Device Spotlight – Meet the Xerox Versant 3100

Is your organization ready to achieve optimal workflow efficiency through high-impact automation?

Making the jump from conventional multifunction devices to a full-fledged production printer is a big decision. It's also cause for celebration – installing a printing press like the Xerox Versant 3100 is a sure sign of expansion and growth.

This printer uses state-of-the-art technology to deliver unparalleled performance. With breakneck print speeds capable of approaching 100 pages per minute, automatic color calibration, and support for ultra-high-resolution printing, this device is in a class all of its own.

The Versant 3100 combines several innovative Xerox technologies to produce results that competing models cannot match. It outperforms every other printer in its price range in key areas of automation, paper handling, and image resolution.

With the ability to deliver up to 250,000 pages per month of vivid, high-resolution print with unprecedented image consistency, it is the top choice for discriminating enterprises and organizations. It will give you the power you need to move marketing and promotional material processes entirely in-house, generating significant cost-savings and making your team less reliant on third-party print houses.

Industry-Leading Resolution Bit Depth Comes Standard

When Xerox says that the Versant 3100 offers the best image resolution in the print industry, it is not an exaggeration. This printer supports 2400 x 2400 dpi print resolution, but the true power of Xerox innovation is in the image bit depth.

Printers create images by layering individual dots of color on an imaginary grid. Conventional printing presses use 8-bit print engines to determine the exact hue of each dot. Eight bits of information translates to 256 distinct, individual states. An 8-bit print engine chooses the closest hue to the original image's color from among the 256 possible hues it can generate.

The Versant 3100 features a standard bit rate of 10. That means that every single dot it places on the 2400 x 2400 grid is colored from a selection of 1024 individual hues. This printer generates images with color depth and vibrancy four times greater than any other printer on the market.

Process Automation for Color Calibration and Registration

The Xerox Versant 3100 is not just a leader in terms of image quality. It is also a highly efficient, automated print production workhorse that uses world-class engineering to reduce the amount of time and effort it takes to produce top-quality prints.

One of the ways it does this is by automatically calibrating itself before print runs. Thanks to the inclusion of a Full Width Array and Xerox Automated Color Quality software, your print operator can save hours of time checking color table references and simply let the machine take care of calibration itself.

The Full Width Array also fine-tunes dot density uniformity, which safeguards image quality across the entire page. This prevents washed-out areas from popping up on individual pages – a frustrating yet commonplace occurrence in high-volume print environments.

The Versant 3100 also features automated image-to-media alignment that eliminates the risk of costly registration errors ruining entire print batches. Anyone with experience in a high-volume print shop knows that a tiny degree of image skew can quickly turn into a massive problem when dealing with large print runs. The Versant 3100 automates error-prone and time-consuming tasks for you.

Clear Paper Jams Easily with Automatic Sheet Clearing

Another time-saving innovation the Xerox Versant 3100 features is automatic sheet clearing. In the world of print, paper jams are the ultimate challenge. A jam at the wrong moment can ruin mission-critical print runs, and so far, the premise of a guaranteed paper-jam-free printer remains out of reach.

However, there are ways to minimize the damage and frustration the paper jams cause, and the Versant 3100 is a shining example of how this can be done. If the printing press stops in the middle of a print run because of a jam, it automatically ejects all sheets in the paper path to its top trays.

This means that the operator does not have to open every single printer door and scour the entire paper path to free papers from inside the machine before starting the run again. Clearing a paper jam from a high-volume printing press used to be a time-consuming waste – now it takes mere seconds.

With compatibility for paper weights of up to 300 gsm, there is no better first-time production printer on the market than the Xerox Versant 3100. Incorporate this tool in your arsenal and you will observe an exponential increase in productivity and efficiency from your print room.

Is it time for your company to make the jump from desktop printing to high-impact, high-volume, value-generating printing of in-house marketing materials and booklets? Talk to us!

Speaking of Work – Did You Get Your Free Copy?

Xerox spent 2017 hard at work. Between updating the ConnectKey App Gallery to provide new,
innovative functionalities and putting together the foundation of its merger with Fuji Xerox, the
company also engaged world-class authors in an impressive project called Set the Page Free.

The project culminated with the release of a collaborative ebook written by 14 world-famous
creators in a globe-spanning process that made full use of Xerox technology. The ebook, entitled
Speaking of Work, is now available for free download, as well.

Speaking of Work is the product of Xerox's commitment to advancing and developing methods
of communication. Streamlining the exchange of ideas has always been a core foundation of
Xerox's business objectives, from the world-changing invention of the Xerox 914 to the release
of ConnectKey.

To make this book possible, the company equipped 14 world-class creators with Xerox technology
and sponsored the creation of a collaborative work. In collaboration with Worldreader and the
92nd Street Y, the company succeeded in putting together a new process-oriented workflow that
is location- and language-independent.

Who Worked on Speaking of Work?

Many of the creators who contributed to Speaking of Work hail from the world of literature.
For example, Alain Mabanckou (Broken Glass, Black Bazar), Joyce Carol Oates (We Were
the Mulvaneys, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?), and Sloane Crosley (The Clasp,
I Was Told There'd Be Cake) contributed.

But it is not just a collaborative work of highly regarded authors. Award-winning graphic designer
Chip Kidd and singer-songwriter Aimee Mann contributed as well. Each individual has a story to tell
and uses the framework Xerox provided to tell it.

State-of-the-Art Collaboration Made Possible by Xerox

Xerox dedicated eight technologies to the making of Speaking of Work.

• Xerox ConnectKey. ConnectKey was an integral part of the Speaking of Work workflow. It provided
the contributors with a reliable framework for remote collaboration using ConnectKey-enabled
multifunction devices.

• Print Authentication. Authors sharing their creative works with one another from halfway across
the globe need to be sure their words end up in the right hands. Xerox print authentication ensures
that each user has complete control over who, how, and when their data is shared.

• Xerox DocuShare Flex. DocuShare Flex is a collaborative platform that uses cloud technology to
offer document management to remote teams. It was a critical element of the collaborative
workflow that produced this book.

• Voice Recognition. The authors who contributed to Speaking of Work did not need to remember
and type out 14 different email addresses or workgroup configurations to collaborate with one
another. Voice recognition technology let them simply call one another by name when sending
manuscripts back and forth.

• Xerox Easy Translator. Not all of the authors included write exclusively in English. Valeria Luiselli
wrote her most well-known works in Spanish. Born in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, Alain
Mabanckou writes in French and speaks several Bantu languages. Xerox Easy Translator offers
on-the-spot translation for easy and accurate cross-cultural communication.

• Print by Xerox. The Print by Xerox app allows mobile users to directly print and scan documents
from any Android or iOS device. With this tool in hand, users have unlimited access to print
resources anywhere they go, allowing for unprecedented on-the-job flexibility.

• Xerox Print and Scan for Google Drive. Some of the book's collaborators already use Google
Drive, and others were unfamiliar with the platform. Xerox bridged the gap between both camps
by allowing the entire team to integrate intuitively with Google Drive.

• Xerox Print and Scan for DropBox. Xerox ConnectKey works with all major cloud storage
platforms, including DropBox. By enabling easy, intuitive access to every platform, contributors
with entirely different workflows could easily communicate with each another.

The Cause: Developing Worldwide Literacy

Set the Page Free is the product of a partnership between Xerox, Worldreader, and the 92nd
Street Y. Together, these organizations are working towards a better future – a world in which
illiteracy is eradicated and education is available for everyone.

Worldreader, with the help of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, offers 40,000+ book titles to a
world community of over 500,000 readers. Founded in 2010, the organization has reached a
total of 7.5 million individuals during the course of its activities, providing books and e-readers
to people living in areas without access to libraries or sufficient municipal infrastructure for literacy.

The 92nd Street Y is a world-class cultural and community center in New York City. It runs
education outreach programs focused on bringing literacy to the disadvantaged, helping both
children and adults to learn to read and write.

Are you ready to set the page free and implement on-the-go creativity for your employees?
Talk to a QBSI-Xerox expert about your needs and we'll develop a Xerox-powered solution for you.

What You Should Expect From the Xerox and Fuji Merger

In late January 2018, Xerox and Fuji Xerox announced that the two companies would merge.

The move for Fujifilm Holdings to consolidate its stake in Xerox in the landmark $6.1 billion
deal comes as both companies seek to leverage their respective strengths and offer
customers better, more powerful office solutions and graphic communications equipment.

The History of Xerox and Fuji Xerox

At first, it might seem odd that Xerox and Fuji Xerox would merge, since both companies
already share the Xerox name.

But Fuji Xerox is the result of a 1962 partnership between Fujifilm Holdings and Rank Xerox,
which was absorbed into Xerox Corporation in 1997. Fujifilm Holdings has a 75 percent
stake in the joint venture and Xerox 25 percent.

This deal would see Fuji Xerox buying back its stake from FujiFilm Holdings for
$6.1 billion dollars' worth of bank debt and using the proceeds to purchase 50.1 percent of
new Xerox shares, making it the majority stakeholder of the tech innovation giant.

This decision produces a $2.5 billion special cash dividend for corporate stakeholders and
gives the combined company a better edge developing new technologies. It gives Xerox,
an iconic technology brand with a deeply-entrenched culture of innovation and one of the
best operating margins in the industry access to Fuji Xerox's top-rated Asian market share
and world-class research and development platform.

According to Fujifilm CEO Shigetaka Komori: “The new structure will leverage the strengths
of [Fujifilm Holdings, Fuji Xerox, and Xerox Corporation]”

These strengths include Xerox's strong governance standards and capacity for innovation.
FujiFilm Holdings has growth capacity that Xerox would otherwise not have access to,
particularly in the Asian market – it is Japan's number-one print industry brand.

By the Numbers: The New Combined Fuji Xerox

The broad global scale of Fuji Xerox following the execution of the merger will encompass
more than 180 countries. The new company will enjoy number-one ranking in equipment
revenue share for the print industry, and a new addressable opportunity of approximately
$120 billion dollars. This will lead to projected revenues of $18 billion dollars.

The combined company will have an estimated $1 billion dollars invested in R&D, making it
the industry's largest innovator by market share. Both companies will merge their six
combined innovation labs, redirecting the focus of their 6,600+ engineers towards new
methods for generating value for 21st century organizations.

Fuji Xerox will now have 11,470 patents to its name, and a strong financial profile boosted
by approximately $1.7 billion in expected annual cost savings. It will achieve an industry-
leading operating margin in the high-teens by 2022, and enjoy a free cash flow of $1.5
billion dollars by 2020.

What to Expect from the Future Fuji Xerox

Xerox CEO Jeff Jacobson announced that the merger unlocks significant opportunities for
growth and productivity while delivering significant value to Xerox shareholders. The $2.5
billion special cash dividend amounts to a per-share bonus of $9.80. The new company will
be better positioned to operate in fast-growing markets, and better capable of creating
innovative products for the office environments of the future.

Xerox is now poised to take advantage of a leadership position in the growing Asia-Pacific
market, worth $36 billion. The company's multi-brand reseller expansion strategies have
not traditionally been a part of Fuji Xerox's operational approach, creating an exciting
avenue for future growth.

Everyday Xerox customers can expect advances in high-speed inkjet technology, packaging,
workplace automation, and industrial print thanks to the addition of Fuji Xerox expertise
and development resources. In particular, the new company's AI initiatives stand to gain
significant traction from the synergistic combination of expertise between its two
constituent companies.

The total cost savings of the deal – $1.7 billion per year – will drive significant expansion
over the next four years. End-users can expect better prices, more complete solutions, and
increased accessibility from Xerox over this time frame. The new company enjoys revenue
synergy opportunities that play to the strength of its new global reach.

Multinational Xerox clients can expect service that better responds to their needs
irrespective of their physical location. Whereas previously organizations would have
to deal with Xerox in the United States of America and Fuji Xerox in Australia, for example,
these enterprises now have a single point of contact for meeting their business
productivity needs.

Keep a close eye on the new Fuji Xerox, an $18 billion print-industry leviathan with
newfound resources, capabilities, and ambitions.

QBSI-Xerox  is and will remain a Xerox company. Find out how the new Fuji Xerox can serve
your organization's workplace productivity needs by speaking with a QBSI-Xerox specialist.

So What Really Is Business Process Automation?

You may start to hear the term "Business Process Automation" circulating - So what is it exactly?

Gartner defines it as "the automation of complex business processes and functions beyond conventional data manipulation and record-keeping activities, usually through the use of advanced technologies." 

Really, the goal of most business software is to take tedious processes and convert them into a push-button workflow that takes the manual out of manual labor. Because logging into a website to approve some invoices instead of Jim chasing after you every afternoon for a signature sounds a little easier... on everyone. 

So you have a lot of paper, I mean a lot of paper, and some days sorting and organizing that paper has the potential to turn your brain to mush. But what if we could implement a process that begins with a few steps at the copier and ends
in a nice convenient digital file cabinet that contains all the business process workflow for each document?

For instance, your job is to take your stack of paper, review each sheet, sort them into the appropriate stacks, have each of the four managers approve their stack in a timely (and I stress timely) fashion, then be able to track down those invoices, new hire packets or expense reports (whatever makes up your "stack of paper") at any given moment.  You might have a tear running down your cheek right now as you imagine yourself in the file room with drawers of file cabinets ripped open and you sprawled out on the floor going through yellow folder after yellow folder (who decided on that shade of yellow anyway?) looking for that one page, only to be interrupted 50 times for things that are possibly more important but that must take a back seat until you can find that one... wait... there it is!

If this sounds familiar, I think we can help...well I know we can help. Business Process Automation isn't just a new trendy term, it is in fact real and we know all about it.  So wipe those tears away and let us know when you are ready to make it a reality. We are here waiting!

Join us in Vancouver, Washington at the Hilton on October 15, 2015 to learn more from our experts! Register now at www.ctx-xerox.com/tech.html

How Much Are Your Paper Documents Really Costing You?

For more information

QBSI - Greater Washington

CTX - Oregon and SW Washington

The Xerox® Versant™ 2100

We are excited to announce the new 

Xerox® Versant™ 2100!

The Xerox® Versant™ 2100 is a revolutionary new product that gives you the amazing color control and automation tools found on the Xerox 800 and 1000 but with a modular design that allows a much smaller footprint.

The Xerox® Versant™ 2100 Press can help streamline your operation and make you more competitive and indispensable in a number of ways:

• Less waste—print in exact quantities
• Less downtime—Xerox® Connect Advantage means more press availability
• Improved efficiency—fewer steps and less operator intervention
• Reduced turnaround times—less trial and error means jobs are produced and in your customers’ hands more quickly
• Automated workflow—reduced labor costs and more accurate output

Automation is key!

When you tap into this burgeoning demand for short runs, quick turnarounds and personalized print, and have the hundreds of jobs you need to print in a day to get a return on your investment, the sobering truth can settle in.  Fifty to 100 or more jobs in a day simply can’t be produced using the same processes and equipment as in the past.

The Xerox® Versant™ 2100 Press brings together automation from beginning to end to make it possible—and productive—to produce the greater number of smaller jobs that now characterize the print marketplace.

• Automation that makes job setup faster
• Automation that makes it easier to get outstanding, consistent color
• Automation that opens up new areas of finishing versatility

For a demonstration of the new addition to the Xerox product line, let us know:

Oregon and SW Washington - CTX

Greater Washington - QBSI

How Non-Profits and Corporations Collaborate to Do Good By Sachin Shenolikar

"Once upon a time, it was common for non-profit organizations to be run by a couple of people with an extreme passion for a cause. They would be grassroots efforts — family and friends were often recruited to help out. Corporations would be approached for financial support but not much else. While the mission had a lot of heart, there often wasn’t a strong game plan in place that could lead to massive success.

Things are vastly different today. As the nature of business has transformed over the past decade, it has impacted the way non-profits are run. Many — even small ones — are complex, structured, and hyper-organized. The mentality of for-profit corporations has shifted as well. They have realized that social responsibility is not just about throwing money at causes. Being engaged in those causes is an important factor in the success of their business.

Simply put, non-profits and corporations have become intertwined in the ways they operate. Real Business spoke with leaders from both sides to learn more about how they work together."

Read More about the collaboration between Non-Profits and Corporations:

http://simplifywork.blogs.xerox.com/2014/06/24/how-non-profits-and-corporations-collaborate-to-do-good/

From The New Hire Perspective

“I had an amazing opportunity in getting this job right after college, and I think that speaks a lot about the company in general.  Within these doors, there’s such a unique environment, a mix of tenured folks, who really bring so much knowledge and experience to the table, and the fresh faces, eager to start and flourish in their professional lives.  Instead of there being any sort of hierarchy or selfishness, what really stood out to me the most was how much these experienced reps wanted to help out.  The biggest emphasis in their advice was the importance of relationships and that people buy from people. After being here for a year and a half, that’s exactly how I look at it.

If the bottom line for any sales position isn’t to help people out, you won’t be successful. As most would agree, I think the world of “sales” comes with a certain stigma and that’s something that can’t really be avoided.  But what I have noticed is the people that are the most successful and tenured became that way because they were able to create those relationships and trust with these companies.  If I ever lost my vision in that, I’d walk away.  What I enjoy the most about being a part of CTX and the entire Northwest Group is that they created an environment where I felt that anything less was unacceptable.”

We are always looking for energetic, positive and outstanding individuals to join our team!

Click here to view available job opportunities in our Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, Boise, Pocatello, Redmond, Auburn, Yakima and Kennewick offices!

Introducing Technology Change

Congratulations!  Your business is investing in new technology.  You’re eagerly anticipating cries of joy from your team members when they use that shiny hardware, dazzling software, or brilliant process. 

Sadly, users often greet new technology with dismay instead of joy.  Faced with an abrupt change and the need to learn a new process, people can panic and resist.  To decrease panic and increase satisfaction, you need a training plan.  QBSI has helped organizations of all sizes deal with everything from minor adjustments to sweeping business process change.  Here’s what we’ve found works.

1.     Introduce the change.  Tell your team that new technology is coming, when it will arrive, and why the decision was made.  In my role as trainer for QBSI, I’ve heard a lot of variations of “It just showed up one day” and “why do we have to do this?”  We don’t want the users to perceive the new technology as an alien invasion – violent and disruptive.  We want it to be more like a cool new coworker that everyone is looking forward to meeting.

2.     Explain when training will be scheduled.  If training isn’t possible right away, most people will muddle through their basic tasks if they know more instruction is coming.  We’ve found it very helpful to post a “Questions?” sheet in a public place.  Ask users to think about their typical work and what they know they will need the new system to do.

3.     Put resources somewhere accessible.  Many products have electronic documentation and help databases.  Place links to those on a website or in a shared folder, and send an email to tell users where to find them. Physical manuals or “how to” posters can be placed with new hardware.

4.     Identify key users.  Most organizations have either official support staff, or an unofficial technology guru.  Plan additional training for those key users, with the goal that they will be a resource for their coworkers. 

5.     Train on the basics, plus a little bit.  An initial training can introduce the main features and tools. Ideally, aim to cover the basics that all users need, plus a couple of cool and helpful additional features to add excitement about your new technology and keep your more confident users interested.  Don’t try to cover everything.

6.     Plan follow up training for complex projects and needs. These should be smaller sessions that address specific users. For example, for a document management system, some users will need to know how to manage import or archiving.  For document production and printing, identify complex packets or materials.

The goal of this introduction process is for your users to become confident about exploring the capabilities and benefits of their new technology.  Help it be a friend, not an invader.

By Melinda Morrow

Product Support Specialist

Stories from the Field

“Great customer service.” What does that phrase mean to you? I hear it nearly every day, and yet I wonder how different people interpret this concept. A wholly intangible idea, this can be difficult to define.

For our customers, the experience begins as soon as they pick up the phone to contact us. While our Field Service Technicians are the face of a customer’s experience with the Northwest Group (CTX and QBSI), our Dispatchers in the Customer Care Center are the voice. If a customer experiences long hold times, unclear communication, or the feeling their concerns are not being addressed, then an opportunity to provide great customer service has already been missed. However, if a customer has a prompt, concise and attentive conversation when calling the Northwest Group, the tone has been set for a great overall experience. But great customer service doesn’t end there.

As important as effective communication is to our Customer Call Center, it is equally imperative to our Service Department. At the Northwest Group, we ask that all of our technicians contact our customers within one hour of receiving their service call to provide an estimated time of arrival. This allows a customer to understand where they fall in our technician’s schedule. Since not all copier repairs go as expected, not every ETA can be achieved, which is why follow-up communication is absolutely critical. If a technician knows they cannot meet an ETA, it is of the utmost importance that they communicate with their customer to update them as soon as possible. Additionally, if a machine is in need of parts that must be ordered from our manufacturers, and the part arrival is delayed, step one is to contact our customer to update them of the situation, and offer alternative solutions, if possible. 

What does this all mean? Communication is the key!

So, what does great customer service mean to me? That our customers immediately know the expectations, are communicated with if there is any delay, and what the plan is if there are any hurdles that our Service Department needs to overcome. Now that’s great customer service.

Jim Wadsworth 

Field Service Manager

www.ctx-xerox.com

www.qbsi-xerox.com