New Xerox Production Press Is a Big Deal: Here’s Why

By Gregory Pings

What stands out in the world of print? Spot varnish, foil, raised printing, effects like glitter and other enhanced output – these embellishments make printed materials get noticed.

This fact addresses a digital printing market that Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends* expects will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27 percent from 2015 to 2020, reaching 25 billion. This growth is more than twice that of CMYK digital printing. Moreover, Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends,* also reports that digital print enhancement can result in a rapid return on investment as print service providers’ profit margins on such embellishments can be as high as 50 to 400 percent.

And Xerox just made it easier for print providers to grab a piece of that exploding market.

The Xerox Iridesse Production Press is the only xerographic digital press that can print metallic gold or silver dry ink, CMYK and clear dry ink in a single pass. That’s as many as six colors with spot-on accuracy and registration.

Marketers love embellishment, and they’ll pay for it

Marketers love the enhanced output of mixed metallic and standalone embellishment, whether it’s gold, silver, clear ink or a combination that creates unique iridescent hues. However, the turnaround times and cost-versus-benefits of traditional processes have not been conducive until now. Adoption of specialty enhancements is growing, as developments in printing technology make embellishments and enhancements possible for more applications. These looks are now more achievable from quality, personalization and turn around standpoints, as well as from a business case perspective.

Increasingly, when marketers decide to print, they want something they can’t get through digital media alone, something special that stands out, gets attention and enhances brand awareness. Direct mail is experiencing a resurgence, as are catalogs, but part of the reason is the ability of digital printing technology to step up with a special look or feel.

Xerox invented it, Xerox launched it, and no one else has it

Here are key facts you need to know about Xerox Iridesse, specialty inks, and the profitably growing digital print specialty effects market.

Xerox blogs about digital print:

• Xerox has married two award-winning technologies on a single press, with not one, but two Specialty Dry Ink stations. Digital printing’s first Metallic Dry Inks that offer a viable alternative to traditional foil stamping; and Ultra HD Resolution that produces excellent image quality from challenging elements such as gradients, thin fonts and vector graphics.

Read New Xerox Iridesse Press Paints A Rainbow of Revenue Opportunity.

• Marketers love the enhanced output. Increasingly, when they decide to print, they want something digital media alone cannot deliver — something special. Direct mail is experiencing a resurgence, as are catalogs. Part of the reason is the ability of digital printing technology to step up with a special look or feel.

Read What’s the Formula for Embellishment Success?

• Metallics are a particularly interesting digital print enhancement opportunity because recent developments have expanded the quality of the print, improved turnaround time, and allow variable printing options that print providers can offer at an affordable price.

Read Expanding Palette of Metallic Inks Offers Bright Opportunity.

• “The important thing is really to understand what the application set that their end customers are looking at today. Look at what the difference is … and help [customers] understand that working with a partner like Xerox can really help them to raise the bar to offer more opportunities.”

Read Print is Certainly Not Dead.

Xerox press releases about digital print:

• The company that invented the copier, laser printing and print-on-demand is announcing another first in the world of print – a high speed, six station color press that combines four-color printing with up to two specialty dry inks in one printing pass. The Xerox Iridesse Production Press is the only xerographic digital press that can print metallic gold or silver dry ink, CMYK and clear dry ink in a single pass, giving print providers an immediate competitive edge in the growing digital print enhancement market.

Read Iridescent Colors and Specialty Embellishments Never Seen Before in Digitally Printed Pieces Now a Reality.

• “With Iridesse, we can create remarkable and eye-catching ads, cards, and posters with a simple setup and at high speeds. It’s a clear differentiator for us and it is what our customers are looking for,” said Glen Robins, sales director, IPW1, a London-based print provider who has been testing an Iridesse Production Press for several months. “I’ve been in the print trade for 35 years now and I’ve never known a digital machine like it.

Read: Digital Alchemy – Turning Gold, Silver and Mixed Metallics into Profits for Print Providers.

(This article includes excerpts from Xerox press releases, as well as our Digital Printing Hot Spot and Xerox Connect blogs.)

*Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends, “Beyond CMYK: The Use of Special Effects in Digital Printing,” 2016