Big Picture - June/July 2017 - 16

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INNOVATION: NEW TECHNOLOGY

GAME-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY

BIG PICTURE

June/July 2017

Within the large-format graphic arts market there are two undeniable trends: market growth and pressure on job turnaround.
Increasing print volumes and new applications mean these
trends won't be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, InfoTrends
expects wide-format print volumes to see a compound annual
growth rate of about 3 percent between 2015 and 20201.
But as print volumes and applications increase, turnaround
times are decreasing in order to meet customer demands. InfoTrends reports that more than 40 percent of wide-format print
jobs need to be turned around within 24 hours1.
To manage these challenges and stay ahead of the curve,
wide-format PSPs must invest in next-generation technology.

16

LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGY OFFERING
While there have been significant advancements in print technologies in recent years, there has remained a gap in product
offerings. Most of the products available today are low-volume
64-inch latex and eco-solvent systems - and while these printers have the advantage of a relatively low initial investment and
are typically easy to use, they have three key limitations:
* PRODUCTIVITY: They are not adequate for the demands
of higher-volume production, forcing PSPs to compromise quality,
run multiple machines, or even outsource jobs.
* QUALITY AT ADEQUATE SPEED: Applications that
require higher-quality print modes force a dramatic slowdown in
output speed, exacerbating productivity problems.
* MEDIA VERSATILITY: The heat required to evaporate the
water/solvent is unsuitable for heat-sensitive media, limiting PSPs'
ability to produce multiple applications with a single device.
For PSPs looking for the optimal combination of productivity,
quality, and media - and therefore application - versatility, there
is no single choice today. The reality is that PSPs must compromise one attribute for another - potentially limiting business
growth. However, there has been a clear need for radical innovation in the roll-to-roll market to match customers' productivity
requirements, while also meeting their expectations of quality
and applications diversity.
INTRODUCING CANON UVGEL TECHNOLOGY
To fill this technology gap, Canon Solutions America has developed
a solution that delivers exceptional productivity for high-quality
indoor and outdoor graphics: Canon UVgel Technology. Canon

UVgel Technology combines a radically new UV curable ink that
instantly gels on contact with the media, helping to produce
precise dot gain and positional control, ideal repeatable images,
and rapidly cured, durable prints. The state-of-the-art lowtemperature UV LED curing system moves independently from
the printing carriage, enabling uniform post-print UV curing that
further contributes to print speed and quality.
Canon's UVgel Technology will be at the core of a family of
roll-to-roll printing products, with the first of these being the new
Océ Colorado 1640 printer. Excellent for both indoor and outdoor
applications, this 64-inch roll-to-roll printer sets new standards for
quality, productivity, automation, application range, and operating
costs - meeting the growing needs of today's print providers:
* BUILT FOR SPEED: The world's fastest 64-inch roll-toroll printer with a maximum usable print speed of 1710 square
feet per hour
* DESIGNED FOR HIGH VOLUMES: Industrially designed
production printer capable of printing higher volumes and built to
withstand high-duty cycles
* COST-EFFECTIVE: Up to 30- to 50-percent reduction in
ink/printing costs compared to other 64-inch roll-to-roll technologies
* UNINTERRUPTED PRINTING: Easy and fast media loading and automatic switching with the support of two inline rolls
* HIGH QUALITY WITHOUT SACRIFICE: Very high print
quality across a wide range of applications without having to
compromise productivity by significantly reducing speed
* BREAKTHROUGH PRODUCTIVITY: On-the-fly quality
assurance technology facilitates unattended printing and reduced
print waste
Print service providers now have a clear choice when it
comes to a graphics printing system that will help deliver real
production efficiency while lowering their operating costs,
enabling them to profitably grow their business.
csa.canon.com

Wide Format Printing Critical Element in the Communications Mix, InfoTrends

1

2013; N=310 respondents
http://csa.canon.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - June/July 2017
