Xerox opens $24m ink factory

Xerox has opened an automated ink manufacturing plant to serve growing demand for its proprietary solid ink colour printers. The $24 million factory fills 10,000 square feet of previously unused space on the company's campus outside Portland in the US.

The factory will be dedicated to the production of Xerox's latest generation of solid ink, which the company claims makes colour printing as affordable as black and white. It expand the company's production of solid ink by 10 times.

According to the firm, its ink sticks also produce 90 per cent less waste than comparable colour laser products and were designed to melt at a lower temperature, reducing energy consumption by 14 per cent.

This development has helped Xerox to meet and expand its green technology goals, recently setting a new target to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2012.

The new factory currently employs about 75 staff but expects to add 20 employees over time, as full capacity is reached.