Canon launches new cut-sheet colour printer

Canon Australia has launched a new cut-sheet digital colour press, the imagePress V1000, which it says is designed to overcome the day-to-day production challenges faced by commercial and in-house print service providers.

The new device incorporates “progressive” technological features and “increased performance”, establishing it as the next generation in the evolution of the imagePress family. The V1000 sits in the light - heavy segment, with an average monthly print volume of up to 600,000 prints per month, and a duty cycle of 1.2 million prints.

The V1000 is built “to tackle the most innovative applications” on an extended range of media types and weights from 52-400gsm at speeds of up to 100ppm. Canon says the imagePress V1000 "allows print professionals to turn around a greater variety and volume of jobs at speed without any compromise on quality or productivity."

Among the innovations on the new V1000 is the option of the Multi-Drawer Paper Deck, which in conjunction with the use of the POD XL and Bypass trays, boosts the engine’s paper input capabilities.

Canon says with new transfer technology the engine ensures “even colour distribution, with reduced risk of sticking when switching between media weights on the fly”. New integrated Pod-Surf fixing technology controls the temperature of the fixing belt, giving a consistent print speed of 100ppm, with a broad range of media types and weights from 52 to 400 gsm, including synthetic and magnetic media.

Due to the new two-step registration correction, the press has the ability to auto-duplex banner sheets up to 1.3m and up to 400gsm in thickness. 

Canon says unscheduled stops and slowdowns are “a thing of the past”, thanks to remote alerts that inform the operator if consumables are running low. Operators can change media, toner and remove toner waste while the press is running, maintaining productivity of the engine.

Ted Matsumoto, general manager Product Marketing at Canon Australia comments: “The imagePress V1000 takes productivity to the next level, and can handle a broad range of media. Responding to the needs of our customer base, we have brought a fresh perspective to digital toner press design, by exploring innovative ways to tackle everyday production pain points.

"This production printer will help print businesses to work better and faster with more scope to offer their customers creative print products. Packed with features that overcome common challenges for print businesses, the imagePress V1000 can take on a wider variety of print jobs and meet more demanding timelines. By ensuring consistently high productivity and building in more automation for great print quality with minimal intervention, we’re freeing up operator time for our customers. This enables their expertise to be channelled into creating greater value for clients and developing the business in new directions.”

The V1000 has an inbuilt spectrophotometric sensor, which the company says saves time and reduces the level of skill required for colour control, by enabling calibration and adjustment at the push of a button, without offline quality checks. New two-step registration correction technology ensures “perfect” alignment every time, even on long sheets. The optional Sensing Unit automatically detects prints that don’t match the registration and colour settings for the job, then adjusts and maintains these settings throughout the print run, saving time and maintaining productivity.

The imagePress V1000 integrates an innovative cooling system that cools the paper immediately after fixing, for optimum quality, and minimises the risk of waste through warping, sticking or bricking if a job is left standing.

An innovative take on sheet transfer technology creates the optimal transport path for each sheet during the printing process, as the positions of the secondary transfer roller and back-up sheet are variable and change depending on the weight of the media.

With what Canon says is the most compact footprint of any mid-volume digital production print engine, the design of the imagePress V1000 delivers the 100ppm production capabilities in a footprint of less than 3sqm, which Canon says is “ideal for any print room where space is at a premium.”

The imagePress V1000 received the Epeat Gold from the Epeat Registry, the global rating system for greener electronics. Canon says that with the ability to carry out a one-time test and enjoy the associated energy cost savings, gone are the days of trial and error and print wastage.

If the media in the drawer doesn’t match the settings, the job can be stopped before printing, resulting in reduced waste, power consumption and CO² emissions. Optional accessories which can be purchased separately include the Sensing Unit for the engine, which makes front-to-back registration adjustments on the fly, reducing the need for reprints, as well as the Prismasync or EFI Fiery controllers, which allow operators to check every detail of the print job, including the quality, and make real-time changes on the user interface before hitting the print button, further cutting out unnecessary misprints.

The new imagePress V1000 Series will be commercially available from Canon and accredited partners from late June.