Xeikon has provided an update on its Trillium high viscosity liquid toner (HVT) digital printing technology, which was first unveiled at drupa 2012.

Aimed at document printing applications, including direct mail and transactional, the first press will be a four-colour, 520mm-wide web engine running at 60m per minute, some three times faster than its flagship dry toner product, the 8800. The firm claims that the HVT technology at the heart of Trillium offers higher quality and wider substrate latitude than ink-jet at comparable speeds and costs.

Xeikon plans to have completed a demonstration machine by the end of this summer and, if commercial testing is successful, to launch the first Trillium-based press in spring 2014. A second press, which will be used as a 'field test', will be installed at a customer in early 2014.

The firm has not decided on the customer as yet but Danny Mertens, project manager for Trillium, revealed that the firm has a shortlist of existing high-volume Xeikon customers near to its base in Belgium vying to be the guinea pig. Subject to successful trials, which are expected to run for six months, commercial installations are planned to commence in 2014.