By Andy Slawetsky – On May 9, Xerox launched their latest and most innovative press in years as they announced the Iridesse. The Iridesse is a six station press that combines four color printing (CYMK) with two extra specialty inks designed for use on ads, cards, posters and more.

A key attribute of this printer is the ability to print metallics, something that is extremely labor-intensive using current litho methods. Now, the Iridesse press will allow customers to do it with the push of a button, in a single pass.

I was one of very few analysts at this event of over 120 people, most of whom were current and potential customers. I thought the technology was very cool, but it was these customers that really told the story. They were all over the machine. When you look at my photos and videos, you’ll see how mobbed it was. By the time I had left, at least one customer had bought an Iridesse press.

Customers loved the output and the ability to offer something new their own customers. This press seemed like a home run to this crowd.

I’ve spoken to GIS and Xerox sales people that are very excited for this product as well. They’re very fired up.


Click here to see all event photos and videos!


I’ve been to other Xerox launches and seen other “major” products receive considerably less enthusiasm and much more “we’ll see” attitudes. That wasn’t the case at this event. These customers were extremely interested in this press. It’s really hard to come up with a truly new and unique technology these days and Xerox seems to have done just that. The Iridesse clearly offers customers something new, that they probably couldn’t do before.

During the event, Xerox had two customers on a panel talking about their experience, how lucrative this product is and how much potential they see. The Q & A at the end had question after question from their peers who were keenly interested in topics like margins, discounting, types of paper they could use, etc. This crowd wanted to know how this machine could impact their businesses and the panel had the answers.

I had a chance to chat with Glenn from England, one of the two panelists. I asked him how much more he thought his company could make with this device and, while it was difficult to quantify as he’s just starting, he was very upbeat on the potential as he’s offering new products and services (with the metallic printing) that customers seem to love. Customers see the metallic output and the ideas begin to flow. Glenn liked his beta product so much he’s buying it and I get the feeling he’ll be adding another at some point down the road.

I appreciate the invitation to cover this event. It was a big day for Xerox and they seem to have nailed it with this product based on the reaction I saw from their customers.

Andy Slawetsky

Iridescent Colors and Specialty Embellishments Never Seen Before in Digitally Printed Pieces Now a Reality