WILSONVILLE, Ore., Dec. 12, 2007  - Xerox Corporation today opened a state-of-the art automated ink manufacturing plant to serve growing demand for its proprietary solid ink color printers as more businesses convert from black-and-white to color printing.
The $24 million factory fills 10,000 square feet of previously unused space on the company's campus here outside of Portland, Ore., and expands Xerox's production of solid ink by 10 times. Over time, as the plant reaches full capacity, Xerox expects to add 20 employees; about 75 employees work at the factory now.
The new plant will produce Xerox's latest generation of solid ink, which first became available in September when Xerox launched its Phaser 8860 color printer and the Phaser 8860MFP color multifunction printer. These products feature a breakthrough in solid ink technology that for the first time makes color printing as affordable as black and white. Nearly five years in development, the new crayon-like ink sticks have been developed to last longer than ever before. By increasing the total number of color pages the ink sticks produce, Xerox has drastically reduced the price of color printing. When comparing the cost of the device and the ink, printing on the Phaser 8860 is two times less expensive than using equivalent laser printers from other manufacturers.
The ink sticks also produce 90 percent less waste than comparable color laser products and were designed to melt at a lower temperature, reducing energy consumption by 14 percent.
"Xerox has redefined color printing with the advancements we've made in solid ink," said Jim Rise, vice president and general manager of the Solid Ink Business Unit. "Known for its exceptional image quality and ability to print vibrant colors, solid ink was initially the preferred technology for graphic artists. Now, we've taken it to a level where solid ink is the affordable, easy to use color printer for businesses of any sort and size. That's why we're investing in this new factory; our success in solid ink is really just getting started."
The plant follows Xerox's opening in September of a $60 million emulsion aggregation (EA) toner plant near Rochester, N.Y. EA toner produces sharper images than traditional laser printer toner, and uses less toner per page.
Xerox has 1,600 employees on its Wilsonville campus, which is the center of development for solid ink technology. A ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony was held today to mark the opening of the new factory.