Xerox IJP2000
Xerox returned to the large-format printer market this month with the introduction of the IJP 2000, a fast, color inkjet printer designed primarily for the sign and display business. The key technology is a five-head array that spans the width of the printer. The array allows the media to zip right through the printer at much higher rate than printers with typical “back-and-forth” print heads – in fact, literature says the printer can produce over 4,000 square feet per hour.
You can read more about this machine here.
In order to learn more about Xerox’s return to the market, IRgA Managing Director Ed Avis interviewed Dustin Graupman, vice president, ink jet business at Xerox and Geoffrey Rummel, wide-format manager, Graphic Communications Business Group, Xerox.
Avis: Does this new printer represent a long-term return to wide-format for Xerox, or is this a “one-off” product to take advantage of a market opportunity?
Graupman: Our customers are looking to grow their businesses through adjacencies, and one area we see a lot of customers going to is color wide-format. So this is not a one-off. We have a commitment to wide-format. We are going to be very deliberate about what we do – it will align with our customers’ needs. We saw this as an opportunity to reconnect with our customers in GC (graphic communications).
Avis: So there will be other printers in this family?
Graupman: We are evaluating options, including building a portfolio around the 2000, but it will be very selective.
Avis: How long was this printer in development?
Rummel: It's been in development with our partner Fuji Xerox for a couple of years.
Avis: Most IRgA members have a large AEC customer base. Do you think Xerox will return to the CAD print market as well?
Graupman: I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some high volume CAD customers who will look at the IJP 2000, but that’s not a primary thrust for us.
Avis: Many IRgA members were Xerox dealers. Will they be able to deal this new machine?
Graupman: We’re in the process of signing up dealers as we speak. We’re going to focus on a dealer network that helps us achieve the objectives of the IJP 2000 business plan, but there are many CAD dealers with a focus on the GC space.
Avis: When will the IJP 2000 be available?
Graupman: We officially started taking orders today (July 1), and deliveries will begin in late July or early August.
Avis: How much does the new printer cost?
Rummel: The U.S. list price is $143,000, and that includes the stacker and the RIP.
Avis: I see that it’s shipping with the Caldera RIP. Will it work with other RIPs?
Rummel: We’re selling it exclusively with the Caldera RIP, and (it's not designed to work other RIPs).
Avis: Are you selling direct, or only through dealers?
Graupman: For very, very few large customers we will sell direct, but for the most part it will be sold through dealers.
Avis: Will be it be available for lease?
Rummel: It will be up to our dealers to decide how they want to sell it.
Avis: Who will service it?
Rummel: Service will also be through Xerox dealers.
Avis: What is an estimated cost per square foot of print?
Rummel: We estimate that with 85 percent coverage, it will cost about 20 cents per square foot. That includes the heads, the inks, and the service, but not the media or hardware costs.
Avis: What media work with it?
Rummel: We will have a recommended media list, some with the Xerox label and some third party. It will include everything from light bond to backlits to photogloss to Tyvek. Everything you typically see in the signage space.
Avis: What about inks?
Graupman: Because of the uniqueness of the head technology, we require the purchase of Xerox inks.
Avis: What about the print heads – how long do they last?
Graupman: The print head is considered a consumable, and right now we’re seeing a life of 3,000 ml per head.
Rummel (after the interview in an email): The IJP 2000 customer will use 5 print heads per month when printing at 100 percent average area coverage at a monthly print volume of 53,820 square feet (5,000 square meters).
Avis: As this is really new technology, what can you say about durability?
Rummel: It depends on volume of course, but I would look for the machine to be serviceable for five years, if not more.