Konica Minolta Launches Print Controller

While at the ON DEMAND Conference & Exposition in Boston, Mass., Konica Minolta Business Solutions announced April 18 that it will launch its IC-304 Print Controller for its bizhub Pro C6500 digital printing system, giving business professionals image and color control functionality and support for variable data printing.

The bizhub Pro C6500 features 65 ppm (pages per minute) color and black and white while also featuring a Simitri HD Color Polymerized Toner which provides users with enhanced text reproduction and image sharpness.

The IC-304 Print Controller uses CREO Color Server Technology to provide users with both hardware and software such as Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, Adobe CPSI 3017 software, Acrobat 7, PDF 1.6 and Windows XP Professional and features ready-to-print files that allow users to adjust the color, imposition and page shift.

“The IC-304 Print Controller can seamlessly connect into existing commercial print workflows, resulting in full integration of offset and digital printing operations, faster turnaround times and reduced labor costs,” Kevin Kern, vice president for product planning and development of the Ramsey, N.J.-based Konica Minolta Business Solutions, told eWEEK.

The IC-304 also allows users to incorporate digital printing into their JDF-based, web-to-print and other workflow set ups. Using Konica Minoltas Printgroove workflow system, prints jobs are sent to the IC-304 with a job ticket that features print-job information.

The Creo Color server-based IC-304 also gives users the capabilities for VDP production including last minute color changes, preview, and APR (automatic picture replacement) while also supporting VDP formats such as PPML, Optimized PDF, Optimized PostScript and CREO VPS (variable print specifications), which enables users to create full-color personalized documents such as postcards or brochures.

“The IC-304 Print Controller is designed to streamline the entire print production workflow and to enable Konica Minolta customers to significantly increase their productivity,” Kern said.

The IC-304 Print Controller from Konica Minolta is available now for $26,500 while its bizhub Pro C6500 is available for $41,700.