Xerox has laid out plans to address almost every segment of production printing, six years after pulling the plug on its iGen and Nuvera product line. The plans for further cutsheet toner and inkjet presses, label and continuous feed inkjet presses, were explained at the launch of the Proficio 300 and Proficio 500 toner press and IJP900 inkjet press in Uxbridge last week.
The toner machines are provided under OEM by Fujifilm while the inkjet press has its origins in the Kyocera Taskalfa 15000C. All have been adapted to fit the Xerox ecosystem, what it now considers to be the key USP. “Our ecosystem is the value we believe we bring and how we differentiate ourselves,” says head of global production print services Terry Antinora.
He has been appointed to head the graphic communications group, one of three pillars along with digital services focusing on intelligent document processing and IT Services Solutions based on networking, security and data management. This forms the basis of Xerox in 2021.
“This is a full reset,” says chief revenue officer Jacques-Edouard Green. “Productions print in Xerox in Xerox is stronger than ever before. For the last six years we forgot where our roots were. We are reestablishing. Dedicated leadership in graphic communications and production services. It is our intention to win. This market matters to us.”
The strategy is to be present in almost all touch points, including some that Xerox has never before participated in. Inkjet is key. While what was described as Xerox’s DNA lies in electrophotographic printing, the future is going to be inkjet, at least for four-colour printing. Both new Profico presses offer five-colour printing, initially with a gamut boosting pink and clear toners, and the Iridesse (slated for an upgrade laster this year) offers six-colour printing. At the entry level Xerox is offering the PrimeLink C as delivering the same level of quality, though without the throughput. This four press offer is, says Xerox, unique.
But inkjet is where the future lies. The IJP900 is part of that approach, but not the whole story. It has limited capability, printing on uncoated papers without high quality colour. This is being rolled out carefully with availability limited by country, a batch at a time. “There will be follow on products,” says Antinora.
“The strategy is to enter growth segments of the market in a multitude of ways. Some we will invest in, some we will partner with others in strategic relationships.”
One of the home grown products is a two page cut sheet inkjet press under development at its Webster facility in New York State. There are two machines to date which have been shown under NDA conditions to 50 key customers. Xerox is aiming to match or exceed the quality of its iGen, the Canon iX3200 and offset litho. According to customer reactions, he says, Xerox is on course to do this.
The press will reach the market in 2027 and is on course for unveiling at Printing United in the autumn and then at Hunkeler Innovation Days in 12 months’ time.
Xerox will return to HID with a continuous feed inkjet press, from another supplier along with a label press that will also be supplied by a third party. Xerox is not yet disclosing the identity of these partners, the contracts are not necessarily signed and dried.
