TONER-BASED KIT | JONATHAN PERT 43 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 358 - January | February 2026 Beyond CMYK Another company ‘setting the tone’ has been Xerox, with a series of new toner presses being released to market within the last few years alone. As Kevin O’Donnell, Xerox’s head of marketing for Graphic Communications and Production Systems in the UK, Ireland, and the Nordics, puts it: “Xerox Emulsion-Aggregation (EA) toners continue to be refined, resulting in more uniform, smaller particles that give sharper detail and better colour representation, whilst using less toner and less energy.” Among its recent releases, Xerox announced the launch of its new Proficio Production Series at PRINTING United Expo 2025, with the event marking the debut of both the Xerox Proficio PX300 and Xerox Proficio PX50 presses. The new series is designed to help print providers compete and grow in the evolving mid-production colour market. At the time of release, Terry Antinora, head of product and engineering at Xerox, said: “Market conditions and client expectations have shifted in ways that make differentiation and efficiency more critical than ever. The new Proficio presses build on our leadership in automation, colour science, and ‘Beyond CMYK’ – helping print providers boost profits, stand out from the competition, and expand their business.” Proficio has been labelled as the new ‘master brand’ for the company’s production press lineup, with the Proficio name derived from the Latin verb meaning to make progress, advance, and succeed. The Proficio PX300 and PX500 deliver speeds of 85ppm and 100ppm respectively, offering Ultra HD resolution with an optional fifth colour station which includes fluorescent pink, clear, and low gloss clear options. New performance modules have also been added to maintain precise colour density and front-to-back registration in real-time, without slowing production. In addition, the modules are also designed to eliminate static build up on synthetic stocks. At the time of release, Xerox explained that the thinking behind the Proficio Production Series was to build “on a platform approach that unites the most advanced imaging, automation, and AI-assisted intelligence from Xerox,” with the series representing “a cohesive family of presses engineered to drive measurable performance, efficiency, and profitability for every print provider.” Alongside the launch of the presses, a new Xerox Print Server was released to market which is powered by the Fiery FS700X, exclusively designed for the PX300 and PX500 to deliver increased automation and streamline workflows. O’Donnell asserts that toner is only one component of the overall value proposition, so buyers should “seek evidence of a collaboration among automated workflows, the digital front end, highly productive toner-based engines, and the ability to produce automated calibration, accurate colour rendition, and reduced waste, which together can improve the bottom line. “At Xerox, we call this holistic view the Xerox Production Eco-System, where all parts of the process and value chain are connected and interacting.” As of writing, the Proficio presses are yet to be officially rolled out, with Xerox announcing that it will begin taking orders for the Proficio PX300 and PX500 models in March 2026. The new Proficio series is intended to replace the Xerox Versant 4100 and Versant 280 models, both of which utilise Xerox's proprietary EA Low Melt Dry Ink toner, enabling production of Ultra HD images with ten-bit RIP rendering. The Versant 280 model added compatibility with the Xerox Adaptive CMYK Plus Kit, allowing users to swap out standard CMYK toners for specialty toners like white, clear, silver, gold, and fluorescent colours. Explaining the formulations that Xerox has developed for its ‘Beyond CMYK’ devices, O’Donnell says: “They can run additional colours, such as metallics, clear, whites, and fluorescent, in a single pass, adding value to the printed piece. A good example of this is our Low Gloss Clear toner, which allows users to print on textured stocks without losing image definition. These provide gateways into new markets, for example, white and clear for short run and personalised packaging, or eye-catching metallics into the high value product sector such as cosmetics and jewellery.” While early digital toner presses may have been primarily valued for shortrun efficiency and fast turnaround, today’s PSPs expect a far more sophisticated combination of productivity, quality, versatility, automation, and economics. Toner presses have evolved into highly capable production engines, and that change has shifted the minimum expectations of its users. With solutions like the Proficio series, Xerox is aiming to respond to that change in demand, with a range of new features, modules, and automation capabilities. Asked whether there are further toner innovations on the horizon, O’Donnell concludes: “With continued advances in chemistry, nanotechnology, and AI, new solutions for intelligent toners for security and even printed electronics are being developed. Toner won’t be going away – it offers a low entry but scalable pathway with little compromise on capability.” ▼ Recent innovations in toner have focused on expanded colour channels and increased automation
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