Low- to Mid-Volume Digital Color Printing Has Seminal Moment at Graph Expo

Written by Fred DeBolt
Vice President and General Manager, Cut Sheet Lines of Business, Graphic Communications Operations
Xerox Corporation
After two consecutive “inkjet drupas,” will Graph Expo 2014 be remembered as the “Low- to Mid-Volume Digital Color Printing Graph Expo?”
Okay, it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. But hear me out.

As Jim Hamilton noted at the InfoTrends industry breakfast yesterday at Graph Expo, the show’s four largest booths— Canon, Konica-Minolta, Ricoh and Xerox—all showcased new low- to mid-volume digital presses, introduced at or just before the show. Hamilton, the group director, Production Group, InfoTrends, went on to say that the latest rash of product introductions is changing the segment—and could change the industry. That’s because having high-end productivity features and quality levels available at lower price points will broaden and accelerate adoption of just-in-time printing, automated processes and mass customization.
”We are at a seminal moment for digital color printing,” Hamilton said.
Shortly after the InfoTrends breakfast meeting, Xerox had what surely felt like a seminal moment when we commemorated the first public viewing of our new Xerox Versant 2100 Press with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Versant (pronounced “VERSE-unt”) could be the poster child for the shift Hamilton describes. A step-up from entry-level, the new press prints at 100 pages per minute with 1200×1200 dots-per-inch resolution rendered at 10 bits, a new industry benchmark branded as “Ultra HD.” Page registration and color management are among the many processes that are automated with the Versant 2100, to boost productivity and deliver more efficiently on customer expectations.
We think the new Versant is so important that we made it the first product that most visitors see when they enter the show floor. How? By having our booth located at the show floor entrance and by giving the Versant our marquis position.
But enter the booth, and you’ll see a second new press that is contributing to this seminal moment: our new entry-level model, the Xerox Color C60/C70 Printer. While the Versant was actually introduced in April and began shipping in August, the C70/C60 is new at the show and available now for order taking. It boasts high image quality with 2400 x 2400 dpi resolution, flexible finishing options and a wider range of compatible substrates than is customary in this segment.
So what do you think now? Is this the “Low- to Mid-Volume Digital Color Printing Graph Expo?” More to the point, how can this new generation of mid- to low- volume digital color presses help your business? Please visit our booth at Graph Expo and let us know.