Océ, a Canon Group company and an international leader in digital document management and printing for professionals, today announced the new Océ Arizona® 318 GL printer. This is a highly-capable introductory UV flatbed model that offers smaller print producers entrance to the world of high-quality UV flatbed printing. The Océ Arizona 318 GL printer will be on display at the Océ stand F50 (Hall 3) at the FESPA Digital 2012 exhibition from February 21-24, in Barcelona, Spain.

Popular UV flatbed printer series

In 2010, Océ Arizona Series platform printers captured 43 percent of new installations in the mid-range UV flatbed market. Since the first shipment of an Océ Arizona Series printer in 2007, nearly 3,000 systems built on this platform have been shipped to date.

“The popularity of the Océ Arizona Series in the market is validation of the benefits and opportunities it provides to our customers,” said Attilio Mainoli, CEO of Océ Display Graphics Systems. “The Océ Arizona 318 GL model gives smaller shops – those that thought they couldn’t afford an Océ Arizona model – the same application versatility as our other Océ Arizona models at an affordable price point.”

Affordable flatbed printing

The Océ Arizona 318 GL printer delivers quality printing on the same robust platform as the Océ Arizona 360 GT printer at a price positioned for low-volume production environments – while delivering the same application versatility. It is priced about 35 percent less than the mid-volume Océ Arizona 360 GT model. The Océ Arizona 318 GL printer is ideal for sign makers, smaller print providers, reprographers and other graphics producers that need true flatbed quality and capability but cannot afford a large capital investment.

“The Océ Arizona 318 GL printer is a welcome addition for low-volume print providers who have been waiting for a true flatbed UV printer, without heavy capital investment,” said Frank Welte, owner of Welte GmbH, a digital printing and finishing service provider based in Freiburg, Germany.

With the Océ Arizona 318 GL printer, print providers can produce sellable output with print speeds of up to 18 square meters per hour in Express Mode, printing more than twenty 70 x 100 cm boards per hour.

In addition to the lower price-point, value-priced ONYX® PosterShop® X10 Océ Edition software is available to drive the printer. ONYX PosterShop software increases productivity by giving users flexible control over their workflow. It includes advanced and custom nesting tools for maximum media savings, as well as a white ink tool for fast job preparation.

True flatbed enables a versatile range of applications

The Océ Arizona 318 GL printer can print on rigid media up to 1.25 by 2.5 meters and up to 48 mm thick, and is designed to handle the most challenging display graphics applications. The true flatbed design holds media stationary on a flatbed vacuum table assuring perfect registration. The true flatbed architecture allows for easy edge-to-edge printing (full bleed), the printing of multiple boards simultaneously, double-sided prints in perfect register and the printing of large displays tiled over several boards – all applications that are difficult to produce on printers that move the media through the printing system. This true flatbed architecture enables printing on irregularly-shaped or non-square items, heavy substrates, unusually smooth media such as glass, or materials that have an uneven surface such as plywood or framed canvas.

Options increase flexibility

An available factory-installed White Ink Option enables under-printing for non-white media or objects, over-printing for backlit applications on transparent media and/or printing white as a spot color. Since 2008, more than 90% of Océ Arizona printer purchasers have selected this important option for their printer, for the high-value, high-margin application opportunities it provides.

A Roll Media Option is also available, giving print providers the ability to print onto flexible media including vinyl, self-adhesive vinyl, scrim banner, paper and blue backed paper without compromising the rigid printing workflow. Entire campaigns – including rigid signs, banners and posters – can be created on one printer, ensuring quality and consistency across all printed items.

A real Océ Arizona printer in every way

The Océ Arizona 318 GL model is a true Océ Arizona printer in every way. It includes Océ VariaDot® imaging technology for award-winning, high-quality output. Océ VariaDot technology does not require “light” colors to achieve high image quality and as a result uses significantly less ink – less than half that of most competitive systems.

It includes a UV curing system designed by Océ that provides more UV energy to support difficult-to-cure media, while reducing heat at the media surface by 50 percent. It also features a new-style tabletop that allows very thin media to be printed directly on the table without mechanical distortion of the media into the vacuum holes.

Highly honored UV flatbed printer series

All Océ Arizona Series printers – including the new Océ Arizona 318 GL model – share the same award-winning image quality and robust architecture, offering the Océ values of quality, reliability, productivity and user-friendliness. In all, Océ Arizona Series UV flatbed printers have earned 27 industry awards to date from organizations throughout the world. These awards validate the quality and innovation built into every Océ Arizona Series printer.