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Definition of Digital Duplicator
What is a digital duplicator? It is with us all the time but we do not realize it as we thought it is just a photocopy machine. It is a photocopy machine outlook with mimeograph technology. Did I just mentioned mimeograph technology? YES!!! You must be thinking it must be obsolete long time ago. Well, I have to tell you that you are wrong.
Well, times have changed in the Millennium. Duplicators have gone digital and occupy a unique niche in the on-demand print world thanks to technological improvements that enable this workhorse machine to print at speeds of 120 to 130 pages per minute, at up to 600dpi resolution for as little as RM0.03 per page. These kinds of capabilities could make duplicators valuable for applications beyond the schools, government department and churches that have been their biggest users. Digital duplicators can fit nicely into a on-demand print shop or corporate graphics department where they can run in tandem right along side ‘Big Brother,’ a.k.a. the full-size electrostatic copier of your choice.
Check out the video below on basic about using a digital duplicator by RISO/risograph brand (one of the top brand)
The best of all worlds
"The digital duplicator is a printing system that employs the ink-on-paper process by digitizing an image, transferring this image into tiny perforations on a paper plate, and then pressing the ink through this paper plate onto the paper," says Anne Barrett, Manager of Marketing Services with RISO/risograph, Danvers, Mass, another duplicator manufacturer. "It combines the speed and durability of an offset press with the ease of use of a copier and the networking capabilities of a laser printer."
In other words, you’ve created a "master" copy of your document, which is then wrapped around a print cylinder. Ink squeezes through the cylinder into tiny holes via the paper plate, or master, onto a sheet of paper. There is a roller on the bottom side of that cylinder that pushes or sandwiches the sheet of paper so that the ink goes on it. Each copy is thereby produced from the master, versus the result via a conventional copier where continuous copies are made of the original. Most models range in cost from RM6,000 to RM26,995, again, varying per manufacturer and model.
Digital duplicators use the master and inks – both environmentally friendly and biodegradable from most manufacturers – instead of toner that is typically used on electrostatic copiers; no other consumables are necessary. Users have a range of spot-color copy options to brighten their product, and can output a host of varying sizes, from 4x6 inches to 11x17 inches. Stock thickness isn’t an issue with duplicators either – most models can handle the standard variety laser bond paper, heavier card stocks and even envelopes. Many duplicators, including some of Ricoh’s models, also incorporate varying types of "job separator" mechanisms that offset the top sheet of each job. However, this feature shouldn’t be confused with a copier’s collating function – most duplicators output into a single pan or tray.
One big improvement in today’s duplicators, is that dealing with ink is not the messy endeavor it used to be. All the inks now come in a box, you take off the cap, put on a holder and slide them in. It is actually easier than installing inks in an inkjet printer. You’ll need color cylinders for each individual ink, but they are good for the life of the machine. Our ink sets are moderately priced, and one bottle can last anywhere from 5,000 to 30,000 copies, it just depends on the coverage you have. In addition to our standard color offerings, our customers can also special order PMS inks. Ink changes are clean and easy, taking about 15 seconds to change a color. RISO’s unique microprocessor-controlled, vacuum-drawn ink system ensures that customers get the maximum return on their investment.
The quality of output with these inks has improved as well with current duplicator models. It will print without set off while in the old days, if the previous sheet hadn’t dried, it would leave a mark on the second sheet and so forth. That was an inherent problem with duplicators. But now that we are forcing ink through 600 holes instead of 300 to 400 holes, the ink is so fine, it dries literally on contact.
While a duplicator can’t punch in staples or holes, it can produce large runs of single copies – again at 120ppm to 130ppm, depending on the model – for as little as RM0.03 per page. Duplicators are roughly the same size and look as a conventional copier. As a standalone unit, it runs much the same way – users simply place their original on its glass and push a button. The original is automatically scanned and the image is transferred to the paper plate.
Check out the video below on how fast to print using a digital duplicator by DUPLO brand (one of the top brand)
Print on demand
So how can you print on demand with a digital duplicator? Add a print controller, which, when connected to a computer workstation or network.
Controllers enable users to send jobs straight from their PC or Mac, or network, without proprietary software. "You don’t need specific software…my controller doesn’t care what the PC gives it; it doesn’t require any proprietary software. There is a driver you put on your PC to read the controller, but that is included with the print controller," Reiling says.
By contrast the majority of RISO’s duplicators come with an embedded GDI system controller, making it easy to accept jobs electronically. The user simply queues the file to print from the desktop, and the scanning and imaging of the master take place automatically. RISO’s duplicator is also compatible with most software programs and platforms. And listen up print shops and graphic artists. For users who want the additional capability of Adobe PostScript, the ability to monitor print jobs from the desktop and other features, RISO/risograph offers the SC7900 system controllers, which retails for RM6,295.
Still wondering how a duplicator might fit into your shop’s digital output workflow? Consider the following benefits as outlined below:
• "Printing on a duplicator is highly profitable. At a fraction of a cent per impression, the margins on a jobs produced by duplicators are attractive.
• "The addition of highlight color allows a printer to upsell jobs that would otherwise be black and white, further increasing margins."
• "The duplicator adds capabilities and cuts turnaround times. Say a customer brings in a two- or three-color job, and needs 1,000 quickly. Oftentimes, the printer would have to turn the customer away, because he can’t schedule it on the offset until the next week, and anyway, it wouldn’t be profitable to produce the job or outsource it. Now the job can be done while the customer waits."
• "A duplicator offers a shop a low-cost opportunity to get into the digital arena and adds the capability of taking customer jobs electronically via e-mail, disk or FTP."
If you’re only running single copies of small runs, i.e. 30 to 50 pages, then investing in a digital duplicator won’t pay off for your business. It is really a specialty product for sure. However, if you’re running 1,000 single or even up to 3,000 copies, consider a duplicator to fill that mid-level niche – and to take some heat off your conventional copier. "At a fraction of a cent per impression, the addition of color and the ability to print on a variety of paper stocks and sizes, all up to 130 ppm, there are benefits [to purchasing a duplicator] for the vast majority of organizations.
Check out the video below on an advertisement of digital duplicator by GESTETNER brand (one of the top brand)
This post has been edited by RazorVista: Apr 18 2013, 03:58 PM