Inkjet & Digital Printing
Xerox Ups the Ante in Production Color Printing
Wednesday 21. April 2010 - Adds Clear, Dry Ink to New Presses for More Vibrant Images
Print service providers looking to expand their digital businesses now have two new options to produce sophisticated, full-color sales collateral, direct-marketing pieces and photo publishing products – the Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) Color 800/1000 Presses.
The systems – printing 80 and 100 pages per minute respectively – can produce high definition image quality on a wide range of paper stock. An optional clear dry ink station, a feature exclusive to these devices within the Xerox color portfolio, amplifies full-color jobs. This clear, dry ink allows for images and text to be highlighted for visual impact, or digital watermarks applied for artistic effect or security. It is also beneficial for variable-data applications using Xeroxs XMPie software, as it displays personalized content in more vivid ways.
“The image quality of applications coming off these new presses is absolutely superb,” said Frank Romano, professor emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology. “Print providers want to increase the worth of every page they sell, and the clear, dry ink delivers. It adds vibrancy, quality and value to an application.”
The high-volume devices, designed for commercial and in-plant print operations as well as marketing communications firms, are positioned between the award-winning Xerox DocuColor 7002/8002 Digital Color Presses and the flagship iGen4 Press.
The Xerox Color 800/1000 Presses print at 2400 x 2400 dpi for excellent sharpness and uniformity, and use Xeroxs new low-melt Emulsion Aggregation (EA) Dry Ink, which delivers an offset-like finish. EA Dry Ink also requires less energy to manufacture than conventional toners.
Other product features include:
Flexible finishing options – allow systems to be custom-built to specific volume and application needs. Options available at launch include a GBC Advanced Punch, High Capacity Stacker (single or dual) with removable carts, Xerox Standard Finisher with optional C-Z Folder or Booklet Maker Finisher and SquareFold Trimmer.
Future options include the Xerox Tape Binder, GBC eBinder 200 and PlockMatic Pro 30 Professional Booklet Maker.
Innovative design – offers two 2,000 sheet trays positioned below the print engine, providing a smaller footprint compared to competitive systems. An optional High Capacity Feeder with two additional trays can increase capacity to 8,000 sheets.
Broad media latitude – accommodates stocks from 55 to 350 gsm, allowing for printing of lightweight mailers that save on postage to thick, heavyweight photo keepsake applications. With sheet sizes up to 13″ x 19.2″, the presses can handle multi-up jobs and applications needing full-bleed trim.
Workflow enhancements – simplify production requirements with Xeroxs FreeFlow Digital Workflow Collection. Presses are available at launch with Xeroxs FreeFlow Print Server and Xerox EX Print Server, Powered by EFI Fiery; at a later date with Xerox CX Print Server, Powered by Creo.
The options from Xerox and EFI integrate with the Adobe PDF Print Engine to enable quick and reliable printing of native Adobe Portable Document Format files, including complex designs and transparencies for production environments.
Xerox Productivity Plus service – alerts users when a scheduled routine is approaching, and provides step-by-step replacement procedures. Additional self-cleaning technology maximizes uptime and maintains top image quality.
The new presses can be paired with Xeroxs ProfitAccelerator tools and resources, as well as its Business Development Services. Xeroxs Design Guide for Clear Dry Ink, developed specifically for the new presses, helps customers quickly grow their digital printing businesses.
The Xerox Color 800/1000 Presses are on display in Xerox booth No. 601 at On Demand, April 20-22 in Philadelphia.
Availability and pricing
Order taking for the Xerox Color 1000 Press begins immediately in North America and Western Europe, and worldwide in May. Order taking for the Xerox Color 800 Press begins immediately in North America and worldwide later this year. U.S. list price for the Xerox Color 1000 Press starts at $395,000; Xerox Color 800 Press at $350,000.