New colour printer/copiers from Xerox bring fast, affordable colour to offices, quick-print shops

Xerox SA introduced two of the latest products at the Colour-4-Success event at Caesars Gauteng Convention Centre. The DocuColor 2240 and 1632 systems will deliver low costs, fast print speeds and image quality that will accelerate the migration from black-and-white to colour in the office and among quick-print shops. The two systems print, copy and scan, expanding options for managing colour documents in paper and electronic form.

The Xerox DocuColor 2240 Printer/Copier and DocuColor 1632 Printer/Copier both produce colour prints and copies for less than R1 per page, a new cost benchmark for products in this class.

They also share the same easy to use, high-productivity features, with print speeds of 22 colour and 40 black-and-white pages per minute on the DocuColor 2240, with 16 colours and 32 black-and-white on the DocuColor 1632. This new DocuColor systems and the chemical toner are among the major technology platforms Xerox pledged to deliver in 2002.

"A few years ago, producing a colour report or presentation would set you apart, but today`s office professionals are so accustomed to colour`s added value that it`s rapidly becoming a requirement," said Kevin Hearnshaw, colour product manager at Xerox SA. "The DocuColor 2240 and 1632 will accelerate this trend by making colour affordable, with benchmark operating costs for excellent colour quality and productive print and copy speeds."

The latest breakthroughs in operating costs and image quality are supported by the products` use of chemically produced Emulsion Aggregation (EA) toner. With this technology, less toner is required to make an image, reducing waste and enabling lower running costs. In addition, EA technology delivers excellent colour consistency, contributing to more automated colour management. EA technology also produces less waste than most toners and is more environmentally friendly.

According to market-research firm Gartner Dataquest, both systems play in market segments that are projected for double-digit growth for 2001 to 2006: a 19.6% compound annual growth rate in the DocuColor 2240`s 21 to 30ppm space, and 13.2% in the DocuColor 1632`s 11 to 20ppm segment.

The systems are targeted for use in office workgroups where they may be used for black-and-white and colour output at quick printers and print-for-pay shops.

Both printer/copier models use a Xerox-developed embedded controller that employs a 400MHz Power PC 750 microprocessor and contributes to a space-saving footprint of as small as 26.2-inch x 45.1-inch.

People can select print resolutions of as high as 1200 x 1200 and scan resolutions for walk-up scan-to-network JPEG or TIFF files ranging from 600 x 600 dots per inch to 200 x 200dpi. Standard productivity features include RIP while receiving new data, while printing and while scanning - no pauses between print jobs - electronic pre-collation and load paper while printing. The products offer fast warm-up time, and first print out time is seven seconds.

The two models each have a standard paper capacity of 3 140 sheets, the highest in their class. Paper-handling capabilities include a duplexing automatic document feeder for reliable trayless duplexing, a face-up output tray and an offsetting catch tray. Paper sizes range up to 12-inch x 19-inch and image sizes range to 11.7-inch x 18.8-inch, permitting full-bleed printing on an 11-inch x 17-inch sheet. Supported paperweights range from 16-lb bond to 110-lb Index stock (64 to 220gsm). To minimise the need for service calls, toner, drum cartridges and a waste toner container are designed so customers can easily replace them as needed.

The DocuColor 2240 and 1632 will be available nationwide through Xerox`s distribution channel, including direct sales representatives, agents and concessionaires.