when an error occurs. The FORCE 85 is Konica's first Segment 5 printer-only product to offer Konica's breakthrough Simitri Polymerized Toner, which maintains the uniformity of the toner particles to produce clean, crisp 600 x 600 dpi resolution with an offset-like look -- delivering more consistent, higher quality output than other devices in its class. The FORCE 85 also boasts a self-contained imaging unit featuring a straighter paper path and duplex unit. Finishing Options With the FORCE 85's two finishing options, the FS-111 and FS-211, businesses can bring professional document finishing capabilities in-house, improving their overall productivity and reducing production costs. The FS- 111 provides eight-position stapling of up to 100 sheets and document sorting. The FS-211 delivers eight-position stapling and document sorting of up to 50 sheets, as well as advanced booklet-making with a capacity of up to 80-page booklets. In addition, the PU-108 Punch Kit and the PZ-108 Punch and Z-fold Kit are available for three-hole punching or three-hole punching and z-folding at rated speed. Post-sheet insertion is also available through the PI-108, which enables the insertion of a saddle-stitched cover. Trimming capabilities may be added with the TU-108 Trimmer Unit with maximum booklet capacity of approximately 100 booklets. "The FORCE 85 combines true 85ppm printing with the industry's largest memory capacity and our fastest available print controller, making it a perfect replacement for costly page and line printer set-ups," said William H. Brewster, vice president, marketing, Konica Business Technologies, Inc. "Delivering an unprecedented 1,250,000 impressions per month, superior durability and seamless network integration, the FORCE 85 represents an ideal choice for high-volume settings such as CRDs and datacenters, where a robust production printing system is a necessity." Highlighted FORCE 85 Features: -- 85ipm print speed -- Unprecedented 1,250,000 maximum monthly impression volume -- Simitri Polymerized Toner - up to 60,000 impression toner yield -- 256MB standard ERDH memory, upgradeable to 512MB -- 6,150-sheet maximum paper capacity -- Wide paper support -- up to 12" x 18" with the use of the LT-412M Large Capacity Tray -- Tray switching feature for a job to pull a variety of paper stock from multiple trays -- IP-602 print controller, with a 6.0GB hard drive, 866 MHz processor, including 64MB standard memory, upgradeable to 512MB -- Production finishing options, including eight-position stapling, saddle-stitched booklet-making and three-hole punching with z-folding and trimming -- IP Connexion Web Utilities 3.0 for configuring network setup and featuring email alert notification and job spooler functionality Pricing and Availability An affordable, competitive high-volume option, the Konica FORCE 85 is available through Konica's North American direct sales, authorized dealer and value-added reseller channels. The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the FORCE 85 is $36,700. The MSRP for the IP-602 print controller is $3,870. The MSRP for the FS-111 is $4,420, and for the FS-211 the MSRP is $5,880. The MSRP for the PU-108 is $2,000, the MSRP for the PZ-108 is $5,450, and for the PI-108 the MSRP is $950. The MSRP for the TU-108 Trimmer Unit is $6,850. The MSRP for the LT-402M Large Capacity Tray (up to 8.5" x 11" paper support only) is $2,000, and the MSRP for the LT-412M Large Capacity Tray (up to 12" x 18" paper support) is $3,185.