CHICAGO--Sept. 29, 2003-- Creo Inc. announces the introduction of Spire(TM) CXP3535 for Xerox DocuColor 3535 and the Spire(TM) CXP6000 for the new Xerox DocuColor 5252 digital color presses. The new Spire color servers provide high-quality color, good productivity and variable data printing capabilities at affordable rates to a new market with a potential customer base that is broader than the existing digital printing market. Creo now supports the full fleet of high-volume Xerox DocuColor production printers from the Xerox DocuColor 3535 printer/copier to the Xerox DocuColor iGen3 digital production press. Spire color servers are being demonstrated during Graph Expo at the Creo booth, #4008, and the Xerox booth, #1016. Spire for DocuColor 3535 The Spire family's newest member, the Spire CXP3535 color server for the Xerox DocuColor(TM) 3535 printer/copier, provides a professional production color workflow and offers all the key benefits of Creo professional graphic arts solutions to the small printing and office environments. The Creo Spire lets users achieve the maximum possible print quality and performance from the engine. It brings powerful color management, calibration, and enhanced productivity in a flexible, automated workflow that allows both novice and expert users to quickly achieve high quality results. Creo applies its digital print expertise to take advantage of the 35 color-pages-per-minute production rate of the affordable, compact Xerox DocuColor 3535. The Spire CXP3535 color server also offers the familiar Spire workflow and user experience of the Xerox high-end production color presses. The Spire CXP3535 color server works with other Creo workflow solutions, allowing the Xerox DocuColor 3535 to integrate smoothly into existing commercial printing and prepress environments. As an element of Networked Graphic Production(TM), the strategic initiative that creates an integrated production process helps printers cut costs, increase revenue, and decrease cycle time, the Spire CXP3535 color server can be used as a color document proofer for offset print jobs that have been prepared with the Brisque or Prinergy workflow management systems. "The Creo Spire color server has helped us deliver additional value to our customers in the graphic arts industry by enhancing the capabilities of our systems," said Rob Stewart, vice president, printer and color MFP marketing at Xerox Corp. "Combined with our latest color multifunction system, the new Spire CXP3535 color server is a compelling choice for small office environments looking for high speed, high quality color output." Creo Spire offers a comprehensive variable information (VI) printing solution that produces personalized pages, brings greater value to customers, and creates new revenue opportunities. The Spire integrates with most popular VI authoring tools and supports all leading industry formats, which offers easy and affordable access into new applications. "With the Xerox DocuColor 3535, Xerox is now offering small commercial and office environments a feature-rich, powerful, fast printer. When Xerox customers choose the Spire CXP3535 color server to drive their Xerox DocuColor 3535 copier/printer, they get the color production workflow that is available for Xerox high-end digital presses," says Ronen Cohen, Creo corporate vice president, digital printing. "Together with Xerox we are anticipating future market needs of this new segment, and developing a digital print solution that not only fits into multiple print environments, but will offer our customers better value by taking advantage of all the applications that are unique to digital printing." Highlights of Spire CXP3535 include: Professional color quality: The Spire produces highly saturated color and features an outstanding ability to emulate color targets such as offset printing. High productivity: The Spire color server offers flexible workflow tools and high-speed processing as well as scanning capabilities. Other feature highlights include imposition, preflight, pre-and post RIP preview and editing functions. Color adjustments and calibration can be added on-the-fly without re-processing the job. Seamless integration with graphics arts operations: As the Spire color server connects with other Creo prepress workflows, commercial printers can easily expand the services they provide to include short runs and variable data digital printing, without duplication of effort and overhead. Urgent print jobs can also be sent from the offset workflow to digital printing for fast production of advance copies, demonstrating the seamless connectivity provided through Networked Graphic Production. Document printing: Spire's support of mixed media stocks, tabs printing, and document finishing options gives Spire customers the opportunity to sell valuable differentiated services and build digital print volume. Variable Information Solution: Creo's innovative Variable Information (VI) printing solution provides comprehensive processing capabilities and production management control for VI jobs of varying length and complexity, at printer-rated speed. Spire color servers support all industry-leading formats (Creo Variable Print Specification, Xerox VIPP, PPML, PDF and Adobe PostScript). Spire for DocuColor 5252 The Spire color server now supports the newly released Xerox DocuColor(TM) 5252 digital color press with a robust, on-demand printing solution at a highly affordable system price. Targeted at quick printers, service bureaus, data centers, in-plant printers, as well as commercial printers, the Spire delivers unmatched speed, throughput and color quality. "There's a growing migration from single-function printers to multi-function printer/copiers and from black and white digital printing, to color digital printing," says Ronen Cohen, Creo corporate vice president, digital printing. "Creo now brings its efficient, streamlined workflow solutions to this market segment. The Spire color servers offer enhanced image and color quality, and provide high-caliber print quality tools and Variable Information print solutions-capabilities that up until now were seen as exclusive to the production market." Spire CXP6000 Version 3.0 Creo is demonstrating version 3.0 of the Spire CXP6000 color server driving the faster Xerox DocuColor 6060. Recently launched to acclaim, version 3.0 offers a rich blend of enhancements and new features designed to enable smooth printing operations and empower users to increase print volume. Version 3.0 introduces major advances in productivity, workflow integration and color management. This combination can boost profitability and output quality for DocuColor and Spire users. Highlights of version 3.0 include: Connectivity to Creo Synapse InSite prepress portal for remote proofing and collaboration DeviceLink technology for preserving black and pure colors in a CMYK to CMYK color transformation Dynamic page exception for document printing automation 'Rush job' functionality, for inserting an urgent job while other jobs are being processed and printed Improved Spire network connectivity The new version of the Spire CXP6000 also features remote monitoring via the Spire web center. The user can view a job's status in the Process and Print queues, see which jobs are in the Storage Folder, and check open alerts and printer system information, from anywhere, at any time via the Web. Users can also download remote client tools, utility applications, color profiles and print drivers, and view Spire-related documentation and guides. Access is provided for links to related vendors, products and troubleshooting information. The system administrator can take care of administration tasks from a remote client workstation, saving time and conveniently centralizing much of the process. Networked Graphic Production Xerox, a valued Networked Graphic Production(TM) Partner, is demonstrating at Graph Expo how traditional offset workflows can be used for both offset and digital production in a single workflow. Xerox is showcasing the Creo Synapse InSite prepress portal and the Creo Prinergy workflow management system with Xerox digital print devices, driven by a Creo Spire color server. The integration of the Creo offset workflow with the Xerox digital finished-document workflow enables commercial printers to meet the need for shorter run-lengths and faster delivery times while increasing the range of services they offer to their customers. New Darwin Driven Graphics Creo is previewing a new addition to the highly successful Darwin(TM) Desktop authoring tool at Graph Expo. This easy-to-use variable information (VI) tool is very powerful for achieving results in 1:1 marketing. Currently in beta testing with customers, Darwin Driven Graphics extends the range of complex VI documents beyond variable text, colors and images to data-rich diagrams, charts and bars. No programming is required to create these data-driven graphics: Darwin Driven Graphics uses pop-up or drop-down menus and select boxes. When the chart has been defined, users drag and drop the chart into QuarkXPress to preview the image immediately. This ease of use and WYSIWYG functionality ensures that Darwin Desktop users are able to incorporate data-driven graphics in their documents without learning special techniques and without uncertainty on how the chart will look in print. See the Spire color servers in action at the Creo booth, #4008, and at the Xerox booth, #1016, at Graph Expo 2003 until October 1, 2003 in Chicago, IL.