Darwill Installs Oce ColorStream 3500 Inkjet Printing System

Océ, a Canon Group Company and an international leader in digital document management, today announced that print provider Darwill has installed the Océ ColorStream 3500 Inkjet Printing System.

The move is already paying back for the Hillside, Illinois-based print and graphic communications company. “We’re getting work we wouldn’t have been considered for before,” said Troy Van Dyke, Darwill co-owner and VP of sales and marketing. “It’s definitely getting us into more sophisticated, longer run jobs and campaigns.”

Founded in 1951, Darwill has made a name for itself in direct mail by continually changing, adapting and adding services to meet the evolving needs of its customers. An early adopter of digital printing technologies, the company continues to look for ways to differentiate and add value.

That mindset is precisely what prompted Darwill’s purchase of the Océ ColorStream 3500 system. Previously, the company relied on pre-printed shells to add personalization to direct mail for its customers in retail, travel and higher education. “Our lines kept increasing,” said Troy Van Dyke, Darwill co-owner and VP of sales and marketing. “We saw that the inkjet technology would help us streamline that whole operation, get rid of inventory and give us more flexibility with campaigns and personalization,” he said. “The Océ ColorStream 3500 system makes our large scale production much more manageable now, and the system offers a scalable solution as our business grows.”

Flexibility advantage

Print providers like Darwill are increasingly choosing the Océ ColorStream 3500 system for versatility and performance in book publishing and transactional direct mail applications, according to Michael Poulin, Océ Product Marketing Manager. “The greatest benefit with the Océ ColorStream 3500 system is its flexibility,” he said. “It allows you to easily switch from a monochrome system to a full-color system. That simplifies the transition from pre-printed shells to more sophisticated documents with variable personalization and color.”

“The flexibility of the system makes it ideal for companies that want to extend their range of print services and grow their businesses,” said Francis A. McMahon, Vice President, Marketing, Production Printing Systems division of Océ North America. “With the Océ ColorStream 3500 system, Darwill will have the opportunity to expand their capabilities into highly targeted direct mail and transpromo, while delivering more value-added services to customers through high-speed full-color inkjet printing.”

The Océ ColorStream 3500 system prints at 246 feet per minute with a maximum print width of 21.25". That translates to 536 letter images per minute for a single unit or 1073 letter images per minute for a twin configuration – all at high-resolution, vivid full-color, and maximum monthly print volumes ranging from 16 million to 33 million letter images.

White paper in, full-color product out

The real benefit is for Darwill’s customers. “One of the big things is improving response rates,” said Van Dyke. “Before we could only print a phone number in black. Now, we can put store logos in color and we can produce shorter run campaigns, which helps our customers be more targeted and nimble in their marketing efforts.”