Inkjet & Digital Printing
Inside Innovation at Xerox: Scientists Develop 3-D Document Visualization for “No Surprises” Printing
Tuesday 02. September 2008 - Preparing detailed brochures and flyers with special folds can be a time-consuming and costly process for printers. Until now. Scientists at Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) created a technology that uses 3-D software to help printers view the entire layout of a piece before it goes to print.
Aimed at eliminating one of the most costly bottlenecks in printing, the new technology will speed document preparation and approval – a process that costs six dollars for every one dollar spent on the print job itself, according to InfoTrends. With Xerox’s 3-D visualization software, users can see what prints will look like – texture, gloss, folds, binding and all – before any ink or toner is put to paper.
“3-D visualization helps prevent costly mistakes and re-work,” said Rob Rolleston, a research manager at Xerox’s Research Center Webster. “Seeing the finished piece before it is printed can cut out many possible errors – orientation, cutting, or even how a certain image sits on the page – and result in a great print the first time.”
The vision for this collaborative project across Xerox research centers in New York and California is to help customers understand all the options available to them whether they are walking into a print shop or submitting print jobs via the Web. 3-D document visualization delivers a virtual tour of each customer’s desired print job. Customers watch as the program flips through a color flip book, or opens and folds their greeting card, demonstrating exactly what it will look like upon completion. Rolleston says, “The software allows users to produce new and interesting documents without having to learn the technology and vocabulary of the printing industry.”
According to Rolleston, the technology is still being refined. “As we prototype this idea, like all others, we’ll engage with the customers to test concepts and determine the most valuable options,” Rolleston said.