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Xerox Rolls out All-Digital Suite of High-End Systems, Services to Drive Profitable Growth in the Printing Industry

Press release from the issuing company

CHICAGO--Sept. 9, 2005-- Demonstrating the right technology and business model to support high-end printing customers in an age of digital convergence, Xerox Corporation today rolled out an unmatched, all-digital suite of systems, software and services designed to drive new revenue and profit in the fastest-growing segments of the printing industry. "The future of the graphic communications industry is digital, and Xerox will continue to be the digital printing partner of choice," said Xerox Chairman and CEO Anne M. Mulcahy. "As new and traditional processes converge, we're building bridges between offset and digital printing, helping customers gain a competitive advantage with the right technology, the right workflow and the right business model." In the biggest all-digital display at Print 05, North America's largest printing exhibition that kicks off in Chicago today, Xerox debuted the fastest products yet from its Xerox Nuvera black-and-white technology platform - the 144-page-per-minute Xerox Nuvera 144 and Xerox Nuvera 144 MX Digital Production Systems. The models are powered by Xerox's new FreeFlow DocuSP 5.0 print controller that serves as the nerve center of the imaging system - preparing and sending digital images to the print engine with faster processing speed and efficiency. The Xerox Nuvera platform, launched last year, has produced eight digital copier/printers and production systems to date - expanding the broadest range of digital options in the industry. The platform is engineered to handle complex, graphics-intensive jobs, including finished booklets, manuals, custom catalogs, and financial documents such as invoices and checks with magnetic ink. Color Leadership In the burgeoning production color arena, where Xerox has a No. 1 market-share position in high-speed digital color systems1, the flagship Xerox iGen3 Digital Production Press continues to exceed print volume expectations - producing nearly 3 billion pages to date at customer locations worldwide. A recently published quality test in "Technology Watch for the Graphic Arts and Information Industries," an independent industry journal2, presented digital color output from the iGen3 press side by side with images produced with conventional offset printing. "The iGen3 looks like offset printing - but you be the judge," said industry analyst and editor Henry B. Freedman, urging readers to compare the two images. "The iGen3 is in a league of its own. The results show Xerox science and engineering deliver key technical breakthroughs in a field Xerox invented." Xerox also is strengthening its entry-level color offerings, equipping its 50-ppm DocuColor 250 Digital Printer/Copier with a choice of three professional-class color servers from Xerox, Creo Inc. and EFI. Xerox is extending the EFI and Creo server options to the 40-ppm DocuColor 240 Digital Printer/Copier. The new servers control and drive images to the Xerox print engines with the speed and color management capabilities required by commercial print shops, graphic communications firms and in-house printing operations. Offset and Digital Workflow Xerox continues to automate printing processes and make it easier for printers to integrate digital printing into their operations while leveraging investments in existing offset technology. In a technology demonstration at Print 05, Xerox and Heidelberg will show how digital printing can be effectively integrated within offset environments, using the Xerox FreeFlow Digital Workflow Collection and Heidelberg's Prinect Workflow Management System. Based on open architecture and the industry standard JDF (Job Definition Format) technology, the demonstration will showcase a common method for expediting digital and offset jobs from start to finish. Net result: a more efficient and profitable print shop with the ability to choose the ideal print process -- digital or offset or a combination of both. Xerox also enhanced several other offerings in its leading portfolio of workflow software. For example, FreeFlow Web Services, software that streamlines print job ordering and management on the Web, now works with PayPal, a popular and secure way to make online payments. In addition to the option of using a purchase order, clients of commercial printers can now use a credit card to order print jobs via the Web. Expanding Services Xerox continues to expand its successful remote services program, including a 24/7 "command center" that now provides monitoring and maintenance support to Xerox DocuColor 7000 and 8000 Digital Presses. This support previously has been available for Xerox iGen3 and Xerox Nuvera systems. Using data delivered through the Internet, Xerox experts can help customers identify potential printing problems and deliver a quick and accurate diagnosis through real-time data analysis. Xerox also is ramping up its industry-leading ProfitAccelerator program to help customers maximize digital technology investments through the use of sales and marketing, finance and production tools. The company is leveraging the knowledge of independent industry experts to help customers learn the latest techniques to profit from digital printing and expand into new markets. "Xerox continues to innovate, bringing new digital printing technology to the market to build upon its already broad portfolio of digital offerings," said Charles A. Pesko, managing director of InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, an independent industry research firm. "But Xerox is going even further by automating processes and doing an excellent job of supporting its hardware with complementary workflow software and market development programs." More News at Print 05 Also included among Xerox's announcements at Print 05: Xerox DocuColor 7000 and 8000 Digital Press customers can now quickly scan hardcopy pages with the FreeFlow Scanner 665E, a 40-color-pages-per-minute scanner that produces professional images with minimal operator involvement. The DocuPrint 1050 and 525 Continuous Feed systems are now equipped with MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) capabilities. MICR is used for numbers and routing information on checks and financial documents. The Xerox FreeFlow DocuSP 5.0 print controller now supports IPDS (Intelligent Printer Data Stream) capabilities on the Xerox Nuvera family of black-and-white digital systems and in full color on the iGen3 and DocuColor 8000 and 7000 digital color presses. IPDS is used to process transactional documents such as checks, invoices and statements. X erox will announce the winner of its nationwide "Aspiring Authors" contest at an event featuring Mulcahy; Bob Young, founder of LuLu.com, a provider of print-on-demand books; and Maureen Corrigan, book reviewer for National Public Radio's "Fresh Air." Selected from hundreds of applicants, the winner will receive $5,000 and 100 copies of his or her book. Customer Contacts: For more information about Xerox production systems, software and services, visit www.xerox.com/products or call 800-ASK-XEROX. For more information about Xerox at Print 05, visit www.xerox.com/print05.