Xerox Versant 180 Printing Press – Review of the Features and Performance

When it comes to image quality, the Xerox Versant 180 is an industry-leading printing press.

However, print shop operators with busy schedules know that pure image quality isn’t everything. If it was, publishers would still be painting book covers by hand like 16th century Franciscan monks. You need best-in-class quality that offers an edge over the competition while still remaining fast and cost-efficient.

The key to achieving an industry-leading edge is by incorporating technologies that decrease production time and make better use of available resources. In many cases, the most valuable resources that high-volume production shops of any kind have are human – in the publication and printing press industrial sector, this puts a clear emphasis on the value of automated workflows.

The Versant 180 is an industry-leading printing press in terms of its 2400 x 2400 DPI VCSEL ROS resolution and 1200 x 1200 x 10 RIP rendering ultra-HD performance. And although it isn’t one of the most advanced Xerox printers available, but it is a powerful tool for streamlining print shop workflows and ensuring that operators complete processes with state-of-the-art efficiency.

Xerox Versant 180 Review

The Versant 180 allows for easy automation of time-consuming processes through automated color management. But automated color management only accounts for part of the story – to truly optimize the process of manufacturing publication-quality materials, you need productivity enhancers that only add-on options and finishing can offer.

Advanced Oversized High Capacity Feeder

The Xerox Versant 180 supports an advanced oversized high capacity feeder option with 4,000-sheet capacity. It features two separate trays that accommodate paper sizes of up to 13 x 19.2 inches. Additionally, it includes a tray inserter that accommodates postcards and envelopes down to 4 x 6 inches in size.

Extra-Long Sheet (XLS) Capability

Printing banners, calendars, and dust jackets is easy with Xerox XLS functionality. This lets operators print materials up to 26 inches long.

Integrated Registration Alignment

The Xerox Versant 180 uses over 50 individual switches and sensors to control paper transport within the device. This system is automatic and accurate, preventing misfeeds and allowing for improved high-speed paper handling.

Integrated HD Scanner

While the Versant excels at high-volume printing applications, it also features a powerful dual-head color scanner. With a scan resolution of 600 DPI and a 250-sheet duplex automatic feeder, it is more than powerful enough to handle publication-quality scan-to-file, scan-to-email, and scan-to-server needs.

Advanced Finishing Options

Xerox’s Business Ready Finisher, Production Read Finisher, and Production Ready Finisher Plus options cover the gamut of professional finishing options. Xerox provides two-sided trimming options, decurlers, and multiple punching modules. You can even incorporate a complete a complete booklet maker in your production line and add binding with a GBC eWire tool.

Is the Xerox Versant 180 Fast?

Whether printing brochures, booklets, postcards, or magazines, time is of the essence. Printing press service operators who need to meet strict deadlines have to place priority on printing presses that deliver high quality materials quickly.

The Xerox Versant 180 is an attractive option for exactly that reason. Xerox designed this printing press to deliver attractive, high quality materials faster than any similarly sized press on the market. The approach behind its feature set is focused on reducing the amount of time individual employees need to ensure the proper calibration and production of bright, vivid paper print materials.

Through heavyweight stock calibration and automated color management tools, this device is guaranteed to save press time and make higher monthly production quotas possible.

Heavy Paper Stock is Not a Problem

Whereas competing printing presses slow down whenever you feed them heavy stock, the Versant 180’s performance speed of 80 pages per minute applies to even 350 gsm stock weight. This is part of Xerox’s All Stocks Rated Speed performance package – and it’s true.

Xerox designed the press mechanism of the Versant 180 to operate at 80 pages per minute indifferent to the size of the card stock or substrate used. This innovative technology eliminates the need for print houses to favor smaller stock in order to meet production quotas – you can now choose any stock you wish.

But the physical speed of the printing mechanism is just one aspect of the Versant’s time-capabilities. In fact, it has a whole set of features designed expressly for the purpose of reducing time spent on low-impact printing press work. This level of automation surpasses the industry standard – giving you an edge over your competitors.

Automated Color Management Software (ACQS)

Until now, operators had to carefully manage printing press colors manually, or use expensive specialized handheld hardware for the job. Xerox has incorporated automated color management into the Versant 180 printing press, using a combination of state-of-the-art software and integrated hardware.

The ACQS system automates the time-consuming process of printing and measuring calibration charts. Now, a press operator needs only initiate the process – the Versant 180 will resolve its own complex decisions about color maintenance, refer to its own calibration charts, and calculate its own precise adjustments to color tables using the results it generates.

The Versant 180 is able to do this because it features its own proprietary inline spectrophotometer. This functionality is bundled in the device’s standard hardware systems, directly on the paper path. It measures spectral data as paper moves through the system and it delivers that data to the ACQS so that color management can occur, automatically, in real-time.

This can save hours of project time when compared to operator-intensive manual processes. Managing color has been a costly, time-consuming process since the early days of print – especially when due to human error. Automating this process turns color management into a painless experience for any operator.

User-Replaceable Parts Eliminate Downtime

Xerox parts are well-known as some of the print industry’s most robust, but nonetheless, high-volume work environments will take their toll on even the toughest machines. Production downtime can be disastrous for a printing press shop, yet many printing presses are not user serviceable.

With the Versant 180, this has changed. Xerox has redesigned many of the machine’s internal assemblies to be user-replaceable. This minimizes the threat of downtime and empowers users to take decisive action without having to wait for service technicians.

For example, other printing presses require professional disassembly for access to the compact belt fuser, which will typically deform over time. The Versant 180 uses a flat fuser pad with a large surface contact area and two heat rolls for consistent fusing while reducing the number of moving parts in the process. However, should the device break down, any user can remove the entire assembly and replace it without having to resort to a service call.

By incorporating newly user-serviceable parts, Xerox enables printing press shops to be better prepared for obstacles on their path to success. Even when important parts break down, users have the resources they need to get their printing press working again as quickly as possible. The Versant 180 shows how Xerox devices help its customers be more time- and cost-efficient than ever before.

Is the Xerox Versant 180 Printer Worth Buying?

To get the most out of a Xerox Versant 180, businesses and print houses should incorporate one of three print servers:

• Xerox EX 180 Print Server Powered by Fiery
• Xerox EX-i 180 Print Server (next level)
• Xerox FreeFlow Print Server (all inclusive)

Xerox EX 180 Print Server

The EX-series print server options offer full Windows and Mac compatibility and allow for ultra-high definition resolution long with Fiery’s industry-standard color profiling and graphic arts packages. The Fiery API lets you build and customize unique apps for the Versant 180, and offers enhanced support for processing bundles such as Fiery JobFlow, Fiery Navigator, and Fiery Command WorkStation.

Xerox EX-I 180 Print Server

The main advantage to choosing the Xerox EX-i 180 Print Server is cost reduction. Both platforms use the Fiery FS200 printing software platform, but the EX-i features 2 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive alongside a dual-core processor. The EX 180, on the other hand, boasts 4 GB of RAM, a 1 TB hard drive, and a 2.9 GHz quad core Intel i5 processor.

Xerox FreeFlow Print Server

Xerox FreeFlow offers comprehensive variable data capabilities, letting you enhance productivity throughout the printing process. You can also use FreeFlow to customize printer fleet compatibility, making it a superb choice for print shops that need to balance workflows between multiple connected devices.

One of the major benefits to using Xerox FreeFlow is unparalleled flexibility. You can program your printing press to operate according to any existing workflow you have, and make full use of its efficiency-improving features. At the same time, an intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes operation simple for print shop employees.

Both print servers allow for preflight and preview functionality so that you can verify the output of printing press orders in real-time. The ability to correct mistakes before they become expensive production errors is a failsafe that helps ensure smooth operation and employee onboarding.

Want to learn more about the Xerox Versant 180 printing press, or would you like to learn more about some of the others we recommend? Let’s Talk! One of our specialist would be more than happy to provide you with more information.