Oct 2, 2007
GRAPH EXPO Buzz:
“Communications Color” for Mid Volume Transaction Output
RISO’s HC5500 CommColor Printer Makes Its Mark in the World of Transaction Output at GRAPH EXPO
By OutputLinks
Did you hear the buzz in Chicago?
RISO, a leading supplier of digital printing systems, made a strong impression at the recent GRAPH EXPO 2007 in Chicago with its HC5500 Full Color ComColor (or Communications Color) Printer.
With its high-speed printing capabilities, sophisticated color-printing platform and versatility, the HC5500 is the ultimate solution for shorter-run transactional-document printing applications. Kodak is even offering its customers the HC5500 as a complementary solution to the KODAK VERSAMARK V-Series Printing Systems for shorter-run transactional printing jobs.
”We sold several HC5500s to service bureaus, transactional printers, data centers and direct mail marketing companies at GRAPH EXPO,” said David Murphy, vice president of Marketing of RISO, Inc., based in Danvers, Mass. “We received comments from some of these customers about the lack of affordable options they saw for digital color in the 120-ppm range. After shopping for other high-speed color products with $500,000 street prices, they were pleased --- to say the least --- to find the fast, full-color HC5500 for under $50,000.”
RISO's HC5500
According to Murphy, GRAPH EXPO attendees were enthusiastic about RISO's HC5500 and the ability to harness communications color. “Our guests saw a whole new realm of printing applications and possibilities with RISO,” said Murphy. “It seems that everyone is talking about trans-promo this year at GRAPH EXPO, but we talked to people who said they have been successful in this space for years. What they were not successful in doing was finding a reliable, powerful and affordable product that bridged the gap between 65-ppm color MFPs and roll-fed production color systems. What choice do customers have for producing full-color, variable data printing, cut-sheet applications like invoices, statements and one-to-one marketing materials? If they have several hundred thousand dollars and a lot of extra floor space, there are numerous systems designed for high volume transaction output. But for mid-volume transactional output of up to 500,000 digital-color impressions per month, there are few if any devices other than RISO’s HC5500.”
As the world’s fastest sheet-fed inkjet printer at 120 pages-per-minute,
the HC5500’s versatility allows RISO to have broad positioning in the transaction printing market. “We can work as a supporting device to very high-speed devices, such as the Kodak Versamark, performing the reprint work or proof work that would be costly and time consuming to put through the primary system,” said Murphy. “We can also support post-insertion systems in that same capacity. Print service providers in the mid volume transaction output environment --- that may not be candidates for high-end systems --- can employ multiple HC units instead, while low-volume clients can use the HC5500 to tap into the transaction-promotional opportunities.”
While the name RISO means ideal, it seems that the HC5500 is the ideal solution for shorter-run transaction output jobs. ”For mid volume transaction output --- we call it MVTO --- RISO’s HC5500 redefines productivity and low total-cost-of-ownership,” said Murphy. “RISO has always been dedicated to making high-value printers that are fast, reliable, simple and versatile, but the HC5500 takes these benefits to new levels not reached by any other product.”
Overall, RISO was extremely pleased with the traffic that came through its GRAPH EXPO booth and the interest in its HC5500 and other products. “We gathered over 250 leads from a broad range of print-service providers across a variety of markets,” said Murphy. “We signed orders for 15 units on the floor, and the products sold represented a diverse mix of our production printers and duplicators.”
To request more information about RISO’s HC5500 or its complete suite of digital printing solutions, call 1-800-876-7476, or visit the RISO Web site here.