2/12/07 -- EarthColor - one of the largest commercial printers in the U.S. - has purchased four Xerox Corporation iGen3(R) 110 Digital Production Presses and various Xerox FreeFlow(R) workflow software components. The company expects to print approximately 15 million pages within the first year of installation. The 110 page-per-minute digital presses are the first Xerox products for EarthColor. They will allow EarthColor to meet the growing needs of its clients for print-on-demand jobs, smaller run lengths and personalization - all with faster turnaround times. EarthColor clients include Fortune 500 companies from the financial services, pharmaceutical, travel, gaming and retirement services industries. "We are confident the total Xerox digital production solution will help grow our digital business," said Robert Kashan, CEO, EarthColor. "This is a business partnership, not just an equipment purchase. Xerox's long tradition and commitment to digital, and its expertise with marketing and business development, demonstrate Xerox's ability to help our company use the technology to its fullest potential and ultimately grow our bottom line." EarthColor, the 38th-largest commercial printer in the U.S. according to the Printing Impressions 400, will install the flagship Xerox iGen3 presses by the end of February - two at its West Orange facility and two at its Houston facility. They will be part of the company's Business Solutions division. According to Kashan, when EarthColor was looking to upgrade its digital color technology, it chose the Xerox iGen3 press over competitors for the Xerox FreeFlow Digital Workflow Collection of workflow software tools, faster printing speeds and image quality that is equivalent to offset. EarthColor will be able to integrate the Xerox FreeFlow workflow software with its existing workflows and streamline its color and black-and-white digital production process, from the creation of a job through the final output. "This will help us maximize the workload on each iGen3 press and let us continue to meet the needs of our customers. It will help our clients grow their business by having jobs that are more targeted and produced faster, which then allows them to get their products to market quicker," said Kashan. With the Xerox iGen3 presses networked across EarthColor's seven integrated U.S. facilities, and by using Xerox FreeFlow, customers will get high-quality job consistency no matter where they are located. A customized Web portal will allow both customers and EarthColor employees to securely place and manage print jobs online. Xerox's FreeFlow Web Services 5.0 software will move jobs through the production process faster and reduce errors, without operator assistance. Once an order is entered into the system, Xerox's FreeFlow Process Manager 5.0 software will automate EarthColor's overall print workflow. Traditionally time-intensive steps like pre-press activities will be automated and streamlined - allowing more jobs to be completed more cost effectively and in less time. Digital color printing currently represents 3 percent of EarthColor's total print volume and revenue. EarthColor will continue to focus on high-end commercial printing, and Kashan predicts the company's digital color print volume will grow, while complementing its established offset printing business. He sees great potential in new applications offered only through digital such as variable-data printing and cross-media communications. When the Xerox iGen3 presses are installed, the company plans to produce jobs such as direct mail, brochures, enrollment books, marketing campaigns and collaterals, and retail signage. EarthColor is also interested in using tools from Xerox's ProfitAccelerator(TM) Digital Business Resources portfolio. The company is looking to Xerox for help with digital sales training and how to better market digital printing and personalization to its clients. "These resources are what set Xerox apart from the competition," said Kashan. EarthColor has also joined the Xerox Graphic Arts Premier Partners program, a global network of about 600 leading digital print providers, where members benefit from knowledge sharing, networking and potential business opportunities.