Xerox India has managed to successfully install digital production presses from its Versant series across various parts of the country in recent past. Some of the print houses where the press has been installed are long time Xerox customers while some are new entrants into the digital printing business.
Vadodara-based Vandana Creation has been a Xerox customer since 2012. The company recently installed a Xerox Versant 3100 press. In 2012, Vandana bought its first Xerox press – the Xerox 550 – and then in 2015 it bought a Xerox Colour C70.
“We are a basically jobbers and cater to retail clients in the graphic segment,” says Susheel Sharma, proprietor of Vandana Creation. At present it has a Xerox Versant 3100 press, Canon 6570 black and white press, and cutting & lamination machines. According to Sharma, with the new Xerox press, the level of productivity has gone up significantly. “Speed, quality and machine life are the key features that really encouraged us to invest in the Xerox Versant 3100 press. Also, the support and training provided by Xerox further motivated us to buy this press,” he says. With this new investment, Sharma is confident of a 10-15% growth in business in the near future.
The Xerox Versant 3100 is aimed at the high-mid market. The printer can print at a speed of 100 pages per minute on stocks and specialty media from 52–350 gsm.
Another digital print house in Gujarat, this time in Surat, has opted for Xerox Versant 3100 press. Shivranjani Imaging bought the press last year and has had a good experience with it. “Print quality, color gamut and ease of operations are some of the benefits of the Versant 3100 press,” says Sagar Detroja, one of the partners in the firm. Shivranjani caters to the textile, photo and graphics industry, and prints commercial as well as variable data jobs.
“With this new investment in Versant we expect a 30% growth in business. Out turnover is about Rs 2.5 crore and we expect that to go up to Rs 3.3 crore soon,” says Detroja. In addition to the Xerox, the print house has a Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 1100 black and white press.
A new entrant in digital printing
The two print houses in Gujarat have been in the industry for some time, but Chennai-based Madras Print House is a new entrant into the digital printing business. It has bought a Xerox Versant 180 press and set up an inbuilt finishing unit to produce items like calendars, envelopes, invitation cards, bound books and posters. The Versant 180 is a mid-production-color press with maximum print speed of 80 pages per minute and takes paper weights up to 350 gsm. The papers include coated, uncoated, labels, envelopes, tabs, transparencies, ID cards, posters and special substrate like linen, poly, vinyl and magnet stock.
“We also have a small team of experienced graphic designers who foresee the emerging trends and create exceptional designs for our client, including logos, product advertisements and magazines,” says the proprietor of Madras Print House, Bharathi K.
Madras Print House has partnered with Shri Balaji Printers, an offset printer, so it can cater to customers who come with offset printing work. Madras Print House is also offering its services to other print service providers.
Talking about the trends in digital printing industry Bharathi says, “We’ve seen increasing demand for digital printing, particularly in the field of photography. This is primarily due to the rise in demand for ‘trendy’ photography – aimed at catering to all occasions – and the need for fine albums. Although volumes are still low, the growth rate is very high.”
Apart from quality printing infrastructure, Madras Print House utilizes high-end computers and leading design software. “We also have exclusive secure cloud storage for our employees and clients that is accessible 24×7. Our office is equipped with two high-speed internet connections to support all demands,” she says.
