Score a big ONE for Oce. Less rub than Indigo,Canon, Igen, Nexpress and Offset

It's interesting how testing + the internet make it so much easier to figure out the right tool for the right job.

from the PR release:
Printing Industries of America Test Validates Exceptional Durability of Oce CS650 Color Digital Printing
: "TRUMBULL, Conn., March 16 /PRNewswire/
-- . . . in independent testing, the Oce CS650 color system has proven to be a viable alternative to offset printing for direct mail without protective coatings. Printing Industries of America in conjunction with its Digital Printing Council compared the output of various digital presses to measure the durability of uncoated printed postcards under actual mailing and handling conditions. The Oce CS650 system was one of the top digital performers in all test criteria, including front side mailing and address side mailing. The system was also the top performer in the Sutherland Ink Rub test. The testing and results are presented in 'Digital Printing and Survivability in the U.S. Postal System: A Printing Industries of America Digital Printing Council Research Study.
. . .
The Printing Industries of America Digital Printing Council study was designed to show how well a digitally produced postcard could survive in the United States Postal System (USPS). The study compared the output of the Canon(R) ImagePRESS(R) C7000VP, HP Indigo press(R) 5500, Kodak(R) Nexpress(R) S3000, Oce CS650 Pro and Xerox(R) iGen3(R) digital presses, along with a Komori(R) NL28 sheetfed offset press.

Oce Outperforms Other Devices in Sutherland Test
In the Sutherland Ink Rub test, the Oce CS650 system outperformed all test devices. Sutherland ink-rub tests evaluate the smearing, scuffing, and rubbing resistance of ink on paper. In the test, a special simulation machine was run in 25 cycle intervals. As the front sides of postcards rubbed against each other, any tendency for the toner or ink on the print to scuff would be revealed.

The Oce CS650 output required twice the number of rub cycles than offset before showing scratches. This result demonstrates the durability of Oce output under real world conditions. Specifically, Oce CS650 output required 200 cycles before marking, while the closest competitor was affected at 150 Sutherland cycles. Offset output showed marking after 100 cycles.