Innovations are occurring at a fast pace in IMPIKA. Worldwide demand for continuous feed color printers is growing quickly and these last few years, the customer requirements are sharper and become more specific. There is no universal answer but obviously, flexibility, scalability and investment leveling seem to be predominant criteria.

The iPrint Compact was specifically designed to meet transactional, transpromo and direct mail markets for financial services, communications, insurance, health care and utilities companies, etc… and can be operated either by document printing service providers, in-house print services, or by printers looking for the best compromise.

The iPrint Compact prints 2-up color duplex in 600x600dpi at 76 m/min within a single-frame (one print tower only) with a footprint among the smallest on the market.

Efficient and flexible
The iPrint Compact shares the DNA of the iPrint family of printers: IMPIKA’s piezo DOD inkjet technology, easy to use ergonomic design, robust and reliable manufacturing together with high performances in order to meet the requirements of volume production printing.

Based on a single piece frame, equipped with a high precision paper run, an integrated turn bar and two separate drying systems, the iPrint Compact prints on 474 mm printwidth either in simplex or in duplex with optimized electric power consumption.

The iPrint Compact standard mode setting, 600x600 dpi at 76 m/min, enables to meet the transactional, transpromotional and book printing requirements.

Two more optional print modes expand significantly the printer’s portability to other projects:
• a 360 x 600 dpi mode printing at 127 m/min (High Speed) and offering an ideal platform for color and monochrome transactional data, monthly statements and invoices.
• a 1200 x 600 dpi mode producing at 40 m/min (High Quality) well suited for direct marketing applications.

The iPrint Compact is designed for monthly volumes between 2 and 10 million A4 sides per month, with the ability to absorb daily production peaks of over 1 million A4 sides.

On the digital front end side, IMPIKA AFP/IPDS iController manages full variable data printing. It takes full advantage of the printer’s performances in terms of speed, output and printing quality through the dynamic ICC color profile management.

A compact design
For many customers, it is difficult to manage the production space and work environment conditions of Service Bureau with TED solutions (Twin Engine Duplex). The IMPIKA design team took up this challenge to produce a continuous feed, color production printer among the smallest on the market, the iPrint Compact.

With a footprint below 10m², a weight under 3.5 tons and a length below 10 meters (including unwinder and rewinder), the iPrint Compact outperforms comparable solutions in its class. And because it is lighter it can also be installed in a service bureau environment, on raised floors.

Migration to color
The move from offset pre-printed stocks with monochrome personalization to full variable color printing is an irreversible growing trend that started a few years ago.

The iPrint Compact is an ideal solution for print shops offering variable data customization in the transactional and direct marketing trades who wish to benefit without any risk from a high volume inkjet solution at a moderate investment cost.

With the iPrint Compact it is possible, for example, to start with a monochrome solution, for black overprinting of pre-printed stocks (pinless or pinfed) and evolve to a full color process through the on site installation of addtionnal printheads.

As for other iPrint models, the iPrint Compact benefits from a smart counting device, that differentiates the print cost between monochrome and full-color pages excluding the blank pages from the counting.

An economical solution
Built up from a single chassis and representing only a moderate investment, iPrint Compact achieves operating costs which are among the lowest in the market.

Thanks to a shortened paper path, the ability to maintain constant visual quality during the acceleration and deceleration phases (proved by several years of experience on all continuous feed IMPIKA printers) and the possibility to link the print jobs reduces drastically paper waste.

The iPrint Compact is compatible with all IMPIKA water based inks, pigment or dye, as well as with the new IMPIKA HD inks (High Density), also well adapted for transpromotional and transactional applications. HD inks enable the use of uncoated low cost (< 700€/ton) and lower weight papers with unrivaled print quality. HD inks accelerate the return on investment through highly competitive print costs per page.

Flexible and versatile, the iPrint Compact supports a wide range of outputs, including books, newspapers, brochures, manuals, specification sheets, etc...

iPrint: a complete range of continuous feed color production printers
"After, the launch of iPrint Reference in 2007 with immediate success among top-leader customers, we then brought to the market the iPrint eVolution, which first installations started in late 2011. We continue with the introduction of the iPrint eXtreme, and complete the implementation of our unique continuous feed inkjet production printer family with the launch of the iPrint Compact” explains Jean Marc PASTUREL, Sales and Marketing Director at IMPIKA.

The last-born of the iPrint printers, the iPrint Compact will have its world premiere next month at Drupa, and will be marketed beginning of June 2012. The printer should meet great success, considering the number of already confirmed orders.