Xerox Launches Industry’s First Color Multifunction System With Patented Solid Ink’ Technology
WorkCentre C2424 provides unsurpassed speed, quality starting at $2,999;
Xerox adds three other new, enhanced products to expand office line
SAN FRANCISCO, March 30, 2005 – Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) has launched the industry’s first office color multifunction system with patented solid ink technology that is 30 percent to 60 percent more affordable and has color speeds twice as fast as leading comparable competitive products in its class.
The Xerox WorkCentre® C2424 multifunction system, aimed at small to medium-sized workgroups, is designed to deliver unsurpassed printing, copying and scanning performance in one integrated system at an estimated retail price of $2,999. It produces color and black-and-white office documents including text files, spreadsheets and presentations at 24 pages per minute, a speed level never before attained with a fully integrated product at this price.
“Offering exceptional image quality and outstanding ease of use in a compact unit that is tightly integrated in appearance, the WorkCentre C2424 has a robust feature set that is not lacking on the copier side, as with many letter-size workgroup color MFPs,” said Marlene Glazer of Buyers Laboratory (BLI), the industry’s leading independent testing organization. “Considering that it is the lowest-priced of competitive models with comparable color speed, current competitive offerings cannot match the WorkCentre C2424 in terms of combined value, performance and functionality.”
The advanced design of the Xerox WorkCentre C2424 incorporates more than 80 solid ink patents with another 23 patents pending.
“With this breakthrough product, we’ve extended Xerox’s award-winning solid ink color technology platform from single-function printers to multifunction office systems,” said Tim Williams, president, Xerox Office Group. “The WorkCentre C2424 is a color-capable system that gives office customers better pricing, better print quality and better, easier ways to work than anything else available in this product category.”
Reinforcing Xerox’s strategy to expand distribution and reach more customers, the WorkCentre C2424 is the first Xerox color MFP to be broadly offered through value-added resellers in addition to other Xerox sales channels such as agents, dealers, direct sales representatives, the Xerox Web site and telecenters.
In addition, Xerox is launching three other office systems:
· The Xerox CopyCentre® C118 black-and-white copier and Xerox WorkCentre® M118/M118i black-and-white basic multifunction systems. These compact MFPs are designed for small to midsize workgroups that require copy, print, scan and fax functions.
· The EFI™ Fiery X12e controller for the Xerox DocuColor 12 color copier/printer. The DocuColor 12 was introduced in 1999 with print quality that has attracted a loyal following in the graphic arts space, making it Xerox’s best-selling color MFP with more than 60,000 units shipped.
Xerox WorkCentre C2424
The WorkCentre C2424 prints and copies at 24 ppm, scans at 20 images per minute, has a first color page out time of 6 seconds, and has a first color copy out time of less than 15 seconds. Solid ink technology uses solid, polymer-based ink instead of powdered toner. Its imaging process works similarly to an offset press but is designed for everyday office use. It creates color images by heating ink sticks and applying the appropriate colors to a drum inside the printer, which then transfers the image onto the page. This process creates high-quality, vibrant prints that are consistent from one page to the next. Due to the absence of powdered toners, liquids, tanks or cartridges, the WorkCentre C2424 is easy to use, mess-free to maintain, and more environmentally friendly.
Integrated printing, copying and scanning functions make the WorkCentre C2424 a better option for busy workgroups than less sturdy all-in-one inkjet devices and products composed of separate printer and scanner components. It can handle multiple jobs at the same time, letting busy workgroups stay productive. For example, office workers who need to make a copy won’t have to wait for someone else’s print job to finish before they can start a copy job.
The WorkCentre C2424 is engineered to be easy to operate in every way. Customers can unpack, install and use the WorkCentre C2424 in about 15 minutes. Network installation of print and scan drivers, including Xerox’s CentreWare printer management software, is automated. Unlike traditional toner cartridges used in competitive color laser MFPs, the WorkCentre C2424’s solid ink sticks are as easy to load as staples into a stapler. The WorkCentre C2424 makes network scanning simple as well, with three options that let people scan documents directly to their PC, secure mailbox, or public folder. The addition of ScanSoft PaperPort Pro and OmniPage software on the WorkCentre C2424 DX configuration increases customers’ ability to manipulate their scanned files and deliver optical character recognition capabilities.
Xerox CopyCentre C118 and WorkCentre M118/M118i
Starting at $1,499 and $1,999, the 18-ppm CopyCentre C118 copier and WorkCentre M118/M118i multifunction systems deliver features and functions that help take the hassle out of everyday office tasks. Xerox’s CentreWare Internet Services management software allows workgroups to remotely manage these devices, as well as other Xerox machines, on their network. The WorkCentre M118 MFP combines copy and print capabilities, while the WorkCentre M118i MFP adds fax and scan-to-e-mail. Time-saving fax options such as one-touch fax, group dials, and faxing from the desktop make faster connections, while the “2-up” faxing feature can combine two faxed pages onto one to save time and paper.
The Copy Centre C118 and WorkCentre M118/M118i can handle a wide range of paper and media sizes, including heavy-duty card stock up to 110 lbs. The use of emulsion-aggregation (EA) toner, an advanced Xerox technology that uses toner particles that are grown instead of crushed to deliver smaller and more consistent toner particle shapes and sizes, results in sharper and more reliable print quality.
EFI Fiery X12e Color Server for the DocuColor 12
The EFI Fiery X12e controller is designed for the popular Xerox DocuColor 12 MFP, which provides high-quality, consistent images for customers in color-intensive environments such as graphic design and digital color production. The EFI X12e controller – a workstation that processes print jobs and drives the printer – carries a list price of $8,995 and delivers consistently fast processing speeds, the latest Fiery color management software called ColorWise™ 3.0, and full integration into existing EFI and Xerox workflow processes.
Availability
All of the products come with the Xerox Total Satisfaction Guarantee and will be available in early April in North America with other markets to follow shortly thereafter. The WorkCentre C2424 multifunction system, CopyCentre C118 copier, and WorkCentre M118/M118i basic multifunction systems will be available through Xerox resellers, distributors, authorized sales agents, dealers, direct from Xerox sales professionals, the Xerox Web site, and via TeleWeb operations.
The Fiery X12e controller for the DocuColor 12 will be sold through Xerox direct sales representatives and authorized sales agents.
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