Birmingham, U.K., May 18, 2010 – Xerox will highlight the power of “supercharged” continuous feed production at IPEX 2010, this year’s largest print industry trade show, with a preview of its high speed production inkjet technology.
Driving the inkjet device are 56 durable piezo-electric, drop-on-demand print heads with more than 49,000 nozzles jetting nearly two billion ink drops per second. Each drop hits the paper with precise pixel placement as the printer produces more than 2,000 colour images per minute. This technology is designed to produce high impact colour on low cost papers with close-loop controls to deliver exceptional reliability and performance needed in production printing environments.
“Xerox has long been recognised as a leader in toner-based technologies for graphic communications, and now it is investing in applying its significant cache of inkjet technologies and intellectual property to meet the needs of production users,” said Jim Hamilton, group director, InfoTrends’ Production Hardware Consulting Services.
Vivid image quality on low cost papersThe technology can produce up to 500 feet, or 152.4 meters, per minute – on lighter weight papers, saving print providers money and conserving an estimated 2,000 trees per year.
Xerox production inkjet technology delivers vivid image quality on low cost, untreated papers without any special coatings or bonding agents. This is enabled by high-speed, ground-breaking capabilities that include a sensor to precisely control every inkjet nozzle on the fly, automatically compensating for any jets that misfire.
“This digital production technology is a marvel of research and engineering, and an example of how our unique differentiated ink technology can address the needs of production customers,” said Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox’s chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group.
Innovations insideThe technology features innovations based on more than 2,000 patents developed by researchers and scientists inside Xerox labs in Wilsonville, Ore., Toronto and Webster, N.Y. The innovations include:
- Robust print head design – A proven technology, Xerox has manufactured more than one million print heads to date. The stainless steel print head is about the size of two decks of cards yet contains 880 microscopic nozzles – each half the width of a human hair.
The print head design allows for a modular approach to achieve full-width printing – up to a maximum of 20.5". The 56 print heads are stitched together to achieve high speed, four colour, 600 dpi prints.
- New Image On Web Array (IOWA) sensor – At the core of Xerox’s unique technology is the sensor that scans the billions of droplets per second to ensure they appear exactly where they need to be. An intelligent scan bar registers each print head and automatically adjusts alignment when necessary.
Unlike competitive inkjet systems that slow production by requiring operator maintenance, the IOWA sensor can detect when a page is missing the appropriate amount of colour, and autocorrects to maintain colour uniformity without interrupting the print job.
- Production inks – The technology uses a patented, granulated, resin-based formulation that does not soak through the paper, ensuring crisp image quality on low cost, untreated and uncoated plain papers. Aqueous or water-based inks often suffer from bleed-through and dull colour issues, which usually require more expensive and specially-treated papers. The formulation of the ink also enables document de-inking, difficult to achieve with other inks.
Xerox’s production inkjet technology is the only one without applying costly pre-coating materials to the paper to receive the highest de-inkability rating - “Good” - from INGEDE, a group of leading European paper manufacturers representing the International Association of the Deinking Industry.
The Xerox production inkjet technology demonstration will take place on the Xerox stand at IPEX 2010, Hall 7, May 18-25 in Birmingham, U.K.
About Xerox EuropeXerox Europe, the European operations of Xerox Corporation, markets a comprehensive range of Xerox products, solutions and services, as well as associated supplies and software. Its offerings are focused on three main areas: offices from small to large, production print and graphic arts environments, and services that include consulting, systems design and management, and document outsourcing. Through ACS, A Xerox Company, which Xerox acquired in February 2010, Xerox also offers extensive business process outsourcing and IT outsourcing services, including data processing, HR benefits management, finance support, and customer relationship management services for commercial and government organisations worldwide. The 130,000 people of Xerox serve clients in more than 160 countries.
Xerox Europe also has manufacturing and logistics operations in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands, and a research and development facility (Xerox Research Centre Europe) in Grenoble, France.
For more information visit
www.xerox.com or
www.acs-inc.com
Xerox Graphic Arts Premier Partners is an exclusive global community of innovative digital printing, graphic arts and communication companies that is defining the future of the print industry. Together they are shaping The New Business of Printing to give their clients a competitive edge. For more information on the Xerox Premier Partner network, please visit
www.xerox.com/xppXerox®, and the sphere of connectivity design are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
All non-Xerox brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Prices, features, specifications, capabilities, appearance and availability of Xerox products and services are subject to change without notice.
Media ContactRobert Corbishley, Xerox Europe, +44 (0) 1895 843 239,
robert.corbishley@xerox.com