Keypoint Intelligence has recognised the advances that Canon has made in production print with the announcement of BLI Outstanding Innovation Awards in Production Print for three Canon products: the sheetfed inkjet varioPRINT iX-series, the ProStream 1800 web-fed inkjet printer and the Arizona 2300 flatbed printer series.
All the winners of these inaugural awards “feature technologies that improve output quality, enhance productivity, deliver workflow efficiencies, impact sustainability, and advance their product segments in meaningful ways.”
Selected by a panel of expert analysts with years of combined experience in production print products and analysing market trends, the products were judged against three key metrics: how ground-breaking or unique the product innovation was, its likely impact on the market segment it addresses, and the expected timeline for availability to the market.
Excelling in quality, productivity, media versatility and flexibility, Keypoint Intelligence highlighted that the varioPRINT iX-series is “the first true sheetfed inkjet press capable of handling different formats and weights of coated and uncoated media”. The press’ maximum speed of 320 A4 images per minute and monthly volumes of up to 10 million images per month were also recognised as being “impressive for the class.”
Launched in April 2020, the varioPRINT iX-series has seen more than 40 orders globally. In the UK, Severn drives growth by becoming the first company in the country to invest in Canon’s new varioPRINT iX-series. Severn operates in three key markets; print, books, and mailing, and works with around 500 small, medium, and large companies, including charities and environmental organisations such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. The varioPRINT iX2100 will help the company to further expand its offering to customers and welcome new business opportunities. Ian Smith, Managing Director of Severn, says: “Canon is at the forefront for inkjet printing and the new varioPRINT iX-series has set a new benchmark for this. The device delivers breakthrough quality that matches offset, toner, and liquid toner technologies, alongside the highest levels of uptime and reliability, without having to compromise on cost. It will enable us to offer broader capabilities to customers, including the ability to print on a greater range of media from 60gsm uncoated to 350gsm coated, which will help to expand our customer base further in the future, both domestically and overseas.”
The ProStream 1800 was noted as “an impressive evolution for its class”, with its ability to achieve offset print quality on standard coated stock with increased speeds of up to 133m/min. The press’ air flotation drying system and Canon’s Inline Quality Control high-performance camera system were also referenced as “other innovations” contributing to the ProStream’s superior print quality.
Ahead of its launch in August 2020, Italian book printer, Grafica Veneta became the first beta customer to trial the ProStream 1800, having upgraded from the ProStream 1000 which was installed in 2017. Dr. Mauro Fontanari, General Manager remarked: “For many years, we were looking for a digital press but we were never happy with the quality available on the market. With the ProStream, we have found a machine that enables us to achieve a final product that has similar paper and the same quality as offset. Since installing the ProStream 1800, we are able to produce 50% more work which means we will have much more flexibility and have the chance to deliver more orders in the same amount of time.”
The Arizona 2300, which was launched this year on 1st September, was celebrated for its ‘game-changing’ Arizona FLOW technology. Using an airflow suction technique, it combines a zone-less, multi-origin table layout with easy-to-use registration pins to better secure a substrate in place on the table. With this technology, the Arizona 2300 no longer requires operator time for masking the table or taping down the media, “enabling faster changeover between jobs, shorter set-up times and hassle-free job switching”.
Jens Filipsson, Owner of Wiking Screen & Reklam commented: “Our everyday challenges to reduce turnaround times have been solved since installing the Arizona 2300, which offers high speed and improved quality. The Arizona is crucial for our business success and with the flatbed printer, we can take customers ideas and turn them into reality. We chose Canon for it quality and value which has once again been proven with the Arizona 2300.”
Christian Unterberger, Chief Marketing Officer & Executive Vice President, Canon Production Printing, comments, “We’re extremely proud to have had these three printers recognised in the inaugural Keypoint Intelligence BLI Awards. At Canon, investment in R&D comes high up on our list of priorities so that we can deliver on our promise to our customers of “no compromise” on innovation, quality, productivity and versatility. The feedback we’ve had from our customers on our production print product portfolio has been excellent. We’ve enabled our customers to improve production efficiencies, expand their application possibilities and, in turn, achieve business growth.”
