The KIP 870 on display at Graph Expo in Chicago last week.
By Ed Avis
KIP’s new 800 Color Series of wide-format printers received a lot of attention at GraphExpo in Chicago last week. The KIP 800 printer, which provides an alternative to the speedy, single-pass inkjet printers that have captured the industry’s attention lately, can consistently print 2,880 square feet per hour in either color or black and white.
“We heard from GraphExpo organizers and attendees that the 800 series was getting a lot of buzz,” says Tim Horn, KIP’s vice president of sales. “We were very happy with the enthusiastic reception the printer received in Chicago.”
One key factor that distinguishes the KIP 800 from the single-pass inkjet machines, such as HP’s PageWide and the printers from RTI, Xerox, and Oce-Canon that use the Memjet technology, is that it uses dry CMYK toner instead of ink. There are pros and cons to both technologies, but toner is typically more waterproof and fade-resistant.
Another difference among the printers is price. The MSRP of the 800 starts under $30,000. This compares to over $100,000 MSRP for the three Memjet-based printers (HP has not announced prices for the PageWide yet). Consumables costs are hard to compare, because they depend on coverage and other factors. According to KIP, consumable cost of the 800 is positioned to lead the industry in low cost of operation.
The inkjet machines are faster – for example, the Memjet printers can conceivably crank out more than 10,000 square feet per hour. That increased speed would be a factor only if a shop had tremendously high volumes.
Opening the Color CAD Market
KIP is well known in the CAD printing arena, and this printer could influence the slow rise of color CAD in the United States. The machine essentially replaces traditional monochrome CAD printers, since the cost of equipment is low and the cost of a black and white print is essentially the same as color.
“We think color CAD will be an important growth market for the reprographics industry in the coming years, and the 800 should facilitate that,” Horn says.
Five Versions
The 800 series are small footprint systems that include the System K software suite and a variety of options. All of the machines use KIP’s 12” smart touchscreen to easily combine color and b&w images for mixed print set management that is built into the printer, and all of them operate with Windows and AutoCAD drivers.
The 850 is the basic machine. It has 2 rolls and comes standard with front stacking. Rear stacking or KIPFold is optional.
The 860 includes an integrated scanner, making it a multi-function machine that can operate as a wide-format copier.
The 870 is a 4-roll version of the basic printer, designed for higher production environments.
And the 880/890 is a 4-roll printer that includes either the KIP 720 CIS Scanner (on the 880) or the KIP 2300 CCD Scanner (on the 890).
Other Features
The 800 series is designed for production printing with minimal intervention. The toner cartridges contain 1,000 grams each, and the paper rolls can handle mixed print sizes and colors at full production speed. And the touchscreen panel running the System K Software facilitates quick navigation.
Optional accessories include a stacker and two folders.
And for those concerned with the environment, the 800 series printers are Energy Star qualified and come with a variety of sleep modes and power usage timers to reduce power consumption.
For more details, visit KIP’s website here: http://www.kip.com/