DÜSSELDORF – At drupa 2016 (Messe Düsseldorf, 31 May – 10 June 2016, Hall 8a, Stand B50) as part of its focus on demonstrating productive, high quality technologies that will enable print service providers (PSPs) to unleash their business potential, Canon Europe, world-leader in imaging solutions, will offer many PSPs their first opportunity to see the ground-breaking Océ VarioPrint i300 in action following its 2015 launch.

Combining the key benefits of its highly successful ColorStream and VarioPrint 6000 technologies, Canon developed this high-speed, sheet-fed inkjet press to deliver in one device the productivity and quality of inkjet and the versatility and flexibility of high-end, toner-based sheet-fed printers. 

At drupa 2016, Canon will introduce a range of enhancements and extensions to the press, designed to further broaden its applications capability.

New ColorGrip option for Océ VarioPrint i300

Canon will use drupa 2016 to showcase the VarioPrint i300’s new ‘ColorGrip’ option, which has been designed to extend the application spectrum of the press and the profitable business opportunities for high-quality print across a wide range of printing applications – from transactional to promotional communication. 

ColorGrip is an inline paper conditioning step that expands the choice of media, enabling high quality inkjet print on commodity stock, from light to heavy weight, which would otherwise deliver unacceptable print quality. The introduction of ColorGrip allows print service providers (PSPs) to print on a wider variety of cost-effective papers, including standard uncoated and offset coated media, and to comfortably manage blended offset, toner and inkjet production without the need for different types of paper and without compromising on quality. Broadening the applications scope of the press, ColorGrip technology enables PSPs to increase print volumes and the range of jobs delivered on a single press platform. 

From May 2016, Canon will offer the VarioPrint i300 with and without ColorGrip, giving customers a choice of solutions optimised for their requirements. All existing VarioPrint i300 customers can upgrade their systems with the ColorGrip feature, protecting their existing investment.

New ink set for VarioPrint i300

Canon is also introducing a new enhanced ink set for the VarioPrint i300 to deliver outstanding colour gamut on a wide range of media. This is the result of Canon’s commitment to progressive innovation in ink for its inkjet systems and is also designed to optimise the colour reproduction achievable with the ColorGrip technology. The new generation inks will be introduced across the existing VarioPrint i300 customer base, enabling all customers to benefit from the enhanced performance. 

New finishing options

The applications scope of the device is also being extended through the close integration of the inkjet engine with two new finishing options, supporting high-performance booklet-making and perforating. 

The BLM600 is a complete booklet-making system for digital print applications, combining stitching, folding, spine forming and trimming in a single machine to produce square-back booklets up to 224 pages thick. It features fully automatic settings for different booklet sizes and paginations, including variable stitch-leg length for varying booklet thicknesses.

Printers whose job profile calls for flexible perforating capabilities will benefit from the integration of the VarioPrint i300 with the Tecnau TC1530 Dynamic Cut Sheet Perforator. This device dynamically creates horizontal and vertical micro perforations, allowing the perforation pattern to be turned on and off on a page-by-page basis, and offers a broad range of perforation patterns and wide application flexibility in transactional, direct mail and graphic arts applications. 

These two finishing options make it even easier to integrate the VarioPrint i300 into environments with ColorStream, JetStream, VarioPrint and imagePRESS systems, and to move jobs seamlessly between the various devices. Both finishing solutions will be demonstrated in conjunction with the VarioPrint i300 at drupa 2016.

Peter Wolff, Director, Canon Commercial Print Group comments: “Continuous product development is central to our philosophy towards the Océ VarioPrint i300, which in its first year has already proved its productivity and reliability in customer environments and achieved the leading position in the sheet-fed inkjet market. We brought the press to market in early 2015, knowing it to be a ground-breaking approach to sheet-fed inkjet that would enable customers to mix multiple media streams for the ultimate in fast, flexible digital print production. With PRISMA workflow and finishing integrated into the system, the VarioPrint i300 is a unique end-to-end solution that allows the printing of customised and personalised jobs on multiple stocks with full job recovery. Customers can integrate multiple stocks and finishing into a job, allowing them to expand their business into new applications and new markets.”

Wolff continues: “It was always our intention to build on this strong foundation with backwards-compatible product enhancements and finishing options that would make the VarioPrint i300 a compelling solution for all types of print production environment, to replace or complement offset, digital toner or continuous inkjet solutions. As customers across Europe have already been reaping the benefits of this innovative technology, the positive feedback and requests for additional functionality have fuelled our ongoing development of the product, resulting in the significant enhancements and additions