New Xerox® Iridesse™ Press Paints a Rainbow of Revenue Opportunity
By Mary Roddy
Global Product Marketing Manager, Xerox
Increasingly today, when people decide to print, they want something they can’t get through digital media alone, something special. So Xerox has developed digital imaging technologies that seek to deliver the extraordinary, such as the two that received prestigious InterTech Technology Awards in 2016.
One was digital printing’s first Metallic Dry Inks that rival the metallic quality of traditional foil stamping, released for the optional fifth toner station on the Xerox® Color 800i/1000i Presses. The other was Ultra HD Resolution, which overcomes a long-time bugaboo of digital color printing, to produce challenging elements such as gradients, thin fonts and vector graphics without a hitch. It’s a signature feature of the Xerox® Versant® family of presses.
Print Six Colors in a Single Pass
Now Xerox has married these award-winning technologies on a single press, with not one, but two Specialty Dry Ink stations. The Xerox® Iridesse™ Production Press is the first xerographic digital press outfitted to print six colors in a single pass. It also uses a new formulation of High Definition Emulsion Aggregate (HD EA) toner that achieves the smallest particle size yet for Xerox color toners, to deliver even finer image control for ensuring that tints, gradients, fine text, and lines print as intended.
Moreover, Iridesse is a versatile, well-rounded production press that delivers on every expectation for cost-effective short runs, personalization and quick turnaround time in today’s automated print environments. With print speeds as fast as 120 ppm, a range of inline finishing options and the capability to handle mixed media and stocks as heavy as 400 gsm, print providers can take on complex jobs with confidence.
It all adds up to a brilliant opportunity for developing new revenue sources while simplifying production. Let’s take a closer look.
The Digital Enhancement “Wow” Factor
Digital printing enhancements, such as coatings, metallics, white inks, spot colors and gamut extenders, are some of print’s best opportunities today. Print volumes are projected to grow at a 27 percent annual compound growth rate through 2020 while delivering margins ranging as high as 50 to 400 percent1.
The appeal of specialty enhancements is the intriguing design options they present for delivering a stunning “wow” factor to most any application—attracting attention, amplifying content and captivating recipients—to boost a brand’s image. Print buyers cite brochures, business cards, direct mail, greeting cards, point-of-purchase signage and book covers as their top applications for in-line digital enhancements.
That’s where the new Xerox Iridesse Production Press comes in. It’s a brand new platform that takes digital enhancements to the next level. At its heart is Color FLX technology, the six-toner-station configuration that brings incredible flexibility to the process of creating jaw-dropping effects and a rainbow of iridescent colors—the source of and inspiration for Iridesse’s name. Three Specialty Dry Inks are available—HD EA Silver and Gold Metallic Dry Ink, and HD EA Clear Dry Ink—delivered from either of two toner stations, one laying down ink before CMYK, the other after.
