Fresh from its successful introduction at PrintEx19 in August, the new Colorado 1650 roll-to-roll production printer is about to start rolling out across the country, with new stock on the water and technical training underway to meet demand generated at the Sydney show.
The Colorado 1650 – the second machine to use Océ’s patented UVgel technology – was released to the world at FESPA in June, and debuted in Australia at PrintEx19 in Sydney, where Océ Australia’s Product Manager for Graphic Arts, Garry Muratore, says it was a ‘show stopper’.
“When the Colorado 1650 was launched at FESPA earlier this year, our intention was to introduce it to Australia as soon as practical. PrintEx gave us that opportunity,” Muratore explains.
“The machine we had on stand was one of the first to be released outside of Europe, and those who took the opportunity to see it in action immediately appreciated its advantages. In fact, several business owners indicated to us that they came to the show specifically to see the 1650, keen to find out if the hype was justified – and they weren’t disappointed.”
While it’s not the company’s practice to give out hard numbers on sales or leads, Muratore is happy to report that the machine generated significant interest at the show, with deals well into the double-digits expected to be contracted before Christmas, many more to follow in 2020, and installations set to commence from mid-October.
“We’ve probably had as much interest in this machine as any we’ve ever released, so we’ve been working hard to ensure we have adequate stock and to ensure we are well prepared to support the new model,” he says.
One printer. One set of inks. One roll of media. Two distinct finishes.
So, why the excitement? Muratore says it’s largely due to two new advances which further enhance the applications versatility, productivity and profitability of Océ’s UVgel technology - a newly-formulated, more flexible UVgel 460 ink range, and Océ’s innovative FLXfinish technology.
“Océ UVgel technology, as many will remember, centres around a gel-based ink that ‘pins’ instantly to media, and two-stage LED curing,” Muratore recaps. “First released in the Colorado 1640 in 2017, it offered- Print Service Providers the advantages of existing wide-format technologies like Latex and eco-solvent, without the ‘quality versus productivity’ compromises so often seen with these legacy technologies.
“The Colorado 1650 takes this further, with a new, more ‘stretchable’ ink formulation which provides perfect image stability, even when folded, bent or wrapped, and the ingenious Océ FLXfinish technology which allows printers to choose between high gloss or deep matte finishes, without changing inks or media.”
Add high speeds, to easily manage peak periods in the industrial print environment, reduced ink usage and premium print quality on even basic media, and high levels of automation which remove or minimise routine tasks like media loading and daily maintenance, and Muratore says the new printer is not only more versatile, but also demonstrably more profitable than its competitors.
Installations to Commence from Mid-October
With the first installations of the Colorado 1650 commencing this month, Océ Australia have been busy building on the already vast expertise and knowledge of its team, and its understanding of the local roll-to-roll market. This commenced with collaborative media and applications testing at a couple of launch customer sites – the Colorado 1650 has passed with ‘flying colours’, Muratore reports – and with extensive training of the Australian-based service, technical and sales support teams at our Customer Experience Centre in Melbourne.
“In addition, we have installed one of the new machines in both our Melbourne and Sydney technical centres, to facilitate on-going customer support and application demonstrations across Australia.
“Obviously technical support is crucial when rolling out a product of such importance, and we can now confidently say we are ready to go…and genuinely excited to see this revolutionary product start to roll out to the market this month,” Muratore says.
