New Xerox Multifunction Printer Aims to Make Color Affordable for All

By Nicole Zaro Stahl, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

The persuasive power of color is a time-honored principle in ink-on-paper circles, but the cost premium over black-and-white printing has often tempered its use. With last month's introduction of the ColorQube™ 9200 Series multifunction printer, Xerox Corp. is about to shift that paradigm.

Xerox opened its Hacienda office, at 4301 Hacienda Drive, in August 2006, after an extensive location selection process. The local branch is a sales and service office, as well as a support hub. It also houses a showroom for demonstrating a range of products, including wide-format engineering products, from plotters and scanners to the printers that can produce advertising banners up to 80" wide. Xerox has similar offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Sacramento, but the Hacienda location is the only Bay Area site to house a technical training center, which serves both internal personnel and customers throughout northern California.

Bill Byrd, senior operations manager at Xerox's Hacienda, branch, is very enthusiastic about the new multifunction printer. "We view our new ColorQube series as game-changing technology, putting color at everyone's fingertips," he remarks. While pricing levels vary according to ink coverage, the ColorQube will print a standard page with highlight color for the same cost as a black and white copy, roughly a penny per page, he reports. Intense color coverage - a PowerPoint slide or photograph, for example - will come in at a very reasonable eight to 10 cents per page. "The average customer will save about $2,000 a year on color printing compared to current costs," he comments.

The inexpensive printer is a good fit in the current business environment, Byrd points out. The new design eliminates the need for scheduled maintenance, part of the Xerox push toward more "customer-manageable" products that require minimal field support. "Our focus is on helping our customers get through difficult times by becoming more productive. This new product is one way to help them do that."

The emphasis on affordability has brought real benefits to Xerox as well. "With our ability to contribute to customers' cost-control efforts, we've come through this downturn better than many other companies," Byrd notes.

The new product line also reflects current concerns with another environmental issue, sustainability. Xerox's proprietary solid ink technology reduces the environmental impact of office printing across many fronts, Byrd explains. Unlike cartridge-based ink, the ink sticks are completely consumed, leaving no further material for disposal. With ink as the only customer replaceable unit - no fuser, no drum, etc. - packaging and waste also diminish.

There is no compromise on speed, either. At up to 85 pages per minute, the printer speed is "as competitive as you can get," Byrd contends.

Approximately 25 employees are permanently stationed at the Hacienda facility, while several hundred across the region use the office from time to time. They will all be attending demonstrations when the ColorCube multifunction printers arrive at the local branch early in the third quarter. For more information, visit www.FinallyColorIsLess.com, call 1-800-ASK-XEROX, or contact the branch at (925) 251-3252.

Photo: Xerox's Hacienda staff oversees the company's only Bay Area training center.

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