A pandemic printing upgrade produced gold for UC Davis, Xerox
There were bright spots during the last 365 days. Sometimes printed in metallic gold.
All because Xerox went beyond ordinary.
At the tail end of 2020, the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) installed two new advanced Xerox® Iridesse® digital production printing presses. There’s a long story behind that process, but the result was straightforward for UC Davis Repro Graphics, the university’s primary printing operation.
Repro Graphics is responsible for creating everything from staff business cards and letterheads to student coursebooks, brochures, and magazines. Director Donna Horbelt saw the Iridesse as an immediate benefit.
“We increased our productivity over 200 percent by moving to two Xerox Iridesse [presses] from Canon and Indigo,” says Horbelt, noting that thanks to the upgrade, UC Davis Repro Graphics has accelerated its printing speed from between 33 pages per minute and 70 pages per minute on the older machines to 250 pages per minute now with the new Xerox models.
Nushan Haque, a Senior Business Consultant at Xerox Business Solutions, succinctly summed up the upgrade.
“It just blew their mind,” she said.
The Iridesse impressed, enough for two purchases
Beyond speed, UC Davis Repro Graphics now has the capability to use the Xerox Iridesse machines to print sparkling Xerox Beyond CMYK gold metallic ink with real particles of metal in it, producing a sparkling gold seal that matches, highlights, and enhances the university’s logo on printed materials.
Horbelt, who has worked in the printing industry for 46 years and was previously a director at a printshop in Texas, is a longtime fan and customer of Xerox’s – especially after she upgraded to an iGen® printing press at her old job and was able to turn around a flagging operation. As she evaluated her budget for 2020 and options going forward, she turned to a trusted source.
“I was accustomed to the way Xerox does things and was accustomed to the company’s quality and service,” says Horbelt.
Nushan connected with Horbelt and showcased more about the Iridesse, including a test for a proof concept. Repro Graphics liked the results so much, they snagged two machines, and completed a purchase and installation agreement.
Xerox solved challenges created by COVID
The only hitch? Getting the machines physically installed and up-and-running during COVID-19 was an added challenge.
“We had to get special permission from Xerox and everyone had to wear masks,” Nushan says.
After various approval processes were complete, the machines were installed in December 2020.
“My production team did an excellent job and showed the value of using GOLD in their University Seal and the possibilities of other specialty Inks for other University and Department clients,” says Nushan. “Xerox also helped this client automate and streamline workflow by using Xerox® FreeFlow® Core software so that the shop can run more efficiently.”
Meanwhile, Horbelt prepared Repro Graphics for the fall 2021 return to on-campus education, and matched the increased demand for printed educational materials and stationary.
“I really see us being able to implement the clear and gold Xerox Beyond CMYK ink into our new brand.” Horbelt says.
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Featured Technology
Xerox® Iridesse® Production Press
Print like a pro in seconds. End-to-end automation nails the basics. Inline speciality embellishment options add profit-driving “wow.”
Automation and integration for your entire print workflow.
Xerox® Iridesse® Production Press
Print like a pro in seconds. End-to-end automation nails the basics. Inline speciality embellishment options add profit-driving “wow.”
Up to six inline print stations that print in a single pass, at rated speed, with spot on colour-to-colour registration
Optional White, Clear, Silver, Gold, and gamut extension Fluorescent Pink Speciality Dry Inks for enhancements and brand colour matching, plus Media Expansion Low Gloss Clear
AI-guided Xerox® PredictPrint Media Manager Software baselines the press, expediting time to production
Optimise performance with mixed-stock jobs supported by the Xerox® Mixed Media Acceleration Feature
Additional high capacity feeders and inline finishing solutions, including robust configurations that accelerate XLS sheet productivity end-to-end
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