October 24, 2008–Chicago–Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, announces the latest release of the award-winning Océ VarioPrint? 6250 system. Version 3 incorporates new native IPDS capability that expands support and productivity for transaction applications. The new release will also include an optional Media Enhancement Module, another Océ innovation that expands functionality for specialized applications in transaction and graphic arts environments.

"Service bureaus and data centers are looking for highly productive printers to handle the volume of work they must deliver within tight print windows. The availability of native IPDS for the Océ VarioPrint 6000 family is the final connection these print providers need to take advantage of the simultaneous duplexing and reliable throughput of this print engine," said Noel Ward, Executive Editor, Digital Printing Resource Center at WhatTheyThink.com.

Along with integrated native IPDS compatibility, the Océ VarioPrint 6250 system has the unique ability to switch to Adobe PostScript or PCL formats to support convergent environments of mixed print-on-demand workflow. Customers gain flexibility to receive jobs from the Océ PRISMAproduction? workflow platform in native IPDS and receive jobs in PostScript environments from Océ PRISMAprepare? and Océ DocWorks? make-ready software.

For greater convenience, operators can instantly switch between IPDS and PostScript data streams without rebooting or losing data. With the flexibility of immediate format switching, operators gain efficiency, and jobs can be processed right away. If the workflow is currently in IPDS mode, users can continue sending PostScript jobs to the printer. All job activity resides on the easy-to-use Océ scheduler built into the award-winning Océ VarioPrint 6000 family. This unique capability increases production uptime and reduces delays, and complex convergent environments benefit from uninterrupted throughput. 

"Most of the jobs in service bureaus and data centers require duplex printing, which makes the Océ VarioPrint 6250 a natural fit. But for optimal productivity, they also need a system that handles IPDS natively, so they don't have to compromise performance by transforming jobs to other PDLs," said Noel Ward. "Putting IPDS support on the Océ VarioPrint 6250 provides a powerful solution for productive cut-sheet transactional printing."

The printer's unique Océ Gemini Instant Duplex technology delivers groundbreaking reliability, most recently documented in rigorous testing by Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI). The Océ VarioPrint 6250 system received the "Highly Recommended" rating and BLI Certificate of Reliability, verifying that when subjected to a 10 million-page durability test, the system demonstrated a extremely high reliability. "During our exhaustive testing of the Océ VarioPrint 6250, the device delivered a very high level of productivity across a wide range of job types and media options," said David Sweetnam, European Lab and Research Manager of BLI International. The printer delivered 1.4 million impressions between service calls and an impressive 333,333 images between misfeeds across the entire 10-million impression test.

At 250 letter-sized prints per minute, the Océ VarioPrint 6250 system is the market's most productive simultaneous duplex printer, and now customers can apply this industry-leading productivity to their IPDS transaction applications. Print operations can increase productivity by as much as 70 percent by moving more work to the extremely reliable Océ VarioPrint 6250 cut-sheet printer. The system is powered by Océ Gemini Instant Duplex printing, which presses images into both sides of the page in a single pass, resulting in higher productivity, offset-class quality, near-perfect registration, and greater efficiency.

Medium to high-volume print environments gain a proven resource that easily handles tight production windows. As more companies adopt transpromo applications, the quality and versatility of the Océ VarioPrint 6250 system can be the foundation of their variable data printing platforms. The easy paper handling and user interface contribute to greater productivity in busy production environments.
 
"The Océ VarioPrint 6000 family continues earning market share and repeat business with its strong reputation and great customer satisfaction. Since its introduction, the system has received numerous awards, including the BERTL 'Beyond 5 Star' Rating and a 2007 PIA/GATF InterTech Technology Award. The latest release expands the printer's impressive capabilities to support transaction printing environments, as well as broadens the media capability of the market's most versatile black and white cut-sheet printing system," said Eric De Goeijen, Vice President, Marketing, Océ North America Production Printing Systems division.

The Oce VarioPrint 6000 Media Enhancement Module (MEM) will increase the system's media range to handle heavy (up to 350 gsm) and coated media. This capability will significantly broaden support for customers printing book covers and book blocks, variable data post cards, direct mail, and other applications requiring sturdy stock. By expanding the media range of the series to include coated and hard-to-handle heavy media from input to finished output, the Oce VarioPrint 6000 family provides new opportunities for customers to migrate applications into the cut-sheet digital arena, while reducing operating costs and improving productivity.

The simple, efficient Océ MEM design cools sheets as they leave the Océ Gemini Instant Duplex technology engine. Virtually any media with coated and heavy weight characteristics can be printed, stacked and finished reliably and with no sacrifice in quality. These unique media capabilities enable the Océ VarioPrint 6000 family to produce a wider range of applications than other systems. The Océ MEM is fully compatible with all installed Océ VarioPrint 6000 systems.

General availability of the Océ VarioPrint 6250 Version 3 system with the IPDS license is August 2008, while the Media Enhancement Module is expected to be generally available Q1 2009.