Nexpress 2100 Plus

Ahmedabad-based Patel Digitals’ head Khagesh Patel found Nexpress 2100 Plus can bring to fruition his idea of providing print services by networking.

09 May 2013 | By PrintWeek India

Nexpress 2100 Plus

What does the system do?
The Nexpress 2100 Plus is what I would call a production offset digital machine. It has a combination of offset technology like plates and blankets and digital capability of variable data processing.

Why did you choose this particular system?

It’s incredibly rugged and reliable. The Nexpress 2100 Plus has the power of a production class press and flexibility to produce short-runs.

Did you look at any other similar systems?

Yes we did, but not for long. My father had seen the Nexpress in 1996 and was impressed with the consistent quality and speed at which it could produce. He was impressed with the robust build quality of the Nexpress. And so we were confident it was the right investment.

Why did you make the purchase?

Patel Digital is traditionally a trendsetter, always first to adopt new technology. By 2004, we were doing lots of short-run jobs. We wanted to offer complete solutions to our customers and end-users with new services and higher-value applications – services that could offer full colour jobs, produced in hours instead of days.

What features do you particularly like?

Aside from its reliability and robust architecture, the Nexpress 2100 Plus has ability to print on both sides with glossing on a huge range of materials and the convience of all-digital input.

Is there anything that you dislike?

The toner technology, which has its own problems.

Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn’t?

It would be good if the feeder tray was at the front. It would make handling material much easier.

How fast is it?

Fast. It prints at 2100 A4 (letter) 4/4 sheets per hour. We can produce over 20,000 copies per day.

How reliable is it?

We have had it for nearly three years now. To date, there have been no problems whatsoever.

What’s the quality like?

The quality of work it produces is comparable, if not better, than that produced on an offset machine.

How easy is it to use?

The operator support system in Nexpress 2100 Plus provides an on-board knowledge base to ensure operators keep the press up and running.

How much time or money has it saved?

Today customers are looking to keep inventory levels at the minimum. The ability of Nexpress 2100 Plus to produce unique communication products quickly and efficiently saves time and money – both for us and our customers.

Has it won you any new work?

Yes. We have printed certificates for IIMs, which was earlier printed at the Howard University’s press.

Would you say that it offers value for money?

Yes, definitely.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?

The engineers from Kodak installed the machine without any hitch.

What about the pre and after-sales service?

As we would expect, Kodak followed up on the installation to check things were still going smoothly.

Who do you think the system is right for?

For those post-press operators who would like to add printing in their bouquet of services.

Under what circumstances would you buy another?

When providing print service by networking attains full fruition. We are working in that directon and have already installed one at our Mumbai unit.