The current economic climate has brought with it many challenges, but we at Canon are committed to a long-term strategy for the future that helps to strengthen the print industry. This has been guided by our corporate philosophy of Kyosei – our aspiration to help create a society in which all people live and work together for the common good, which in turn has meant putting sustainability at the heart of our manufacturing processes.
We are also passionate about innovating for a better world, which means we invest heavily in R&D – with 8% of our global revenue being reinvested back into developing new products. Our commitment to the market and creating technologically advanced products was a key motivator for our most recent launches at this year’s FESPA, with the new Colorado M-series and a new addition to the Arizona flatbed printer family. We’re proud to have the most well-established technology in the marketplace, thanks to our fantastic people and a company ethos that’s built upon a shared aim of continuous improvement.
PUTTING SUSTAINABILITY AT THE HEART OF LARGE FORMAT PRINT
From a sustainability perspective, we’re committed to all of our production range devices being built to last. We extend the life of our products wherever possible through refurbishment and remanufacturing, as well as reusing as many materials as possible from devices at end of life. This enables us to reduce waste and contribute towards the circular economy.
Another key consideration across our sustainability strategy is investing in technologies to make our devices as energy efficient as possible. Our UVgel ink and printhead production facility, was designed for maximum energy savings by reusing cooling capacity and warming air with a heat exchange unit. Canon UVgel ink delivers pin-sharp image quality and consistent colour, while its instant drying properties enable immediate cutting and finishing. Compared to other ink technologies, such as latex or eco-solvent inks, UVgel technology consumes up to 40% less ink to build up the same image quality and colour intensity.
CANON’S NEW COLORADO M-SERIES – MODULARITY WITH HASSLE-FREE WHITE INK AND ADVANCED FINISHES
We’re extremely proud to add to our award-wining Colorado platform with a new M-series device. This strong addition to our portfolio marks the first roll- to-roll large format graphics printer platform that is modular in speed configuration and media handling. It also introduces the new UVgel white ink option, which enables customers to benefit from UVgel’s renowned performance advantages while substantially expanding the range of applications available.
Ever since they entered the market, Colorado printers with UVgel ink have set the highest standards for speed, quality and productivity. On top of these business-critical performance features, the Colorado M-series is a smart, environmentally responsible investment that enables large format graphics providers to tap into lucrative growth markets.
The modularity and the in-field upgradeability of the M-series makes it a more sustainable solution as customers can scale up the printer’s speed and capabilities with their business without replacing the core print device.
The introduction of hassle-free white UVgel ink maximises the scope for customers to benefit from UVgel’s renowned performance advantages for a full spectrum of premium graphics and décor applications – for example window graphics, labels and wallpaper. With this addition, and with new media detection sensor technology, the Colorado M-series enables users to expand their typical product offering and break into new markets.
In addition, the M-Series also includes FLXfinish+, enabling our customers to create high quality prints in both matte and gloss – or even both on one print. Customers won’t need to change inks, media or an extra varnish channel – a truly unique technology which will help to deliver greater colour depth and high-end finishes for a variety of applications.
NEW ARIZONA 1300 GTF & XTF
Following on from the Colorado M-series launch, as well as the successful launch of the Arizona 2300 in 2020, we unveiled a new addition to our Arizona flatbed printer family at FESPA in May.
The new Arizona 1300 series of flatbed printers for growing mid volumes now includes our award winning Arizona FLOW technology, which allows users to print pin-sharp, high-value print applications. With this technology, it is now quicker to change media and board sizes, making it the ideal solution for printing many short-run jobs spread throughout the day. This market leading technology will also enable our customers to produce commercial quality prints faster, which greatly increases productivity.
This flow table system belongs to the 5th generation of the Arizona series and is based on years of proven experience, with more than 7,500 installations of the market-leading Arizona flatbed printer worldwide. The outstanding productivity, print quality and application versatility, as well as smart innovations in additional print modes, ease-of-use, workflow optimisation and UV-LED curing technology will open up new commercial opportunities for companies looking to stay ahead of the competition in Large Format Graphics printing solutions.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Taking a step back from our product and software lineup, and looking more closely at our long-term sustainability strategy, we are committed to being net zero by 2050 in alignment with Canon Inc.’s global sustainability commitments.
We are excited to continue driving our sustainability goals within our production print portfolio and working closely with our customers to drive further growth for the print industry this year.
