Last week in New York, Xerox Corporation announced the Xerox DocuColor 8000AP Digital Press, which enables print providers to tackle a broader range of applications with excellent image quality at 80 ppm, regardless of the paper weight or media type running through the system.

Building on the success of the Xerox DocuColor 8000 Digital Press platform, the new colour press handles a wide range of media from coated and uncoated papers to transparencies.

It even handles synthetic materials, such as polyester, to create high-value, unique applications including glossy books and magazines, promotional fliers and direct mail, specialty items including magnets and window decals, and durable papers that resist tearing even when wet.

The Xerox DocuColor 8000AP is designed to meet the diverse high-volume production needs of print providers in commercial and in-plant environments and has two operation modes that can be selected on a job-to-job basis to ensure the greatest level of productivity and flexibility for a range of applications and stocks.

An 'All Weights' mode sets the press to run at 80 pages per minute regardless of paper stock, weight or type, up to 300 gsm. Combining this with the ability to print duplex at rated speed makes the DocuColor 8000AP one of the most productive digital colour presses in its price range.

An added benefit of the 'All Weights' mode is a more matte appearance of the output. A 'Single Weight' mode, which varies the print speed based on the paper stock, lets print providers achieve a glossier look and feel.

"Print jobs must be done right and turned around quickly, so productivity and media flexibility are essential," says Michael Zeis, president, Blackstone Research.

"The DocuColor 8000AP shines because it can print all weights of paper at a top speed of 80 ppm without any tradeoff between productivity levels and media flexibility. The press allows print providers to extend the range and quantity of jobs they can produce."

The DocuColor 8000AP offers greater versatility to print a wider variety of applications that can be tailored to customer preference. For example, jobs such as signage or short-run magazines and catalogs may require a glossier look and feel while others, such as photo books, marketing collateral or hybrid offset/digital applications, require a more matte appearance.

"Xerox is committed to making the best digital colour presses even better and that is exactly what we are doing with the DocuColor 8000AP," says Quincy Allen, president, Xerox Production Systems Group.

"It delivers unparalleled rated speed and adapts to individual job requirements, helping our customers realise additional profit while maintaining exceptional image quality and color management options on every job.

"This is another example of how Xerox continues to deliver superior technology along with best-in-class solutions and services to meet the increasing demands of today's print environment."

The DocuColor 8000AP features 2400 x 2400 x 1 dpi print resolution for excellent sharpness and uniformity, resulting in crisp, sharp text and digital screening technology that improves colour consistency.

Like the DocuColor 8000, this digital press offers tight front-to-back registration of +/- 0.5mm, which complements output from offset presses.

Offered with a choice of the new Xerox FreeFlow Printer Server 6.0, the Xerox CX8000AP Color Server powered by Creo or the Xerox EX8000AP Color Server powered by EFI Fiery, the DocuColor 8000AP integrates seamlessly into any existing workflow.

The colour servers enable easy job submission and management, advanced colour management features to maximise image quality and variable-data printing. When coupled with Xerox FreeFlow software, the colour servers provide automated 'touchless' workflow further boosting productivity while integrating offset and digital print technologies with a single, unified workflow that enables last-minute decisions for sending the job to an offset press or the digital press.

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