Konica Minolta bizhub C1085 and C1100 models improve performance and production workflow efficiencies with enhanced digital front ends

EFI and Konica Minolta Business Solutions have teamed up to announce the launch of two advanced digital front ends (DFEs) for the new Konica Minolta bizhub C1085 and C1100 family of digital presses. The updated EFI Fiery IC-308 DFE and the new EFI Fiery IC-310 DFE are set to deliver excellent performance and colour quality, end-to-end workflow automation and integration with EFI's MIS and Web-to-print products.

The high-end Fiery IC-310 DFE brings faster production performance to the bizhub print engines with Fiery HyperRIP technology, which can process an individual job up to 40% faster than other DFEs. It does this by splitting pages to simultaneously process them with multiple processor cores, interpreters and rendering engines. The powerful hardware and feature set makes the IC-310 twice as fast compared to the IC-308 and streamlines the processing of graphic-intensive and variable data jobs to minimise data spikes and avoid lost production time.

With the Fiery IC-308 and IC-310 DFEs, users can be assured their jobs will print correctly the first time. In addition, the DFEs are based on EFI's Fiery FS100 Pro platform technology – the first and only production platform to achieve a 100 percent perfect pass rating from the Flemish Innovation Center for Graphic Communication's (VIGC) PDF RIP Audit. The rating highlights the DFEs' capabilities for accurate, consistent reproduction of intricately designed files, including jobs with composite overprints, transparencies and other complex design elements.

The Fiery FS100 Pro platform is also the first to achieve a JDF1.3 Integrated Digital Printing Interoperability Conformance Specifications certification from CIP4, a global not-for-profit standards association, focusing on fostering the adoption of process automation in the printing industry. In addition, both DFEs support all leading industry VDP standards, such as PDF/VT, VPS and the latest PPML 3.0 specifications.

The robust JDF capabilities of the DFEs allow for seamless integration with third-party prepress and workflow solutions, allowing users to streamline their business operations as well as to reduce the touch points in their business and production processes by integrating their DFEs with EFI's MIS and Web-to-print products.

The optional Fiery JobMaster provides users with the power to profitably produce higher-value jobs by automating complex document preparation and production. This intuitive make-ready product tackles some of the biggest production challenges, such as visual tab insertion and design, bleed-edge and multi-bank tabs, late-stage page editing and numbering, page-level ticketing and chapterisation.

EFI EFI (www.efi.com) is a worldwide provider of products, technology and services leading the transformation of analog to digital imaging. Based in Silicon Valley, with offices around the globe, the company's powerful integrated product portfolio includes digital front-end servers; superwide, wide-format, label and ceramic inkjet presses and inks; production workflow, Web to print, and business automation software; and office, enterprise and mobile cloud solutions. These products allow users to produce, communicate and share information in an easy and effective way, and enable businesses to increase their profits, productivity, and efficiency. Konica Minolta South Africa Konica Minolta South Africa is a leader in advanced document management technologies. Wholly owned by the Bidvest Group, the company focuses on complete business solutions, including production print systems, digital presses, multifunctional products (MFPs), managed print services, vertical application solutions and related services and supplies. Konica Minolta is one of the only manufacturers in the digital imaging industry, over the past 20 years, to have been awarded the Buyers Laboratory (BLI) "A3 MFP line of the year" award for three consecutive years.