Xerox and EFI lay groundwork for next generation printing with new fiery-powered digital front end

Issued by Altron Document Solutions
Johannesburg, 29 Jan 2018

Xerox and Electronics For Imaging (EFI) recently demonstrated a new Fiery digital front end (DFE) at EFI Connect in Las Vegas. This will give print providers a powerful new tool to manage high value jobs that require special embellishments and effects using dry inks including silver, gold and clear.

Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends projects that digital print enhancement volume will grow at a 27% compound annual growth rate through 2020, providing print operations with new business that promises both growth and profit¹.

"This new development by Xerox and EFI is a testament to the commitment by both suppliers to enrich their solutions with efficient production workflow, processing power and colour management needed for the range of applications produced today," said Ron Gilboa, group director, Keypoint Intelligence. "These tools are critical for print providers who are looking to grow their business and offer their clients differentiated solutions including colour and the use of special embellishments in metallic gold and silver."

In February of last year, Xerox announced the sale of its FreeFlow Print Server (FFPS) DFE business to EFI, along with plans to work with EFI to market a single DFE to drive Xerox digital production presses. The new DFE combines unique features from the Xerox FFPS with the capabilities of the market leading EFI Fiery DFE.

"This is an important step in our collaboration with EFI to offer our customers a single and more powerful DFE," said Andrew Copley, president, Graphic Communications Solutions, Xerox. "Customers will benefit not only from greater production efficiencies and performance capabilities, but also from increased support in the field."

The new DFE delivers fast Raster Imaging Processor (RIP) speeds, seamless automation integration, and advanced workflow efficiency and productivity. Additional customer benefits include:

* Access to EFI's sales and technical field resources working side-by-side with their Xerox sales reps.
* A standardised and simplified digital workflow. Fiery Command WorkStation provides a single, intuitive user interface across a customer's entire print operation.
* Customised workflows for metallic applications. The DFE optimises processing speeds for single or multiple jobs with Fiery HyperRIP technology.
* Colour management tools along with gold, silver and clear dry ink capabilities that allow customers to create more metallic effects and tactile embellishments for higher-value applications.

"Working with Xerox on the 2017 acquisition of FFPS technology marked a new level of cooperation in our longstanding partnership, and we are excited about the new technology that it has yielded," said Toby Weiss, senior vice president and general manager, EFI Fiery. "The new technology demonstration at Connect will show customers the important ways digital print is expanding, with fully colour-managed metallic effects, stronger, better automation, superior options in late-stage editing, and much more."

¹ Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends, "Beyond CMYK: The Use of Special Effects in Digital Printing," December 2016 http://keypointintelligence.com/products/multi-client-studies/production-printing-media/beyond-cmyk-the-use-of-special-effects-in-digital-printing/

Bytes Document Solutions

Bytes Document Solutions (BDS) is Africa's leading document management technology and services company and the largest Xerox distributor in the world. It is the authorised Xerox distributor in 26 Sub-Saharan countries offering the complete range of Xerox document equipment, software solutions and services. BDS forms part of Bytes Technology Group, a subsidiary of JSE-listed Allied Electronics Corporation (Altron). http://bytesdocumentsolutions.co.za

Xerox

Xerox Corporation is an $11 billion technology leader that innovates the way the world communicates, connects and works. Its expertise is more important than ever as customers of all sizes look to improve productivity, maximise profitability and increase satisfaction. It does this for small and mid-size businesses, large enterprises, governments, graphic communications providers, and for its partners who serve them.

It understands what's at the heart of work - and all of the forms it can take. It embraces the increasingly complex world of paper and digital. Office and mobile. Personal and social. Every day across the globe - in more than 160 countries - its technology, software and people successfully navigate those intersections. It automates, personalises, packages, analyses and secures information to keep its customers moving at an accelerated pace. For more information visit www.xerox.com.

EFI

EFI is a global technology company, based in Silicon Valley, and is leading the worldwide transformation from analog to digital imaging. It is passionate about fuelling customer success with products that increase competitiveness and boost productivity. To do that, it develops breakthrough technologies for the manufacturing of signage, packaging, textiles, ceramic tiles, and personalised documents, with a wide range of printers, inks, digital front ends, and a comprehensive business and production workflow suite that transforms and streamlines the entire production process. (www.efi.com)

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