Xerox Docuprint Extends Short-Run Book Printing

Loupe Solutions has moved in to the book printing market with a GBP800,000 investment in the UK's first Xerox Docuprint 1050 continuous feed system.

Loupe Solutions, the company formed as part of a management buy-out from Imprima de Bussy, has moved in to the book printing market with a GBP800,000 investment in the UK's first Xerox Docuprint 1050 continuous feed system.

One of the firm's specialisations is the production of short-run, digitally and litho printed documents for financial printing companies, such as sensitive mono financial statements requiring a quick turn-around time for the next morning's distribution.

Loupe provides a 24-hour service and chose the Xerox 1050 to complement its existing digital and litho portfolio, with Xerox Freeflow workflow software, capable of producing a total of up to five million pages per month.

The Xerox 1050 represents Loupe's commitment to digital and its growing focus on book printing, which began just over a year ago when it launched as an independent company from the in-house facility at Imprima.

Since then Loupe has developed in to a 50-strong team and produces documents under intense pressure - benefiting from its Xerox digital equipment.

The new press is being used to produce time-critical documents, such as legal training books and transactional information that require printing speeds of up to 1,000 pages per minute (ppm).

Richard Howell, managing director of Loupe Solutions, based in Lambeth, South London (UK), said: "Since installing the Xerox 1050 we are able to keep up with customers' demands and paginations are going through the roof.

We have gained a high level of interest in our book printing service because of the speed of production and customers now understand the press's capability and the possibilities of digital." He continued: "Over the past year we have adapted our services to the demands of short-run digital - such as being able to handle variable data - to the extent that we expect short-run litho printing to die off in the next three-to-five years.

We are now reviewing how to maximise our investment to offer more value to our existing customers and plan to apply this to other markets." Loupe's portfolio of digital and litho printing equipment includes the Xerox 1050, Xerox Docucolor 6060, Docucolor 2060 and Docutech 6135, all with DocuSP controller RIPs.

The presses are fully supported by Continua, a UK company owned by Xerox that offers multi-vendor service to production printing and mailing operations.

The Xerox 1050 at Loupe is also integrated with a Weko re-moisturising unit and pre-handling and post-handling equipment supplied by Xerox, but manufactured by Lasermax, which delivers stacked book blocks ready for binding, as well as an MB signature folder that will deliver folded products with a stronger bind.

The company uses Xerox's Freeflow scan and make-ready software as workflow systems, complementing its Xerox equipment.

Loupe first saw the Xerox 1050 when the product was launched at Drupa in May 2004.

The system is said to print at up to 244 feet per minute and is designed for publishing and transactional documents.

Unlike standard-width continuous-feed printers, which only accommodate two 6" x 9" images across the paper roll stock width, the Xerox 1050 has a 19.5" web width to fit three images across.

As a result, the Xerox systems print 50 per cent more 6" x 9" images per minute, reducing the cost per image, whilst improving throughput in the most popular format used for paperback books, statements and invoices.

Anoush Dowlatshahi-Gordon, director and general manager for the production systems group at Xerox UK, said: "We realised the Xerox 1050 would allow Loupe to become more competitive and fill its capacity to generate more business in the commercial printing environment.

The product is the best-fit print technology for Loupe's specific requirements because it is a stable and constructive solution with good quality and output.".

Back to top