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PHILADELPHIA, April 21, 2010 – Print providers who rely on digital color technology from Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) have proven that applications such as custom photo books, personalized creative mailers and scrap booking supplies are providing new profitable revenue streams and business opportunities.

Their testimonies correspond to a Caslon¹ forecast that reports digital color page volume in North America will grow from nearly 10 percent of digital pages in 2008 to almost 50 percent of all digital pages printed – more than 325 billion pages – by 2017.

Martech, a strategic communications and digital imaging firm based in Kansas City, Kan., recently installed two Xerox iGen4™ Presses with Xerox FreeFlow^® VIPP PRO Publisher, to expand its printing capabilities and attract new clients.

“The iGen4’s outstanding color matching and variable-data printing capabilities have led to innovative new projects and growth,” said Sam Schembri, chairman and CEO, Martech. “The heavy weight stock options allow us to print on a range of coated, uncoated and specialty papers – enabling us to produce pieces with creative, one-to-one messaging that differentiate them from traditional mailers or collateral.”

Looking to support a growing photo book business, AlphaGraphics^®, based in Henrico, Va., installed a Xerox DocuColor^® 7002 Digital Press with Xerox FreeFlow Print Server. The press is used to produce photo books, calendars, note cards and other photo specialty products for AlphaGraphics’ customer, MemoriesAlive.com. The decision to purchase the device came after Lloyd Cozens, general manager, AlphaGraphics, attended one of Xerox’s Business Development Thought Leadership Workshops on book publishing.

“Everyone who sees the quality of applications produced on the Xerox 7002 is blown away,” said Cozens. “This, along with the automated system calibration and spot color matching are leading to more profitable business opportunities for us.”

With the installation of the Xerox 700 Digital Color Press and EFI’s Splash^® RPX-iii, K & Company reduced the steps in their proofing process. This directly improved the time-to-market capabilities for their unique and profitable line of business – scrap book supplies, such as colorful stickers, embellishments and specialty paper for major retailers.

“Our work demands spot-on color consistency and the Xerox 700 delivers,” said Jim Myers, manager, IT and Creative Support, K & Company, based in Kansas City, Mo.  “That level of consistency keeps our customers satisfied and is a profit-building asset for our company.”

Adding to Xerox’s digital color collection is the recently-announced Xerox Color 800/1000 Presses. The devices can print high definition image quality on a wide range of paper stock and come with an optional clear dry ink station to further amplify full-color jobs.

Xerox digital color devices are on display in Xerox booth No. 601 at On Demand, April 20-22 in Philadelphia. continue reading...

ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 20, 2010 – In a world where “high def” has quickly become the norm and paper flies through printers at ever increasing speeds, researchers at Xerox Corporation (NYSE:XRX) and Fuji Xerox have developed technology to meet the challenge of printing high definition images at speeds of 80 to 100 pages per minute.

Five new Xerox innovations “under the hood” set these new digital presses apart from anything ever designed, by addressing a print provider’s need for vibrant image quality and the ability to complete complex jobs faster.

“With paper moving at these speeds, there are countless engineering challenges along the way,” said David Mueller, engineering manager of the new Xerox Color 800/1000 Presses.  “The technologies we developed, especially the new fuser and clear toner, really push the envelope in terms of how these presses perform.”

The new technologies include:

• Clear EA toner– This transparent dry ink is a new formula of Xerox’s ultra low-melt EA (Emulsion Aggregation) toner. Developed jointly by researchers at Fuji Xerox and the Xerox Research Centre of Canada, it uses no fuser oil and gives images a smooth offset-like finish.  The clear toner also adds visual variety. Highlighted images appear to “pop off” the page, and customers can use the feature to draw attention to headlines, variable text, photos, logos or images and create a range of artistic digital effects including watermarks.
• Long-life photoreceptor – The presses feature a new photoreceptor with a protective overcoat that lasts twice as long as conventional technologies, As a result, the photoreceptor, which is the light-sensitive drum used to transfer the image to paper, can withstand making up to 800,000 impressions. 

• Seamless Intermediate Belt Transfer System (IBT) – This technology makes it easier for operators to set up jobs on varying sized media. It also makes it possible to add a fifth station for clear toner.
• New Fuser – The Belt Roller Fuser (BRF) has a set of heated rollers that heats the fuser belt and melts or fuses the toner into the paper.  This new fuser lasts twice as long as previous fusers and transfers heat more efficiently. As a result, the presses deliver stable image quality as well as extended service life. 
• Inline Belt Cooling – Printing at high speed does not allow time for paper to cool while it travels through the system.  This high temperature can cause toner and paper to stick together in finishing devices. Researchers solved this problem by lowering the temperature of the paper as it passes by cooling belts. 

“These new digital presses are a great example of what Xerox’s ingenuity and collaborative innovation can achieve,” said Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox’s chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group.  “Our research and engineering teams in the United States and Canada, along with our joint venture partner, Fuji Xerox, in Japan, invented and commercialized breakthrough technology that opens up an array of profitable business opportunities for our customers.” continue reading...