Sharp Showcases New Capabilities in Strong Push into Production Print at Printing United

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Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (Sharp) is announcing that it will be showing its new digital press technologies at the Printing United Expo, in Atlanta, Georgia from October 18 – 20, 2023. At booth #B17013, Sharp is proud to share major advancements in its production print capabilities with the preview of the first in a new line of digital presses built on proven technology, and a showing of its newly launched Pro Series light production models with exciting new features.

At Printing United, Sharp will showcase a preview of its new BP-1200S Color Press Series specifically made for designers and print operators who want to level up their printing game. The presses boast speeds of up to 120 pages-per-minute (ppm), are equipped with a powerful Fiery® digital front end (DFE) and print up to six colors in one pass, including CMYK, gold, silver, bright pink, textured and clear toners. Additionally, real-time color stabilization and precise paper handling as well as timesaving inline finishing options, such as square fold, crease, 2-edge trimming and a variety of folding options, provide consistent, professional results. Additionally, users can easily match company colors that fall outside of the typical color gamut of a CMYK only device by accurately being able to match most Pantone colors in the PMS library. With the addition of the Bright Pink color station as the fifth color, the color gamut is expanded to help match the Pantone library more easily. It produces enhanced skin tones and virtually eliminates the need for printing spot colors that would otherwise need to be printed on an offset press.

The color printing presses are the first in a line of four digital presses, which include two monochrome digital presses launching in 2024 that print at 136 ppm and 125 ppm respectively and are powered by a Fiery® NX One Print Server. The monochrome print engines include real-time image quality adjustments and precise paper handling. Additionally, 2,400 x 2,400 dpi, rich black solids and amazing halftones provide unrivaled, consistent print quality.

Sharp is also showcasing its newly launched Pro Series light production models. The new models include the BP-90C70, which prints at 70/75 ppm color/bw, and the BP-90C80, which prints at 80/80 ppm color/bw respectively. They are designed and built for the print-on-demand market and span across all industries that have central reprographics departments (CRD) or in-plant print facilities. These models are also the first to offer optional Fiery® Print Servers that utilize the latest Fiery® Platforms. The BP-PE10 external Fiery® print server and BP-PE11 embedded Fiery® print server operate on the latest FS600 Pro and FS600 platforms respectively, which help achieve the highest color accuracy, image quality, consistency and streamlined workflow experience to date. These models extend Sharp's proprietary edge-to-edge printing to new sheet sizes, including long paper up to 26.3" and letter-sized sheets for full-bleed statement sized books and many other applications. Additionally, they bring many other key enhancements, such as increased print resolution up to 2,400 x 2,400 dpi, improved media handling up to 360 gsm/130lb cover and new crease and perforation dies with the GBC SmartPunch Plus option, just to name a few.

"With the launch of our updated light production models and new digital presses, clients who are looking to enter the digital printing market and take their digital printing to the next level alike will now not only have access to the latest in digital color technology, they will also be able to leverage the latest training, educational tools and a robust partner program from Sharp," said Shane Coffey, Vice President of Product Management at Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America.

"We love partnering with manufacturers who put the customer's best interest first.  By providing the very latest Fiery DFE to their production customers Sharp has taken a no-compromise position on providing best of breed solutions to the market," said Toby Weiss, Chief Executive Officer at Fiery, LLC. "It's essential for print businesses to have a DFE that can adapt over time and Fiery ensures continuity and scalability for the ever-changing business needs."

The Pro Series light production models are available for order immediately. Sharp plans to launch its new color presses in the first quarter of 2024.