Oki Pro9541
Features that you would assume are the preserve of high-end presses are available on Oki’s Pro9000 series of printers for a much lower price.
There are few printers whose business model has not changed over the last few years, with moving into new markets and adding value seen as pre-requisites. Most options come with a significant price tag, which is okay if there is enough work to support an investment, but what if there is not?
One example of ways digital printers can add value is by using machines that offer longer sheets and special toners. Unusual and oversized formats, along with white and clear toners, can create work that causes gasps of amazement, unfortunately, so can the cost of the kit. The very nature of such jobs means that they aren’t run of the mill, so they don’t tend to make up a high proportion of volumes, which can make it hard to justify the additional cost a printer with the capabilities.
All of this makes Oki’s Pro 9000 series attractive. These are dry-toner printers using LED imaging. Of most interest to printers, are the Pro9541 and Pro9542, which come with a fifth imaging station. The Pro9541 uses the fifth unit to print white or a clear gloss. It utilises a hot swap system which includes toner cartridge, supply duct and image drum removing any possibility of toner cross contamination. The Pro9542 is also a 4+1 configuration but only comes with white as a fifth colour.
Clear opportunities
White and clear toner open up opportunities including special effects such as digital foiling (when used with a foiling device), labels and security printing due to the fact that the clear coating fluoresces under UV.
In addition to the special toners is the ability to handle sheets of up to 1.3m long. This opens up banners and A4 gatefold production in addition to offering standard sheet sizes between A6 to SRA3. There is an optional banner feed tray available but not a delivery tray. This means that the machine needs to be attended for long sheets, which may be an issue if you envisage producing a lot of long sheet work.
Maximum stock thickness is 360gsm single sided and 320gsm duplex. Speeds of 50 pages per min A4 and 28 ppm for A3 are possible. Available RIPs include EFI Fiery and Harlequin.
The average duty cycle is 25,000 pages per month, with a maximum of 300,000 per month, so suitable for niche work rather than heavy-duty day-to-day production. Price for the 9541 and 9542 is in the region of £15 000 depending on tray configurations.
A click charge contract is available, however, it doesn’t cover the white or clear toners, which need to be purchased as consumables. The other option of buying consumables is more suited to commercial printers anyway.
Oki, which has been serving the office market for a number of years, sees these devices as a route into graphic arts. It acknowledges that it is not competing with anything other than the light production sector but it feels that the ability to print clear or white in one pass gives it a huge advantage. Time will tell.
