Lightning Source Adds Color to POD with Oce ColorStream 3500 Inkjet Printing System

TRUMBULL, Conn., Oct. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Oce, a Canon Group company and an international leader in digital document management, today announced that print provider Ingram Content Group has installed the Oce ColorStream® 3500 inkjet printing system in its print-on-demand unit, Lightning Source.

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The new system has opened up new opportunities for Tennessee-based Lightning Source, allowing a whole new range of book titles to be quickly printed and distributed around the world.

"By combining Ingram's leading print-on-demand solutions with the newest inkjet technology from Oce, Lightning Source is the first to develop an affordable one-book-at-a-time color solution," said Jeff Royer, Vice President of Manufacturing, Lightning Source Inc. "It broadens the scope of print-on-demand to more titles, and drives sales and cost savings for publishers."

High-speed color inkjet printing offers a real opportunity for publishers looking for more efficiency in book manufacturing as well as digital book printers that want to expand their offerings and grow their business," said Francis A. McMahon, Vice President, Marketing, Production Printing Systems division of Oce North America, a Canon Group company. "With the Oce ColorStream 3500 system, Lightning Source is extending their capabilities and delivering more options to book publishers through high-speed, full-color inkjet printing."

"We are pleased to work with Oce in this significant development effort," said Royer. "It will ultimately help more books reach more readers worldwide, which is one of our primary goals at Ingram."

About the Oce ColorStream 3000 Series Inkjet Printing Systems

The Oce ColorStream 3500 inkjet printing system was unveiled at Canon Expo in Tokyo in November 2010. The series was then expanded in May 2012 at Drupa in Duseldorf, Germany with the announcement of three additional models. The high-speed, high-quality, full-color inkjet printers simplify the transition from monochrome to full-color or even five or six colors. They offer productivity and flexibility for high-speed color and monochrome production of transaction, transpromo, direct mail, book and manual applications. Industry-leading reliability, print quality and media range are testaments to Oce DigiDot® multilevel dot modulation technology.

The Oce ColorStream 3000 series includes the entry level Oce ColorStream 3200 system printing at 157 feet per minute with a maximum print width of 17", the Oce ColorStream 3500system which prints at 246 feet per minute with a maximum print width of 21.25", the Oce ColorStream 3700 system at 328 feet per minute with a maximum print width of 21.25", and finally the high speed Oce ColorStream 3900 system which prints at 417 feet per minute with a maximum print width of 21.25". That translates to a range of 344 letter images per minute for a single unit to 1818 letter images per minute for a twin configuration – all at high-resolution, vivid full-color, and maximum monthly print volumes ranging from 10 million to 56 million letter images.

Enhanced usability and productivity is made possible by a combination of unique features:

• HeadSafe technology helps prevent nozzle clogging and minimizes lengthy purging processes. The ability to transition between monochrome-only and full-color printing promotes higher uptime and productivity levels.
• Using passive RFID technology, the Oce InkSafe® feature monitors both the proper placement of the ink containers in the press and the ink's shelf-life.
• The ability to print at varying speeds during ramp-up acceleration and ramp-down deceleration and to fully stop and restart without blank pages, increases operational efficiency, decreases turn-around time, and greatly reduces paper waste.

The Oce ColorStream 3000 series inkjet printing systems provide a modular offering in various single and twin configurations from monochrome to full-color up to six color including MICR and Spot colors. The production and media flexibility contribute to forward looking solutions that simplify the transition of applications and business models to more sophisticated documents with variable personalization and smarter communication in color.

About Ingram

Ingram Content Group is a division of Nashville-based Ingram Industries Inc. The company provides books, music and media content to over 39,000 retailers, libraries, schools and distribution partners in 195 countries. More than 26,000 publishers use Ingram's fully integrated physical and digital solutions and programs to realize the full business potential of books. Ingram's operating units are Ingram Book Company, Lightning Source Inc., Vital Source Technologies, Inc., Ingram Periodicals Inc., Ingram International Inc., Ingram Library Services Inc., Spring Arbor Distributors Inc., Ingram Publisher Services Inc., Tennessee Book Company LLC, and Coutts Information Services. For more information, visit www.ingramcontent.com.

About Oce

Oce is one of the leading providers of document management and printing for professionals. The Oce offering includes office printing and copying systems, high speed digital production printers and wide format printing systems for both technical documentation and color display graphics. Oce is also a foremost supplier of document management outsourcing. Many of the Fortune Global 500 companies and leading commercial printers are Oce customers. The company was founded in 1877. With headquarters in Venlo, The Netherlands, Oce is active in over 100 countries and employs more than 20,000 people worldwide.  Oce North America is headquartered in Trumbull, CT, with additional business units in Chicago, IL and Boca Raton, FL.  For more information, visit www.oce.com.

Oce and Canon: Stronger together

In 2010 Oce joined the Canon Group of companies with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, to create the global leader in the printing industry. Canon develops, manufactures and markets a growing line-up of copying machines, printers, cameras, optical and other products that meet a diverse range of customer needs. The Canon Group comprises over 198,000 employees worldwide. Global net sales in 2011 totalled USD 45.6 billion. Visit the Canon Inc. website at www.canon.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.                                                                             

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $45.6 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2011* and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2012. In 2012, for the ninth consecutive year, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com Readers' Choice Award for Service and Reliability. Committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, Canon U.S.A. provides 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

*Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Oce North America