Xerox stand at Fespa Africa 2014
Warren Mande of BDS demonstrating the Xerox Versant 2100 press
P
aul Haglich, marketing manager for production systems at Bytes
Document Solutions said, ‘Fespa Africa provided an excellent
opportunity to reinforce Xerox’s dominant position in digital printing
and solutions, with particular interest in entry- to mid-level production
devices such as the Xerox C570, C75 and J75 presses.’
In addition to these machines, some of Xerox’ heavy-hitting production
presses, including the iGen150 and Versant 2100, were demonstrated.
‘These enjoyed a constant stream of interest with visitors particularly
impressed by image quality which rivals offset printing, while
incorporating a range of finishing options.’
The Versant is a 100-page per minute device capable of an extended colour
capability resulting in more vibrant colours. This was the first time the
Versant 2100 press was demonstrated outside of the United States and is
an indication of the importance of the local market to Xerox. The Versant
2100 prints at 1200 x 1200dpi with an additional 2-bits of colour depth over
the standard achieved by all other colour devices. This means that the
Versant is capable of 300 percent more pixels than the normal 600 x 600dpi
in 8-bit colour. This is achieved with the standard four process colours.
It can be used to print a wide variety of jobs and on a range of different
stocks, both coated and uncoated. Applications include labels, business
cards, glossy brochures, window decals and greeting cards. It can handle
mixed stock jobs and is slotted between the Xerox J75 press and the
X1000 digital press.
Haglich said the devices weren’t just on display – they were at Fespa to work,
too. ‘We printed 1500 copies of the conference’s daily newsletter, an eight-
page, saddle-stitched booklet, in just 90 minutes. That’s impossible to
achieve with traditional offset press and finishing equipment.’
With traditional business models under pressure, he said no commercial
printer can afford to ignore the flexibility and rapid response enabled by digital
presses. ‘Long print runs are growing scarce and customers are increasingly
demanding faster turnaround for smaller jobs. That means the printers who
have digital presses are getting the work as they can respond quickly with
machines that incorporate finishing on a single device,’ Haglich explained.
Even longer-run jobs are being handled by these devices as high-speed inkjet
presses enter the market in tandem with the cost of colour output coming
down to rival that of offset production. ‘Already, we’re seeing book printing
and specialty magazines in particular being produced by inkjet presses and
of course when it comes to printing variable data output such as statements
and invoices, digital printing is the only solution,’ added Haglich.
Bytes also announced the purchase by Lebone Litho of a Xerox iGen 150
digital production press. The press was installed and commissioned at the end
of July. It replaces an eight-year old iGen 3 which has printed more than 10
million images throughout this period. This installation gives Lebone Litho the
very latest in Xerox cut-sheet technology and joins a number of other Xerox
presses and complementary finishing equipment currently in use at
the Johannesburg-based printer.
Further evidence of the trend towards rapid response was reflected in the
interest shown by Fespa attendees in Xerox’s IJP 2000 wide format printer.
‘This machine can print seven A0 posters in just one minute which equates to
420sqm per hour. That attracted considerable attention as there is no other
wide format device on the market capable of producing large format posters
at that speed,’ continued Haglich.
The Xerox IJP 2000 is primarily designed for the point-of-sale market, where
the typical print run for posters is 40 and the ability to handle variable data
formats is a necessity. Sisonke Printers celebrated the installation of the IJP
2000 on the Bytes stand at Fespa. The IJP 2000 joins two Xerox iGen presses
and two Xerox X1000 machines at Sisonke Printers.
Retail posters are an excellent example of how printing is evolving, noted
Haglich, ‘These are typically required on-demand with very fast turnaround
to support time-sensitive marketing and promotional campaigns. Printers
need specific solutions like the IJP 2000 to address this niche market cost
effectively and, above all, within the short timeframes presented.’
As a pan-African event, Fespa Africa drew considerable interest not only from
the South African market, but from neighbouring countries too. ‘Printing is
changing, with market forces including the internet having an impact on what
is printed, when it is printed and in what volumes. Vendors like Xerox are
responding with devices that equip printers to profitably deliver what their
customers want with fast and efficient machines. As a result, digital printing
is a firmly entrenched tool across the region,’ Haglich concluded.
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