Xerox adds clear dry ink to production colour printing

Art Post (Guest)

FULL STORY
Print service providers looking to expand their digital businesses now have a new option to produce sophisticated, full-colour sales collateral, direct marketing pieces and photo publishing products – the Xerox Colour 1000 Digital Press.

This new colour press system – that prints at up to 100-pages-per-minute (or 6,000 sheets per hour) – can produce high-definition image quality on a wide range of paper stock. The additional clear dry ink station is optional and a feature exclusive to this device that intensifies full-colour jobs.

The clear dry ink allows for images and text to be highlighted for visual impact, or digital watermarks applied for artistic effect or security and it is beneficial for variable data applications, such as when using Xerox’s XMPie software, as it displays personalised content in more vivid ways. Applying the clear dry ink (equivalent to toner) does not slow down the press, so rated speed productivity is maintained, resulting in a major advantage for this press.

‘The image quality of applications coming off this new press is absolutely superb,’ said Frank Romano, professor emeritus, Rochester (New York) 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.’

‘This high-volume device, designed for commercial and in-plant print operations as well as marketing communication firms, is positioned between the Xerox DocuColour 8002 digital colour press and the flagship iGen4 press,’ added Paul Haglich, marketing manager, production systems group, Xerox division at Bytes Document Solutions, distributor of Xerox to 27 African countries.

The Xerox Colour 1000 Digital Press prints at 2400x2400 dpi and use Xerox’s new low-melt Emulsion Aggregation (EA) Dry Inks (CMYK & Clear), which deliver 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 that will be available 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

• Innovative design – Offers two 2 000-sheet trays positioned below the print engine, providing a smaller footprint compared with 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 350gsm, 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-inches (330 x 488mm) the press can handle multi-up jobs and applications that need full-bleed trim.

• Workflow enhancements – Simplifies production requirements with Xerox’s FreeFlow Digital Workflow Collection. Presses are available at launch with Xerox’s FreeFlow Print Server and Xerox EX Print Server, Powered by Fiery, later they will be offered 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 maximises uptime and maintains top image quality.

The new press can be paired with Xerox’s ProfitAccelerator tools and resources, as well as its Business Development Services. Xerox’s Design Guide for Clear Dry Ink, developed specifically for the new presses, helps customers quickly grow their digital printing business.