Designed to push the boundaries of commercial print and meet changing customer demands, the recent launch of the Canon ProStream 1800 production inkjet press has helped to expand print offerings by migrating higher-volume jobs from offset to digital inkjet. Serving as one of the first customers in the United States to install the new press, and the very first in the greater Northeast region, DS Graphics|Universal Wilde, a Canon Solutions America, Inc., production print customer in Massachusetts, quickly expanded its footprint and fleet of cutsheet and roll-fed digital equipment.

Launched in July 2020, the ProStream 1800 is the latest addition to the Canon ProStream 1000 series. This press can help commercial printers like DS Graphics|Universal Wilde increase production levels, meet print demands, reduce turnaround times, and increase revenue across a wide range of applications.

“Upon learning about the recently announced ProStream press, we knew it would be the perfect addition to our new state-of-the-art facility and have a great impact on our customer service and overall communication optimization,” said Chris Wells, executive vice president, DS Graphics/Universal Wilde. “The ProStream 1800 has helped us eliminate the need to stop production when switching between different page lengths, thus ensuring a seamless changeover—providing additional flexibility and ease-of-use for our operators, as well as helping us bridge the gap of quality, speed, and format.”

Canon ProStream 1800 at DS Graphics/Universal Wilde facility. Image taken on Canon PowerShot SX510 HS.

In addition to its speed and high-quality output capabilities, the ProStream press also prints up to 12-pt stock, an essential capability for direct mail, self-mailers, and postcards, a major growth target for DS Graphics|Universal Wilde.

“Our clients are seeing better returns on direct mail than ever before in this pandemic,” said Wells. “It’s clear that our customers are experiencing some digital fatigue, so getting something in the mail is somewhat exciting again.”

As an added advantage with the ProStream 1800 press, DS Graphics|Universal Wilde noticed a much greater range of flexibility from a finishing perspective. Already equipped with inline finishing from its other continuous-feed presses, the company has expanded its offerings to near-line finishing.

“We’re starting to get a lot of requests for modular finishing, and by going near-line we can keep the workhorse engine producing the work, then go into a number of different areas for finishing,” said Wells. “We can offer roll-fed inserting as well, so we can now go from roll-to-roll and then directly into an envelope with inserts.”

DS Graphics/Universal Wilde is no stranger to the continuous-feed inkjet space, having previously installed several Canon ColorStream inkjet presses. The company also benefits from the advantages of incorporating Canon’s PRISMA software into its overall workflow. These include Canon PRISMAproduction output management and workflow automation software, Trueproof pixel precise proofing and ink estimation software, and PRISMAprofiler to obtain the maximum color gamut possible for a given combination of paper, ink, and printer type.

“The press itself is really part of a greater solution that involves the PRISMA workflow,” said Wells. “This workflow has enabled us to thoroughly and successfully load balance across more than 20 digital print devices in our three facilities, each equipped with its own workflow. With PRISMA we can integrate that into a single workflow, enabling us to better connect with our customer systems and handle numerous automated data feeds.”

“The ProStream 1800 combines new inkjet innovations with proven offset printing techniques that can result in increased production levels, reduced turnaround times, and thus help increase revenue across a wide range of applications,” said Francis A. McMahon, executive vice president, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America, Inc. “We are extremely excited by the continued success of our customer DS Graphics|Universal Wilde, and we look forward to working together to push the boundaries of commercial print to meet changing market demands.”