Xerox in joint venture with Stora Enso

Xerox has tied with Stora Enso to develop an integrated inline cut-sheet print solution designed for short-run personalised packaging printers.

Print giant Xerox and the Scandinavian paper manufacturer are pitching at markets producing on demand, personalised printing in small volumes, such as those in the pharmaceutical sector.

The setup consists of a Xerox iGen3 110 Digital Production Press, coupled with a 580x40mm sheet size Kama die-cutter and a Stora Enso stacker-conveyer unit.

The press is configured with specially formulated magenta toner and an Epic CTi-635 varnishing unit with both aqueous and UV-coating options.

This is the first time an Xerox iGen3 press has been paired with an aqueous coater – a fast-drying, water-based, clear high-gloss coating requirement for many packaging applications.

A report, from industry consultancy Pira International, revealed that the worldwide digital print market for packaging was $580.7m (£292.3m) in 2005, a figure that is expected to reach $6bn by 2015.

President of Xerox Production Systems Group, Quincy Allen, said: "This will open up new business opportunities for brand owners and packaging converters resulting in additional revenue growth and profits."

The joint venture between Xerox and Stora Enso will be on display at Xerox's booth at Drupa.