At Print4All, Konica Minolta showcased a wide range of solutions aimed at increasing efficiency and sustainability, continuing to lead the digital transformation by integrating advanced hardware with intelligent software. We speak about in this article and in the video with Marina Sedani, Marketing Director, Marco Rossi, Product Manager Production Printing e Alessandro Viganò, Product Manager Industrial Printing
Konica Minolta’s presence at Print 4All was a must, and their chosen claim, “See the Potential”, perfectly captures the company’s vision: encouraging print professionals to look ahead and seize new possibilities.
The concept “Beyond color, up to white” refers to enhance colors and, and absolute novelty, white printing.
Production printing for every need
At the event, the newly enhanced versions of AccurioPress C7100 and C7090 were presented. “The technological upgrade focuses on the reliability and versatility of the print systems, supporting media weights up to 400 g/m², advanced inline finishing options, and process automation like never before. Plus, the engine is compact yet powerful, ideal for production environments demanding high output in limited space”, explains Marco Rossi, Product Manager for Production Printing at Konica Minolta. He also reminds us that this year marks the 20th anniversary of Konica Minolta’s entry into the production print market.
Brand new and operating at speeds of 140 and 120 ppm, the AccurioPress C14010/S and C12010/S deliver outstanding performance.
“Printers can now benefit from exceptional versatility, handling a wide range of substrates such as thin and thick paper (up to 450 g/m²), textured paper, envelopes, polyester, and pre-die-cut label sheets. With optional models equipped with white toner, they can expand their offering and tap into new business opportunities. The single-pass opaque white and intelligently managed workflow mean that printers can deliver high-value applications in less time, where what matters isn’t volume, but the value of the printed product”, Marco explains.
Also new are the intelligent media sensors IM-104 and IM-105, designed to reduce downtime and boost productivity.
The IM-104 is equipped with six next-gen sensors that detect paper type, weight, and size. It includes an eject tray to avoid production stops in case of jams or double feeds, and it detects incorrect paper settings, halting production to prevent further downstream issues. The IM-105 measures media dimensions and even the smallest variations in trim size. Paired with the Intelligent Quality Care Unit IQ-601, it automatically adjusts image positioning and corrects front-to-back alignment errors.
Right now, sensors are optional, but for those looking to bring automation to the next level, they will become essential, because, as shown during live demonstrations, they work both before and after printing. And what about colors?
Marco reminds us that “the new version of the Intelligent Quality Care Unit IQ-601 includes an inline spectrophotometer that enhances color reading capabilities across the entire sheet width”.
Stunning pink, violet, green and blue with High Chroma Toner, reaching a color gamut close to standard RGB
The AccurioPress C84hc is the latest in the High Chroma project, offering a speed of 81 ppm in standard A4 format. Its standout feature is its ability to reproduce a significantly wider color gamut than standard CMYK, approaching the RGB color space, this makes a real difference in certain applications, expanding creative possibilities.
“It’s extremely compact, making it the right solution for small print shops, at the trade show, the focus was on finishing versatility, which drew a lot of interest with the innovative GBC CL-401 laminator, the only system in the world capable of inline cold lamination on both sides at full print speed, and the latest version of the advanced TU-510e cutting unit, which enables inline cutting, creasing, and perforating”, adds Marco.
Perfect labels without primer
With the AccurioLabel 400, high-volume label production at excellent speed becomes a reality: printing reaches up to 40 m/min in CMYK mode, and 20 m/min when white toner is added. Substrates go to coated and uncoated papers, natural papers (including high grammage and textured surfaces), laminates (paper and film), and plastic media (white and transparent).
“Since the machine uses electrophotographic (xerographic) printing, a simple process based on electrostatic attraction and toner adhesion to a charged surface, it doesn’t require a primer to facilitate the process, print doesn’t need any primer. Besides, thanks to Simitri HD toner, which not only ensures superior print quality, but is also environmentally friendly, containing up to 10% biomass. It is produced via polymerization rather than mechanical grinding, resulting in much smaller toner particles. This means better fusing efficiency and higher print quality. We guarantee an exceptionally opaque white in a single pass, which is highly demanded in industries like cosmetics for the no-label look, where the label appears invisible. It also prints on gold and silver laminated materials, where white is essential. To ensure maximum productivity, the press can handle reels up to 80 cm in diameter, allowing for uninterrupted job runs, I believe that AccurioLabel is a perfect complement to analog machines, making it ideal for modern label converters”, explains Alessandro Viganò, Product Manager for Industrial Printing at Konica Minolta.
High-impact embellishment with perfect registration
There are now more than 30 installations in Italy of the AccurioShine 3600, the entry-level (B3 format) embellishment solution, equipped with a corona treatment system supplied by Vetaphone. It enhances digital and offset prints with screen-printing-like spot UV varnish and brilliant hot foiling effects, thanks to the iFoil option, all in a single pass to achieve both visual and tactile results. Alessandro introduces us to the patented Konica Minolta Smartscanner AI, which scans an entire page with the help of artificial intelligence and requires no registration marks.
“AIS Smartscanner matches the embellishment mask to the print. If the scanner camera detects any misalignment, that is, imperfect registration, it automatically compensates using AI, creating a perfect match between the print and the mask. This is especially important when embellishing digitally printed products, as it quickly adjusts for skew, shift, shrinkage, and stretching. It also features an optional coaxial light for working with metallic substrates”.
Optimizing the print workflow
Now at version 10.2, Konica Minolta’s professional printing software enables efficient job preparation, workflow automation, enhanced collaboration between operators, and effective management of finished products.
AccurioPro Flux is available in three modules, Essential, Premium, and Ultimate, and is a versatile solution suitable for all types of users. It’s an open system that can be customized for complex installations.
It provides a centralized control point, workflow automation, and fully integrated online purchasing capabilities.
Marco explains more about the Flux Preflight Pro option: “for more comprehensive data checks, this feature offers an extended range of preflight profiles and processing plans that not only detect PDF issues but also correct them, minimizing potential production errors and ensuring excellent print quality. The tool uses Callas powerful pdfToolbox preflight technology, which is also used in Adobe Acrobat.
The preflight engine is fully integrated into AccurioPro Flux, so no external application is needed”.
For the label industry, Flux Label Impose is available and provides a simple, intuitive interface for label job imposition and preparation.
Key features include: automatic creation of label repetitions; easy and straightforward variable data processing; ability to extract variable content like text, barcodes, and QR codes from CSV files, PDF file creation for die-cutting tools, with built-in checks for missing fonts, low-resolution images, and transparency issues to avoid printing problems.
Print4All was a success
The entire Konica Minolta team returned from the trade show inspired, energized, and enriched with new partnerships and signed deals.
Traffic at Konica Minolta booth was excellent, with over 400 registrations from partners and clients. Several partners even decided to invest in Konica Minolta’s printing systems during the event. Gruppo In Rete invested in three AccurioPress C84hc systems and one AccurioPress C12010/S. Rocco Ferraro and SMOLLDER chose five AccurioPrint C4065 equipments.
Some clients finalized agreements right at the booth: an AccurioShine 3600 is set to shine at Furlan Grafica; Graffidea and Alfa Grafica also chose the AccurioShine 3600. Ondultecnica Lombarda opted for the MGI JETvarnish 3D 52L.
