Commercial print company Four Colour Print has expanded its digital printing capabilities with aart Xerox Versant 3100 press from Bytes Document Solutions’ (BDS) authorised service partner XBC-IT.

The Versant 3100 is a versatile and highly automated four-colour dry toner production press.

A family-owned business, Four Colour Print was established in 2002 as a lithographic print company. It has since evolved into an integrated print solutions provider that offers lithographic, digital, and large-format printing, as well as print finishing, from its 3 600m2 production facility in Johannesburg. It services SMEs, NGOs, government, and multinational organisations throughout Southern Africa and in several countries in Europe.

Four Colour Print had been using regular office printers which were no longer able to meet rising customer demand for digital print products, which is what drove their decision to buy a production press.

“We have gone through a period of unprecedented growth, allowing the business to expand and invest in new technology,” says Johan Enslin, owner of Four Colour Print. “When we first decided to invest in the latest digital printing technology we investigated several options. Xerox’s quality met all our standards with colour consistency and accuracy being a priority. Cost was a major factor in the decision-making process, as was our need to deliver better turnaround times for our customers.

Since we bought the Versant 3100, our company’s printing capabilities have significantly increased and our digital business has continued to grow. This has opened up new revenue streams for the business, and we are extremely happy with the performance of the press.

“We are now able to print duplex 350gsm, as well as long sheet sizes, which has enabled us to offer additional services to our clients. The press also captures corporate colours accurately and consistently, giving us the ability to achieve what many of our competitors cannot. We can print on digital magnetic and synthetic media, and on matt or gloss coated media, and we can also use Versant prints as a proofing document for our litho printing.”

James Carruthers, sales executive at XBC-IT, says that the Versant 3100 offers great versatility and time-saving automation, to help print companies run more short-run jobs per shift, as well as long-sheet capability and a choice of inline finishing options.

“It was designed for commercial print businesses and offers high performance, high reliability, and high image quality,” he adds. “It’s the optimum solution for a print business seeking to achieve growth and meet performance goals.”

Key features of the Versant 3100 include:

* Automated Colour Quality System (ACQS), which handles colour management.

* Full Width Array, a built-in colour scanner that works with the ACQS to correct for colour and density variations and misalignment of the print image.

* Ultra HD Resolution, a combination of 2 400dpi resolution, imaging path and VCSEL ROS laser technology.

* EA Toner, Xerox’s chemically grown particle technology.

* A compact belt fuser.

* Variable data printing and in-line numbering.

* Ability to print on NCR (no carbon required) carbon sheets for books

“Having had no prior relationship with Xerox and XBC-IT, we are very satisfied with the quality of the Versant 3100 and the high level of service provided,” says Enslin. “We look forward to a long relationship with the brand.”