The new Xerox 6060 is an evolutionary step beyond the DocuColor 2060. More than simply addressing some of the shortcomings in the older machine, it seems to be a more capable printer overall and looks to answer the production-driven needs of businesses such as service bureaus, quick and franchise print and commercial print establishments.

In particular, the new box offers improved paper handling, less speed reduction when running heavier stocks or duplexing, can handle a broader range of substrates, and has several other features that should increase productivity. Xerox hopes it will further their effort to surround competitive devices with several solutions and surround customers with a variety of choices.

To get an idea of how Xerox sees it fitting into the market we talked with Abby Abhyankar, Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Color Solutions Business Unit, Xerox Corporation for some of the thinking behind the new machine.

WTT: The new DocuColor 6060 clearly addresses some points where the 2060 had some weaknesses. To what extent were these changes in response to customer input or were they already planned as part of the evolution of the product family?

Abby: The DocuColor 6060 is a direct response to input from commercial printers and large in-plant customers. Obviously, with more than 5,000 DocuColor 2000 installations in a little more than two years, our customers are very impressed with the DocuColor 2000. Still, they have submitted many suggestions for modifications and enhancements , including extending the range of jobs it can run and improving productivity on heavy and specialty stocks. The DocuColor 6060 addresses both of these. I'd also like to point out that, based upon feedback from customers and consultants, the DocuColor 2000 Series will continue to have considerable appeal.


WTT: How do you see the range of applications expanding for the 6060 in comparison to the 2060?

Abby: The main capabilities that expand the DocuColor 6060's range of applications are the increase to four "pick points" for delivering different substrates within a single job and the 33 to 50 percent performance improvement with most light and heavy weight substrates. Many types of formal reports, proposals, calendars and personalized, one-to-one marketing documents require the flexibility to incorporate multiple substrates; including coated, uncoated, light or heavy weight papers--as the DocuColor 6060 enables. In addition, the faster performance on light and heavy stocks makes many of these jobs more practical and frees up machine capacity more quickly to handle more jobs.


WTT: Given that the 6060 is an evolution of the 2060, it would seem that at least initially it will be a replacement for existing 2060s. As you look ahead over the next 12 months, what are your expectations for 6060s as completely new installs and as replacements for 2060s?

Abby: Over the next 12 months we expect most DocuColor 6060s to be purchased by new customers or to complement existing DocuColor 2000 Series systems. We don't expect to see many DocuColor 6060s replacing DocuColor 2060s for the next few years, but we do expect the percentage of DocuColor 6060s in the family mix to increase over time. We definitely see the DocuColor 6060 as a complement to the existing DocuColor 2045 and DocuColor 2060--not a replacement.


WTT: What types of customers do you see as being the first adopters of the 6060?

Abby: This system will appeal to the commercial printers and large in-plants that run jobs requiring multiple substrates within a single job, auto-duplexing (perfecting) of coated and uncoated stocks, excellent color, superior variable data printing capabilities and high performance. Additionally, the DocuColor 6060's favorable operating costs will be attractive to customers running higher volumes--as high as a 75,000 to 80,000 average monthly print volume.


WTT: As I understand it, there is virtually no operating cost differential between the 2060 and 6060 at an Average Monthly Print Volume (AMPV) of 75,000 to 80,000. Since it seems that the 6060 is more likely to wind up in higher volume shops, does this mean the 2060 is destined to be placed in lower volume locations? And, is a 2060 able to be profitable at AMPVs below 75,000?

Abby: As you suggest, the DocuColor 2060 will most likely migrate to mid-volume locations due to the favorable economics of the DocuColor 6060 at higher volumes. And yes, the DocuColor 2060 is absolutely a profitable system at AMPVs well below 75,000.


WTT: You've increased the overall system life from 6 million to 10 million prints. This is great for long-term use and for users with high monthly volumes. But has the overall monthly duty cycle also increased? And how has the TCO (Total Cost of Operation) changed?

Abby: The DocuColor 6060's average monthly duty cycle is twice that of the DocuColor 2060. TCO is the same at average monthly print volumes greater than 80,000.


WTT: There are three RIPs available for the 6060. How do you differentiate these for different markets or types of customers?

Abby: The primary decision criteria for selecting one RIP over another is the customer's existing workflow. Other important criteria include requirements related to their applications and their use of variable information printing. Customers who have made an investment in a CREO type of workflow, for example Commercial Print , will find the CXP6000 well suited for their needs. Its compatibility with CREO's Prinergy and Brisque workflow makes the CXP6000 a very attractive offering in this market.

The EFI provided EXP6000 is the strong offering for the Quick/Franchise Print arena. Popular tools such as Doc Builder Pro and Command Workstation has made EFI a favorite solution provider overall.

Traditional Xerox DocuTech, DocuPrint, and DigiPath monochrome customers who would like to complement their B&W workflow with in-house color will find the Xerox DocuSP 6000XC as the clear choice. Other important criteria include requirements related to their applications and use of variable information printing.

Choice of RIPs is an important element of our strategy to provide comprehensive and flexible solutions to our customers digital production color needs. Choice also protects customer investments in staff and training that help maintain high levels of uninterrupted productivity.

WTT: In the past, Xerox has made a point of positioning the 2060 against the Heidelberg NexPress 2100. Some of the features of the 6060 would seem to be clearly in response to those on the NexPress such as improved registration, broader range of substrates, more user replaceable components, and "load while run" toner. Does Xerox intend to position the 6060 against the NexPress for certain market segments, such as print for pay, and if so what are your competitive advantages other than price?

Abby: Xerox certainly intends to propose the DocuColor 6060 to customers considering the NexPress. You have already mentioned many of the advantages of the 6060, but the most important one is the ability for a customer to make a real profit. The DocuColor 6060 delivers this by providing a more streamlined workflow combined with lower maintenance. We do that by allowing not only the PDF format, but also VIPP and VPS formats, which are much faster solutions for Variable Information processing.

The DocuColor 6060 does not require a lengthy daily maintenance procedure, so we save the customer about a half a day per week of extra work--that's more time to print jobs. We also give the customer the ability to service the machine themselves but still provide a full warranty on parts, saving the customer both downtime and parts costs. All this adds up to the ability to print short turn around high value jobs at a significant profit. This makes Xerox unique among all the high-volume digital press providers.


WTT: There is a feature on the 6060 called Trickle Charge Development that is used to maintain image quality. What is this and what does it do for image quality?

Abby: This is actually a feature on the DocuColor 2000 series, too. In many xerographic printing systems, developer is allowed to degenerate fairly completely prior to its replacement, resulting in noticeable image quality differences before and after the new developer kicks in. Trickle Charge Development alleviates this problem by continuously replenishing the developer within the developer housing, extending developer life and resulting in more stable image quality throughout a job as well as between jobs.


WTT: Front to back registration has always been an issue on digital presses. How has this been improved on the 6060?

Abby: Front-to-back registration on the DocuColor 6060 has been improved to within 1.0 mm.


WTT: The 6060 offers DFA (Digital Finishing Architecture). What is this, and how does it differ from previous inline finishing solutions offered on Xerox printers?

Abby: The Document Finishing Architecture (DFA) is the published logical, physical and electrical specifications of the DocuColor 6060's output system. For our finishing partners, DFA enables easier and less costly development and support of in-line finishing device interfaces, and permits DFA-compliant systems to evolve in the future. For print providers, DFA contributes to lower overall system and service costs and offers investment protection for staff training. By the way, DFA has been successfully employed for years on the DocuTech Production Publisher family.


Thank you Abby. We appreciate your time.