中文Komori America has announced the successful completion of a 13-month beta testing program for its new J-Throne 29 LED-UV B2+ sheetfed inkjet press, developed in partnership with long-time customer 1Vision, a national commercial printing and direct mail provider based in Houston, Texas. With the trial now concluded, the press is commercially available across the United States, marking a significant milestone in Komori’s digital inkjet strategy and giving commercial printers a production-proven path into high-speed B2+ digital production that had previously been the domain of only a handful of specialists.
Installed at 1Vision’s Houston production facility, the J-Throne 29 underwent extensive real-world validation designed to stress the platform under demanding commercial production schedules. The objective was to confirm productivity, reliability, print quality and application versatility before the machine was offered to the broader North American market. Rather than a controlled lab environment, the press ran inside 1Vision’s daily workflow, producing a wide variety of commercial print and direct mail applications while operators and production managers logged feedback that fed directly back into Komori’s engineering teams. That arrangement, a customer acting as a genuine development partner rather than a showcase site, is what gave the program its credibility.
The J-Throne 29 is a 23 x 29-inch B2+ sheetfed LED-UV inkjet press. In simplex mode it produces up to 6,000 sheets per hour, and in duplex mode it reaches 3,000 sheets per hour. It is engineered for commercial printing, direct mail, specialty applications and short-run packaging, combining Komori’s offset engineering heritage with next-generation digital inkjet technology. The evaluation specifically examined the pallet-fed feeder and delivery system, advanced sheet transport, perfecting capability, the Fiery Digital Front End, the LED-UV curing system and overall workflow integration, the full chain of subsystems that determines whether a press is merely fast or genuinely dependable in a 24/7 commercial environment.
A central theme of the program was consistency. The two companies validated print quality across both coated and uncoated substrates, optimized changeover efficiency, and connected production workflows with Komori’s wider connected automation initiatives. Feedback from 1Vision’s operators helped refine software functionality, mechanical performance and ink system operation, contributing to what both sides describe as a highly refined, production-ready solution. In a market where demo-room results often fail to survive contact with real deadlines, that real-world hardening is the headline story of the launch.
Mark Milbourn, Executive Vice President of Sales and Service at Komori America, praised the collaboration. “1Vision proved to be an outstanding development partner throughout this beta program,” he said. “Their willingness to operate the press under demanding production schedules allowed us to validate every aspect of the platform in a true manufacturing environment.” Karl Kluetz, COO of 1Vision, echoed that sentiment, noting that Komori “demonstrated what a true development partnership should look like” by listening to operators, responding quickly to feedback and continuously improving the platform during the beta process. Such language matters because it signals a cultural shift in how press builders and printers relate to one another.
For commercial printers, the significance of the launch is strategic as well as technical. The J-Throne 29 gives offset-centric operations a production-proven digital complement that expands opportunities in variable data printing, short-run production, direct mail and high-value commercial applications. It allows printers to protect the investments they have made in traditional offset while extending into markets where digital speed and customization are decisive. In an era when customers expect shorter runs, faster turnarounds and personalized content, a B2+ inkjet press that can sit alongside existing offset capacity is increasingly the bridge between the two worlds, letting a single business serve both high-volume commodity work and bespoke, data-driven jobs from one floor.
The beta program and 1Vision’s production experience are also featured in a customer case study presented at Inkjet Summit, alongside Komori America’s ongoing J-Throne 29 educational video series, available on the company’s website and YouTube channel. Komori says the press is now available for customer demonstrations and commercial installation throughout North America, giving printers a chance to see the validated platform in action before committing. The video series, in particular, is a deliberate attempt to demystify B2+ inkjet for conservative offset managers who may be wary of digital claims and unsure how the economics compare to equipment they already own.
The completion of the beta program reflects a broader shift in the printing industry, where hybrid fleets that pair offset and inkjet are becoming the norm rather than the exception. By proving the J-Throne 29 under real production conditions with a demanding customer, Komori has reduced the risk for printers considering their first serious move into B2+ inkjet. For 1Vision, the reward is early access to a refined platform and a marketing story built on genuine production proof; for the rest of the market, it is confidence that the press has already been put through its paces. As digital inkjet continues to mature, programs like this one, built on partnership rather than showroom demonstrations, are exactly what will convince cautious commercial printers to take the leap, and exactly what will separate the presses that succeed from those that quietly fade into the background.
