Since the initial announcement of the split into two separate publically traded companies, the new print-centric Xerox® has been very busy developing and expanding its product lines. Leading up to drupa 2016 Xerox introduced the Brenva® cut sheet and the Trivor® continuous feed production inkjet presses. Last week marked the largest product launch in Xerox history, with 29 new workplace printers. This wave of introductions now includes three new Xerox Versant® presses, raising the bar on mid level production printers again.

Xerox introduced the Versant product line three years ago, almost to the day. Since the introduction of its first model, the 100 ppm mid /entry Versant 2100 production press, the company introduced the Versant 80, an 80 ppm press with a smaller footprint and reduced level of service. It offers 2400x2400 dpi resolution and uses the 10-bit VCEL ROS imaging technology for exceptional print quality. It was developed by the FujiXerox development group in Japan, and has its roots in the engine design used by the existing and successful Color 800/1000 line, although Versant itself was a clean-sheet design. At the time of introduction, Versant raised the bar on mid/entry electrophotographic presses, a bar that has since been met and even breached by some of its competition. The RICOH Pro C9100/C9110 and the Canon ImagePRESS C10000VP are prime examples.

The three presses, which will replace the existing Versant presses, include the Versant 180, the Versant 180 with Performance Package, and the top-of-the-line Versant 3100. New features in the line include full bleed printing and closed loop color control with an inline in X-Rite® spectrophotometer on both the 180 with Performance Package and the 3100. Integrated registration alignment and production accurate registration for better on-sheet, sheet-to-sheet and front-to-back registration are also included.

The entire line supports media weights up to 350 gsm and envelope printing. The Versant 80 will achieve up to 80 ppm, while the Versant 80 with the Performance Package will achieve 80 ppm on all stocks and weights up to 350 gsm. The Versant 3100 will achieve 100 ppm on all stocks and weights and auto duplex up to 350 gsm. All models support coated and uncoated media, envelopes, labels, tabs, and transparencies as well as special substrates including linen, poly, vinyl, and magnetic stock. All models can also support a bypass tray that can accommodate simplex printing at lengths up to 13x 26” depending on paper weight.

Versant supports a range of inline finishing options, including full bleed booklets from a minimum of 4.27x7.17” to a maximum of 9.5x12.5”. This option includes a new flat edge spine.

While Xerox did recently sell its DFE business to EFI, the new Versant 180 and Versant 3100 are available with either Xerox FreeFlow or Fiery front ends, both using the Adobe PDF print engine (APPE3) and supporting all of the major variable data formats including PDF/VT.

These new introductions, including the new line of Versant presses, raises the bar again and better rounds out Xerox’s broad range of printers from its toner based workspace printers through the mid-level and up to its high-speed production inkjet devices. What’s next?