SAN LUIS OBISPO — Xerox, a global leader in graphic communications, has donated a printing press to Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department. 

Xerox installed a Xerox® Color 800 Press with the Xerox EX Print Server, Powered by Fiery®, a high-capacity press that prints at 80 pages per minute. It includes a variety of finishing options, such as stacking, trimming, punching and booklet making, and a fifth dry ink station, at which Cal Poly will use Xerox Clear Dry Ink to add new dimensions to output using spot, flood or textured effects.

The Color 800 is being used to produce output for student design projects, publishing endeavors, papers and displays in the Graphic Communication Department.

“Students will be exposed to the latest technologies and workflows, giving them practical hands-on experience that will make them more employable and sought after by graphic communication companies throughout the U.S. and beyond,” said Gina Testa, Xerox vice president of marketing in the U.S. graphic communications industry.

For Xerox, the investment in Cal Poly students is an investment in the future. “Xerox has a longstanding history of supporting the graphic communication industry and marketplace and encouraging and engaging the next generation in the use of digital printing technologies and solutions,” Testa said.

Cal Poly values its partnership with Xerox and all it has provided to the program and its students. “It is great to have this level of technology on our production floor. The quality is spectacular, and the students find the workflow to be simple yet powerful,” said Ken Macro, chair of the Graphic Communication Department. “The students are highly engaged in designing output using the Xerox Clear Dry Ink technology and hope to further explore variable data printing projects using the machine.”