Venlo, The Netherlands, – Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, today announces that Symeta, Belgium's key print service provider and Océ inkjet customer since 2009, has started to produce color editions of international newspapers on the latest digital inkjet technology.

Symeta, a new force in printing and document management within the Colruyt Group
Symeta is a newly formed full service print provider under the umbrella of Belgium's leading retail company Colruyt. It will make the business communication of both the Colruyt Group and outside customers more efficient, using numerous printing and document management solutions to optimize information flows.

Launching inkjet services in Belgium
In 2009, Symeta's predecessor company Druco was the first customer to start inkjet production in the Belgian market. The Océ JetStream 2200 printing system is installed at its Halle facility – close to Brussels – providing document management solutions for the internal and external market.

High quality inkjet for international newspaper production
In close co-operation with Océ, Symeta has identified the production of international newspapers as one of its services to outside publishing customers. Brussels is the heart of the European community and the capital is one of the most international cities in Europe as well as Europe's key logistics hub. The newspapers are produced on the Océ JetStream 2200 printing system. Advances based on Océ JetStream technology inkjet presses in terms of speed and quality, plus unrivalled color quality and flexibility, means that digital newspapers have become an even more acceptable product for the newspaper industry. The Océ JetStream 2200 press prints in excess of 2,000 36-page tabloid newspapers per hour. Each copy is potentially an individual product, printed digitally with no loss of speed or quality compared to more traditional printing methods. Symeta targets to produce more than 5,000 digital newspapers during the night shift.

Océ pioneer in digital newspaper market
Océ pioneered the digital newspaper market a decade ago with its Digital Newspaper Network. Approximately 30 million newspaper copies have been produced globally through this network since 2001, making Océ the world market leader in digital newspaper production. Symeta will be the sixth partner in the Digital Newspaper Network.

The introduction of the Océ JetStream series of digital full color inkjet presses extended Océ production capabilities into higher run lengths, unprecedented productivity and full color quality on par with traditional newspapers produced on offset presses. Now digital production speeds are within the scope of those required for smaller metropolitan, suburban and country newspapers.

Newspaper Abroad
The first titles to come on board are produced on behalf of Newspaper Abroad to meet the demand of international newspapers. Newspaper Abroad has its headquarters in Brussels and operates in over 10 countries around the world. Newspaper Abroad offers A-Z solutions to publishers by handling sales, marketing, prepress, production and distribution of foreign newspapers. The newspapers are sold in retail shops, airports and hotels as well as subscriptions to embassies, libraries, offices, and to the expatriate community.

Symeta, a new era in digital newspaper production
"The production of international titles at Symeta is more proof of the viability of digital inkjet technology for the newspaper industry. Ensuring immediate delivery in international markets of newspapers printed digitally in color with a print quality comparable to traditional printing provides a steady revenue stream and potential growth opportunity for newspaper publishers," says Sebastian Landesberger, Executive Vice President, Océ Production Printing.

Philip D'hooge, General Manager of Symeta, said: "The production of international newspapers is a new business opportunity for Symeta based on Océ's leading edge inkjet technology. We are very pleased that Symeta's Océ JetStream 2200 can handle a wide range of document solutions ranging from direct mail and loyalty programs to international newspaper production."