Xerox's $177,000 dual-engine Nuvera printer

Sure, we've heard whispers of printers shooting out 170 (or 1,000) pages per minute, but realizable results from these uber-quick machines are sketchy to say the least. As a part of its tightly integrated parallel printing (TIPP) research, Xerox is getting set to unveil a "dual-engine Nuvera" that allows two print engines to work simultaneously in order to impress double the amount of documents than machines sporting a single engine. Reportedly based on the same ideology used in dual-core processors, the parallel printing technology can crank out "288 impressions per minute," and boasts the ability to automatically continue printing at half speed if one engine fails while in use. While it's unlikely that the average accountant or elementary school teacher would find value in dropping $177,000 on the twin-engine machine, we're sure there will be more than a few firms lined up to take delivery in Q2 2007 -- unless, of course, these (perpetually delayed) e-readers ever gain traction.

[AJ @ Oct 16th 2006 3:43PM]

these printers are weak compared to IBM printers, costing millions of dollars.

[Illuminated One @ Oct 16th 2006 3:49PM]

The paperless office seems less likely.

[misterbleepy @ Oct 16th 2006 4:04PM]

Up to 1354 impressions per minute:

http://www.printers.ibm.com/internet/wwsites.nsf/vwwebpublished/4100home_ww

[scabby @ Oct 16th 2006 4:27PM]

The IBM printers that hit this speed are continuous feed, and don't have to deal with things like the air flow over the leading edge of the paper, because it's a continuous stream. And after you're done with your zillion pages per minute, you still have to separate it, cut it, or hire a room full of (insert ethnicity of cheap foreign labor here) people to tear all your perfs off.

The Xerox printer, and lots of others that are experimenting (with some besides Xerox also having good effect) with dual engine printing, are using cut-sheet paper, and BY THE WAY, don't cost the GDP of Zimbabwe or require the population of Zimbabwe to support it. The IBM continuous feed printers are OK for companies like Merril-Lynch, but bad for anyone whose business isn't (in effect) printing their own money.

[CharlieX @ Oct 16th 2006 4:18PM]

Dude, they gotta get a CopyCat.

[misterbleepy @ Oct 16th 2006 4:53PM]

Machinery to post process (burst, cut etc) output from continuous forms printers is readily available.
You would most likely find that paper jams etc. are much less common with continuous feed printers - as you say, they don't have to deal with the airflow over the leading edge of the paper.
You would probably also be surprised how cheap to run and little support they require (compared to printers with many more moving (therefore wearing) parts inside them).
You are right in that you need to be wanting to produce a lot of printed output to make one worthwile, but then the $177,000 Xerox is a lot of $'s (plus presumably a lot of service and consumable $'s) for the performance it gives (yes I do know how much the IBM machines cost).

[Fritz @ Oct 16th 2006 5:34PM]

plenty of companies I work for have machines like this. You would be suprised how many compies run this type of volumes. The price point is key.

By the way continous feed is just the input the attatchment cuts the paper no need for human hands!

[Matthew @ Oct 16th 2006 4:45PM]

Having worked on the Nuvera machines, I can tell you they're a lot more reliable than the docutechs that were running at 180ppms. Granted, I haven't worked with these new Nuveras, but I really think that printing is at a plateau where we must decide on quality and reliability vs. speed.

-m.

[Eleventeen @ Oct 16th 2006 8:17PM]

Yeah...We've got 2 DocuTech 135's and a 180, and the Nuvera 120 we have is probably the most reliable machine in the house. Our new 4590 is the best machine, but only 90 copies a min.

eoin - you could buy 2 machines at this price, but they wont have the finishing features of these machines. I can put 4 different stocks into a DocuTech, and it will dump a finished, bound packet with tabs, meaning *I* don't have to do that work manually (which is a pain when you're running several hundred packets.)

[liptonbrisk @ Oct 16th 2006 5:19PM]

Yeah, the pages per minute for this printer is nothing spectacular. And the "two engine" idea is far from revolutionary. :p

[Fritz Alcindor Jr. @ Oct 16th 2006 5:31PM]

$177,000 is a bargain!!! I work with Imagerunner 125's which run about $250,000 at 125 impressions a minute. Imagerunner 110 is more used and it comes in at about $200,000 range. The big ? is how much is the service contract??? and what features are offered as addons and are the add on crazy expensive?

[eoin @ Oct 16th 2006 7:48PM]

so yeah, how about you buy 2 regular printers and save roughly $175000?

[thuff9999 @ Oct 16th 2006 7:53PM]

lets hope they add another sun box in there to keep the rip speed up (especially for VIPP jobs). who cares what the print speed is if the rip can't keep up.

[Steve0 @ Oct 16th 2006 10:34PM]

I have my doubts about that $177k price point. The Oce VarioPrint 6250 (250 ipm), which was introduced earlier this year, costs around $450k AFAIK.

[scabby @ Oct 16th 2006 10:07PM]

@Eleventeen: Whomever you work for should have bought the 4110s. The 4590 is simply a slowed down 4110, which, to me, is a shame. It's an amazing machine, solid for the price, and never dies.

@thuff9999: Isn't one DocuSP buggy enough? You want another?! My only real problem with the Nuveras is the RIP engine.

@Mr.Bleepy: Truenuff... but again, totally different worlds. AFAIK, there are addons for this class of machine that add roll-feed capability to the machine, but it's really just a glorified cut-sheet feeder. It's just cutting it as needed.

@eoin: How in the world are you going to get 288IPM from "two regular printers". Especially two regular printers that cost $1000 each. HPs that cost $1000, their LaserJet 2430TNs, do 30IPM / minute (if I remember right) simplex with a max stock of 8.5" x 14". These printers aren't even in the same arena.

[Shadyman @ Oct 17th 2006 12:14AM]

"...allows two print engines to work simultaneously in order to impress double the amount of documents than machines sporting a single engine..."

But then again, Two printers side by side ALSO impress double the amount of documents than machines sporting a single engine

[nick @ Oct 17th 2006 1:35AM]

three words: PC LOAD LETTER


dual core printing, single core failure point. and lets face it, printers fail. always.

[popeye @ Oct 17th 2006 11:37AM]

Scabby, I kill both 4110's we have on a regular basis, the folder being a weak point as is the buggy software. Hell we had to have a patch made just for us to get the thing to run a job with tabs, covers etc! And I just found another the last week...

The Nuvera sounds nice, but for the next 4-5 years this 6135 behind me will have to do (along with the 4110, DC 240 and DC8000).

Um Shadyman, not in the same printer though, ever hand collate?

[chris @ Oct 17th 2006 6:00PM]

177,000 OR buy 3 90-95ppm used digital copiers with print function and have them work on the same job.. at the very least you save 157,000. Hell if I was worried about reliability I could hire a tech to watch my machines 24/7 and still come out a winner.