Xerox aims to use next weeks Print 01 as a major building block for its Ipex 2002 presence and to give an unstoppable momentum to its fight against rivals.

Peter Vincent, who has been appointed Ipex project manager, said the plans for the 9-17 April show would link in with the US exhibition but refused to give further details.

However Vincent, who is also head of graphic arts marketing for Xerox UK, has been in talks with a leading print expert from the US, who is said to be heading to the UK to throw extra muscle behind its Ipex onslaught.

Earlier in the summer PrintWeek revealed Xeroxs plans to scotch Heidelberg as the biggest Ipex exhibitor with a 6,500m2 semi-permanent structure, almost a third larger than Heidelbergs (PrintWeek, 8 June).

Xerox will use the event to launch its next-generation FutureColor digital press, which has soaked up nearly 700,000 of research and development money. There will also be customer-relationship management and one-to-one marketing applications at the companys stand, themed Future Print Now.

Vincent said his firm would make further big announcements in November. A company spokesman said details were being fine tuned but that Ipex will be bigger than the stand we had at Drupa, and that was enormous.

Story by Jez Abbott