Canon introduced its line of cutsheet inkjet presses with VarioPrint i300 in 2015, the i200 in 2017, and today, with close to 300 VarioPrint i-series (inkjet) machines installed around the world, the very successful sheetfed platform is the one that many of their competitors are constantly trying to emulate. The i-series evolved since its initial introduction in 2015 as a transactional and book press, with new inks, printheads, and ColorGrip, which in aggregate raised the bar on the imaging quality, media compatibility and overall performance. On the L&P side, so far they have been “experimenting” and this could be the beginning of a successful new approach.

Canon has opened the curtain on a sneak peek at two new production inkjet presses: the varioPRINT iX1700 cutsheet, and the LabelStream LS2000 label press. While they won’t be generally available in the US market until early 2025, they will be making a virtual appearance at the Inkjet Innovation Theatre at PRINTING United in Atlanta next week. They will also be on display at Canon Expo in Yokohama, Japan, being held October 19–20, and undoubtedly will be making an appearance at drupa next year. Since Canon has held the number one global position in inkjet presses, this is an important development and can only ensure that they will retain that position. Collectively, they fit nicely into one of Canon’s top five initiatives and will grow their printing group which accounts for about 56% of their global sales.  

The varioPRINT iX1700 is a duplex cutsheet B3+ press. It is targeted at commercial printers and inplants, and positioned as a high-quality press for commercial print applications like direct mail, collateral, brochures, catalogs, and greeting cards. It prints at speeds up to 165 letter size impressions per minute (ipm). The iX1700 uses an air feeding system that automatically corrects paper skew and horizontal misalignment regardless of paper type or size to increase reliability and media flexibility. It supports coated, uncoated, textured, and synthetic media. It is configured with a new internally developed high-resolution printhead design that produces 2400 x 1200 dpi resolution.