CANON UVGEL WHITE GIVEN 3M WARRANTY
Canon’s UVgel 460 white ink used on its Colorado M-Series printers has been approved by media developer 3M as part of its MCS Warranty programme.
The 3M warranty comes following the worldwide launch of UVgel 460 white earlier this year, and provides assurance that applications printed on the Colorado M-series in combination with the UVgel 460 and 3M’s approved media will achieve the highest quality standards.
Applications covered by the 3M MCS Warranty include vehicle graphics, signs and displays, floor graphics, as well as transparent film and multilayer applications, such as window graphics and others.
To qualify for the approval, the Colorado M-series and its UVgel 460 inks, including white, in combination with a variety of 3M media, successfully passed a series of rigorous tests carried out under 3M’s stringent assessment conditions.
Underpinned by the thorough testing of ink, printer and media combinations, including 3M’s elaborate weathering technology, the 3M MCS Warranty gives both print service providers and their customers peace of mind and confidence that their images will perform as expected for the intended lifetime of the printed graphic.
Widely recognised as a de-facto industry standard, and representing what 3M claims is the most comprehensive, all-inclusive warranty for finished graphics, the 3M MCS Warranty provides non-prorated protection for the graphic’s intended lifespan, including protection against fading, cracking, peeling, blistering, discolouration and other aspects of graphic performance.
The Canon Colorado M-series was launched earlier this year and is designed as a single, fully modular platform that can be configured to customers’ needs and grow with their business, with easy in-field upgrades.
The scalable series includes two base models (M3 and M5) offering a choice of output speeds, with the option to upgrade from one model to the other. Both printers can be “easily” upgraded to include white ink (M3W and M5W).
The Colorado series is Canon's most productive 64-inch printer family and uses the exclusive UVgel ink technology, which now also includes white ink. According to Canon, it incorporates all the best aspects of alternative ink technologies, such as the colour gamut and light fastness of eco-solvent, the fit-for-indoor use and quick drying time of latex, and the productivity and low-temperature printing process of UV.
Canon said that the inclusion of a white UVgel ink for the 3M MCS Warranty programme maximises the scope for customers to benefit from UVgel’s renowned performance advantages for a full spectrum of premium graphics – for example window graphics, labels, interior décor and many multi-layer applications.
UVgel inks produce odourless, ultra-robust output fully certified for indoor use, as well as being durable for outdoor use. And with customers benefitting from zero VOC emissions, zero hazardous air pollutants and a low average ink usage of 5.9ml per sqm across the 3000 UVgel engines installed worldwide, Canon said UVgel has already proved itself to be a sustainable and cost-efficient alternative for latex and eco-solvent technology.
Woonsik Shim, vice-president, Graphics and Personal Auto Business, 3M Commercial Branding and Transportation Division, said, “At 3M, we take pride in the ability to provide graphics manufacturers the widest selection of premier printing solutions. Extending the warranty through our partnership with Canon, and its growing UVgel portfolio, reinforces our commitment to quality and to our customers' success, which in turn inspires confidence in the printed graphics.”
Dirk Brouns, vice-president Large Format Graphics at Canon Production Printing, commented, “With our breakthrough UVgel technology at its heart, the new Colorado M-series is giving the market a fully modular printer platform that now can also handle the high-margin white ink applications effortlessly. By securing the 3M MCS Warranty for the M-series, including white ink, we are executing our long-term strategy to change the way large format graphics and other applications are being produced. And with that we bring creativity, efficiency and profitability to our customers and sales partners. By working together with key industry partners such as 3M, we are continuing our mission to offer print service providers a continuous growth of opportunities in this exciting market, driven by our UVgel technology.”
The Colorado 1630, Colorado 1650, and also the new Colorado M-series with the UVgel 460 ink set, which includes white ink, are now all approved for the 3M MCS Warranty programme.
Canon says it is seeing a rapid growth in the take-up of its Colorado platform and patented UVgel technology and, in 2020, invested in a new ink factory at its HQ in Venlo, Netherlands, which is now fully operational and increasing its production capacity continuously to keep up with demand.
