Xerox Continuous Feed Solutions

Transcription

1 Enterprise Output and Customer Communications Expertise Xerox Continuous Feed Solutions A Madison Advisors White Paper October 7, 2003 Copyright 2003 by Madison Advisors. Madison Advisors, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other product names are trade and service marks of their respective companies. This publication and its contents are the property of Madison Advisors, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced or duplicated without the express written consent of Madison Advisors, Inc.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary... 3 Changing the Direction of Transactional Print... 4 How Xerox DocuPrint 425/850 CF Makes a Difference...5 An Up-close Look at DocuPrint 425/850 CF... 6 Product Architecture...6 Functional Overview...7 Key Differentiators...8 In Summary...10 About Madison Advisors

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The convergence of publishing and transactional applications is increasingly becoming a top initiative or strategy for print production. Of course, organizations also want to reduce image costs and simplify production operations. Traditionally, these initiatives have been at odds with one another because attempts to combine the solutions designed for managing publishing and transactional applications have complicated operations and introduced additional resource requirements. However, as the solution providers have researched the best way to handle all of these demands in an effective way, they are moving closer to practical solutions that deliver measurable results. Xerox is one of the front-runners in this area given its experience in the production publishing space. Its DocuPrint 425/850 Continuous Feed Printers are uniquely designed to help organizations achieve their goals around continuous feed production. Xerox commissioned Madison Advisors to conduct an independent analysis of DocuPrint 425/850 Continuous Feed Printers. Madison Advisors is an independent research firm that helps organizations advance their print and electronic communications strategies and solutions. We specialize in offering context-specific guidance for a range of content delivery strategies, particularly those addressing enterprise output technologies and customer communications. Overall we found DocuPrint 425/850 Continuous Feed Printers to be a great fit for mixed operations that support both transactional print and publishing applications. The offering s common controller supports a universal workflow that easily migrates work to the continuous feed devices. Xerox has also invested in numerous quality controls, an integrated print line manager, and the high reliability of an established print engine. For example, the print line management provides superior application flexibility, while the Hitachi engine provides advanced reliability. The remainder of this paper reviews DocuPrint 425/850 Continuous Feed Printers in terms of the unique business problems that it helps solve. It includes an up-close review of the product, as well as discussion of the strategic benefits that the offering delivers. 3

4 CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF TRANSACTIONAL PRINT Organizations have been looking for an effective way to merge their transactional and publishing applications for several years now. The benefits behind this concept are tremendous, introducing new potential around an organization s customer relationship management strategies and other forward-looking initiatives. However, initial endeavors have proven that transactional and publishing convergence is easier said than done, and requires new technology that can support both types of applications. Regardless of whether an application is publishing or transactional, the print engine remains the central workhorse. It s the software and services around the engine that are differentiators when it comes to supporting diverse applications. Unfortunately, integrating the solutions and services traditionally designed to support one application type, introduces endless opportunities for production mishaps and quality degradation (e.g. application configuration issues, incompatible pre- and post-processing requirements, disparate workflows, and job handling challenges). Typically, when introducing publishing elements into transactional environments, organizations rely on manual processes to support all aspects of the run. Obviously this practice is inconsistent and increases the product touch points and opportunities for error. However, to date, it s been one of the best options because initial solutions have not measured up. Clearly, automated systems and processes designed to effectively handle all aspects of transactional and publishing applications from beginning to end would deliver endless benefits. To fully support the requirements of today s complex applications, print solutions should be designed for modularity and flexibility, and enable production efficiencies. What s more, as operations are asked to do more with less, it is critical that equipment and devices are simple and easy to use. Key criteria for evaluating continuous feed duplex systems today include comprehensive interfaces, robust data and print line management, simple and straightforward operational control, and automated synchronizing and page imposition. In addition, operational flexibility is key to increased utilization. The ability to switch from duplex to simplex operations from a single user console, and control pre- and post-finishing devices provides the adaptability and management required today. Real-time print line status is mandatory to manage the process and proactively monitor and control production applications. Product reliability is critical to today s tight production schedules and availability requirements. Systems with a proven history of dependability and delivering high-quality results are baseline requirements. 4

5 HOW XEROX DOCUPRINT 425/850 CF MAKES A DIFFERENCE Xerox has introduced an impressive solution to the market requirements for transactional and production print with its new continuous feed DocuPrint 425/850 platform. Built on the highly reliable Hitachi Printing Systems (HPRS) engine, the DocuPrint 425/850 delivers proven hardware components supported by Xerox modular controllers and software. The unique solution offers robust data and PDL support, superior print line management, and simplified operator control. The solution supports a common publishing controller through Xerox s DocuSP digital front end (DFE), which manages production publishing print streams and, in the future, transactional application datastreams from a single control point. Currently, transactional support is handled through output management services associated with the EOMS DFE, available as separate services under the FreeFlow umbrella. Each engine contains two separate controllers, one that manages engine functions, and the other for the software processes, providing an independent, modular architecture, which protects engine investments. The powerful, modular device controller supports a color touch-screen GUI that allows for control over both systems from either console, maximizing operator and device efficiency and productivity. In addition to the DocuSP capabilities, there are two major solution differentiators that make Xerox DocuPrint 425/850 ideal for organizations that want an efficient and effective solution for their publishing and transactional printing. First, is the Print Line Management (PLM), a software layer embedded within each controller that manages front-to-back image alignment with synchronous verification (SVS), assists with job recovery, controls paper motion, and offers device status information. The second key distinguisher is the Xerox Print Line Bus (PLB) finishing architecture, a small box that connects each device in a print line, including pre- and post-processing equipment. The PLBs return process information to the PLM automatically, providing real-time device status and monitoring of all devices in a print line via the GUI. The PLM currently supports up to 10 PLBs, sufficient for complex, multi-engine configurations. The advent of the PLB eliminates traditional reconfiguration issues associated with manual re-cabling or switch box configurations. The PLM and PLB together provide the interconnectivity across pre- and postprocessing devices to the printer, creating a powerful and flexible solution. Xerox has essentially taken the fun out of print operations, minimizing the operator s involvement to simply webbing or threading the paper at start up. 5

6 AN UP-CLOSE LOOK AT DOCUPRINT 425/850 CF This section provides an overview of Xerox and DocuPrint 425/850 CF. Headquarters Stamford, CT Public Company? NYSE: XRX Employees 67,800 Revenues $ 15.7B Company Overview Xerox Corporation is a global company engaged in developing, manufacturing, marketing, servicing and financing a complete range of document equipment, software, solutions and services. The Company operates in over 130 countries worldwide and distributes its products in the Western Hemisphere through divisions, wholly owned subsidiaries and third-party distributors. Product Focus DocuPrint 425/850 CF Printers provide high-speed scalable RIPping, benchmark printing speeds, complex document production, industryleading reliability, and the flexibility to natively process and print multiple data streams. Key Strengths Reliable marking engines from Hitachi Innovative Xerox controller and GUI architecture Pioneering PLM/PLB framework Areas of Caution Limited engine speeds Limited paper width currently 18 with printable width 17 Lacks MICR or highlight color options PRODUCT ARCHITECTURE The DocuPrint 425/850 supports most standard environments and emulations, including IBM AFP via PSF and InfoPrint Manager, Native IPDS, and IBM Line Mode (IBM ). Optional datastream support includes Xerox LCDS, PostScript, and AFP via Xerox s EOMS V-Services, and PostScript, PCL, TIFF, PDF, and ASCII data via Xerox s DocuSP controller. The future stated direction is to migrate all transactional data stream support for both continuous feed and cut sheet to the single controller, the DocuSP. 6

7 Data interfaces and connectivity are also strengths of the offering, with support for up to two connections per print engine in simplex mode. The offering s ability to accept data independently on any connection means more printer run time and higher utilization with less IT intervention, which saves time and money. IBM s Channel S/370 interface and TCP/IP connectivity protocols are supported, enabling dual mode publishing and printing operations, again increasing flexibility and utilization, and saving money by eliminating the need for separate devices. The print engine controller is a double Xeon-based processor, with 512 MB RAM and a 40 GB hard drive standard, and comes with a RW CD-ROM. The controller supports standard input resolutions, including 240, 300 and 600DPI. Output resolutions can be switched between 480 and 600 DPI, allowing support for a wide range of new, as well as legacy, applications with older resources and resolutions. This breadth of support enables the solution to ingest a wide range of application data streams with little or no pre-processing, again saving time and freeing expensive IT resources. In addition, the system enables a forced two-up mode for two-up printing of transaction applications without changing the source application, another IT resource saving feature. Systems security is supported at multiple levels. Setup functions are password protected to maintain print line integrity and reduce error opportunity. Once locked, the print line cannot be modified without proper authorization. In addition, redesigned inline and Z turn bars improve paper-handling quality and system productivity. The new paper turn bars use percolated air to minimize paper contact with the steel bar and reduce friction during production. Redesigned material handling features reduce stress points paper and toner contact points as the paper turns over the bars. The results show decreased image degradation relative to traditional turn bars where there is significant paper and toner contact with the bar. FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW The powerful, interactive GUI makes it easy to assemble jobs and print lines from the touch screen, supported by the controller. The onboard controller allows operators to define and save multiple job setups as tickets, reducing error opportunities associated with job initiation. With the one-touch recall and initialization of a complete job setup, the engine is readied, while connectivity is established and job resources verified. Finally, during production preparation, all devices are initialized and prepped for the job, including feeding and finishing options. 7

8 The timesaving setup process allows for more device up time, increasing utilization and reducing operator-induced errors from inconsistent device or print line configuration. In a duplex environment, the automatic synchronous verification (SVS) process ensures proper page alignment, again reducing the opportunity for costly output errors and waste. Another quality feature incorporated into the DocuPrint CF Printers is the logical and physical data integrity support provided by the SVS process. This integrated front-to-back integrity ensures that correct back images are placed on the correct front image during duplex printing. Quality is further ensured by the barcode, which is added to the image by the controller. Once the print stream is split between the two engines, and the barcode is added, the second engine compares barcodes to ensure a match, automatically stopping on alignment error. Because the controller manages the process, it remains application independent, again saving costly IT resources and application modifications. The independent controller also allows for image order flexibility, providing the ability to change which engine prints the front side in a duplex operation. This capability simplifies finishing integration, both online and offline, while minimizing application changes. Internally, Xerox uses the term multiplex as in both simplex and duplex to define its flexible print line configuration. The solution has the ability to reconfigure the print line across multiple DocuPrint 425/850 devices, for example configuring three devices in parallel in a single print line. This feature allows for two devices in duplex mode with one device as a back up, or as a simplex device. The business value is the processing redundancy and back up provided for high-volume, missioncritical duplex applications. Both duplex and simplex operations benefit from the system s flexibility and efficiency for multiple feeding and finishing application requirements. KEY DIFFERENTIATORS Overall, the solution excels in several areas, including submit-to-delivery print time, enhanced five-beam image quality, front-to-back image integrity, and PDL ingestion flexibility. With these strengths, the solution is a great choice for organizations looking to use a single system to produce both publishing (e.g. prospectuses, fact sheets, and variable information collateral) and transactional (e.g. statements, invoices, and policies) applications. Furthermore, the system masters the particularly challenging aspects of combined publishing and transactional operations by using a single workflow to feed a single print controller. This method introduces flexibly and control into the management of the delivery process. 8

9 The figure below shows another one of the offering s key advantages complete print line configuration and control from any GUI within the PLM. This feature gives operations lots of flexibility, as well as increased productivity. Figure 1 Management Console Xerox s integrated workflow offering, Freeflow, is an impressive framework supporting the DocuPrint CF Printers. Freeflow allows for a common workflow across both publishing and transactional document types and applications, which reduces production costs, operator training, and error opportunities. With Freeflow, organizations can rapidly bring new applications online while simultaneously leveraging all the new technology advantages inherent to the DocuPrint 425/850. While not a prerequisite, adding Freeflow to the DocuPrint CF Printers creates a highly reliable environment ripe for high-volume, high-quality output with exceptional flexibility. While marking engines sourced from a single provider could mistakenly be considered a commodity component, Xerox separates itself from pack with its highly regarded service and support. As all hardware becomes increasingly similar, organizations differentiate on service and supporting software, and Xerox has excelled in these areas. The responsiveness to customer demands and requests is legendary, and prominent customers with complicated requirements consistently rely on Xerox for support of mission-critical applications. This complementary component to the overall Xerox solution is the differentiator in many accounts. 9

10 IN SUMMARY The DocuPrint CF Printers leverage Xerox s printing heritage, combined with a reliable Hitachi marking engine and innovative technology to allow operations to easily enhance and produce production documents. In addition its quality enhancing processes can be leveraged for creating both publishing and transactional documents. The PLM software component provides control and gives status of the entire print line, yet is flexible enough to support dynamic print line configuration and manipulation. Through a single interface, an operator can control and manage multiple engines, and control pre- and post-processing equipment within a print line. The DocuPrint CF Printers common controllers are scalable across platforms, which is vital in meeting the disparate application and volume requirements of a high-volume organization with multiple document applications (e.g. invoices, policies and statements) or production of various types of document applications (e.g. direct marketing or print on demand). As organizations add new lines of business or expand into new industries, the same platform can be leveraged with minimal modification. In addition, unlike other solutions, DocuPrint CF Printers dual controller engines also include data-driven synchronization and a Print Line Bus interface to communicate with the entire pre- and post-processing device spectrum. Overall, DocuPrint CF Printers represent a significant leap forward for integrated and dynamic document production, including increased productivity and reduced error rates. The DocuPrint CF Printers dual controllers work together to give organizations flexibility with both low and high volumes, thereby reducing application time to deployment and IT development costs. The technical and usability merits of DocuPrint CF Printers make it a natural fit for straightforward simplex applications, as well as for more demanding two up, duplex customer correspondence in any vertical application. 10

11 ABOUT MADISON ADVISORS Madison Advisors exists to advance the print and electronic communications objectives of Fortune 1000 companies. Madison Advisors specializes in offering context specific guidance for a range of content delivery strategies, particularly those addressing enterprise output technologies and customer communications. Madison Advisors offers expertise for advancing print and electronic communications initiatives, primarily through short-term, high-impact consulting services. With no-nonsense, quick engagements (measurable in days or weeks, not months), Madison Advisors directly targets helping our clients achieve very hard and specific Returns on Investment (ROI). Madison Advisors analysts are dedicated to technology and market research that is delivered through short-term project engagements as well as articles, publications, and presentations. We specialize in customer communication technologies including enterprise output management, content management, customer relationship management, e-billing, and infrastructure technology. Madison Advisors offers a range of standard consulting engagements that allow us to provide tangible results quickly. These standard services address specific challenges common to sophisticated customer communications operations. Challenges we address include: Rationalization of in-house v. outsourced print responsibilities Refinement of pricing strategies for in-house services Reassessment of print operation responsibilities and relationships Advancement of electronic communications capabilities For more information about Madison Advisors, visit our web site Advisors.com. 11