Xerox has been transforming itself in recent years, and one area of growth is in digital printing. In recent years, the company has focused on inkjet printing; Xerox has made major gains in the transactional and direct mail fields and announced plans to move into the packaging space by drupa 2020. 
 
On June 26, Xerox showcased its newest inkjet press, the Baltoro HF Inkjet Press. Designed for high-volume transactional work, direct mail and brochures,  the Baltoro HF is Xerox newest platform, featuring automated intelligence, High Fusion ink and Xerox High Fusion W-Series Inkjet Heads. The company reports that the press delivers true high definition 1200 x 1200 dpi image quality. Eliminating priming solutions or precoats is another key advantage.

Chris Irick, Xerox’s worldwide product marketing manager, entry production inkjet, noted that the Baltoro HF Inkjet Press is a platform for the future, adding that Xerox is “leapfrogging the competition.” 
 
“Baltoro does everything that Brenva does and more,” Irick added. “We now have an end-to-end single vendor design. Everything in that box is us. The Baltoro uses our High Fusion printheads, and our High Fusion Print Engine powered by AI. We have best-in-class automation, balanced value, volume and velocity.” 
 
“It is important for us to be seen as a technology powerhouse,” said Tracey Koziol, SVP of global offerings, Xerox. “We engineered the Baltoro HF by leveraging the best of our iGen and High Fusion inkjet technologies. Designing and manufacturing the Baltoro HF from the frame to the engine gives us a greater ability to continuously advance the platform at a faster clip.”

Bill Bay, manager, production cut sheet business team at Xerox Graphic Communications Solutions, noted that Baltoro is designed for direct mail and general commercial printing like flyers, brochures and marketing materials. 

“Our customers wanted speed and economy, and the Baltoro HF Inkjet Press is an elegant solution,” Bay added.
 
Steve Welkley, VP, production inkjet sales for Xerox, noted that the company’s water-based High Fusion Inks are critical to the success of the Xerox inkjet platform.
 
“You have to design from the inks out – if you want to put out a press on the market that is low energy costs and smaller footprint, you can’t have an ink with super-high water content. This allows for a short paper path and small drying systems,” Welkley pointed out.

Marybeth Gilbert, Xerox’s VP production inkjet business, noted that Xerox has more than 12,000 active patents and invests $1 billion annually in R&D. 
 
“We already have our first order. We priced the Baltoro HF very competitively,” Gilbert noted. “Our customers see this as an addition, not a trade.”

“At the end of the day the customer wants value on the page,” Irick concluded. “Value, volume and velocity is the holy grail of printing. We are printing direct to media without primers or premedia. We have a wider color gamut and smooth sweeps and gradients, fueled by High Fusion Ink. The Baltoro HF corrects for missing jets in real time, and prints. 300 impressions per minute. We made the High Fusion printheads in class-setting print width of 13.76 inches.”