Canon Solutions America at Graph Expo 2014: Enabling Creativity with Advanced Inkjet Technology
Applications that are migrating from traditional printing techniques to digital technology are a key driver for inkjet technology growth. Production color inkjet volume is increasing at an astounding rate. According to InfoTrends’ Global Production Printing & Copying Market Forecast, production color volumes totaled about 310 billion impressions in 2012 and will grow to nearly 720 billion by 2017. By 2016, production color inkjet volume will exceed that produced by toner. Production color inkjet accounted for 31% of the total production digital color volume in 2012, which is all the more impressive when you consider that there was hardly any production color inkjet volume prior to 2008. By 2017, InfoTrends believes that production color inkjet will account for 58% of volume—and all of this is happening while color toner is also growing at a healthy rate.
Production color volumes totaled about 310 billion impressions in 2012 and will grow to nearly 720 billion by 2017. By 2016, production color inkjet volume will exceed that produced by toner.
INFOTRENDS’ GLOBAL PRODUCTION PRINTING & COPYING MARKET FORECAST
At the Canon booth during Graph Expo 2014, quality will meet performance. With a diverse portfolio that includes high-speed, roll-fed, and cutsheet printers, large format, collaboration with several finishing partners, and top-notch workflow solutions to produce it all, production printers of all sizes will find solutions and applications that will spark their creativity while also contributing to their bottom line. According to Tonya Powers, Graphic Arts Segment Marketing Manager of the Production Print Solutions division of Canon Solutions America, “While showcasing our new products is always a key objective, what we really want to do is illustrate how these products can improve our customers’ businesses. The applications are designed to illustrate how traditional offset applications can be affordably produced by leveraging inkjet technologies, while adding digital print benefits such as versioning, personalization, process automation, and just-in-time manufacturing.”
Powers also emphasizes the many paper partnerships that will be featured at the show, including Cham, Domtar, EMT International, Glatfelter, International Paper, Mitsubishi, Resolute, and Ziegler. Powers explains, “Although each of these partnerships is unique, they are all created and driven by our customers’ requirements for expanded applications.” Canon Solutions America is also expanding its software solutions to improve everything from color management to profitably producing books on demand with cutsheet and roll-fed devices.
As requirements within the industry and among customers continue to change, there is an increasing demand for a digital, full-color printing system that delivers the right combination of flexibility, productivity, and quality. The Océ JetStream® and Océ ColorStream® printing systems from Canon fulfill these requirements while also pushing the limits for the creative applications that follow. According to InfoTrends’ U.S. Digital Production Printing Application Forecast, there are seven key application areas where inkjet technology is used in production—General Office, Promotional, Publishing, Transaction, Packaging, Utility, and Consumer. In 2013, transaction was the largest category for high-speed inkjet systems, accounting for about 40% of volume. Promotional (primarily direct mail) followed in second place with 29%, and publishing (mostly books) rounded out the top three with more than 26%. Throughout the week of Graph Expo, visitors to the Canon booth can anticipate first-class creativity for these top applications and more.
Fresh Garden self-mailers with perforated coupon created using Océ DigiDot ink technology will be printing on the Océ ColorStream 3900 printer with 9pt Mitsubishi DL 1984 paper.
Using the Océ ColorStream 3900 digital inkjet press, printers with creative clients are able to create impressive digital applications with full color coverage. Designing for digital in the same way they do with offset (minus the limitation of static designs), creative departments can benefit from a wide color gamut and high-resolution output. The Océ ColorStream 3900 printer enables better reproduction of graphics for higher quality and more creative digitally printed direct mail. On Sunday and Wednesday during Graph Expo, take a look at the Fresh Garden self-mailers with perforated coupon samples created using Océ DigiDot® ink technology and printed on 9pt Mitsubishi DL 1984 paper.
Transactional statements will be printing on the Océ ColorStream 3900 printer with 24# Domtar VivaJet paper.
If you’ve got a need for transactional printing, visit the Canon booth on Monday to witness firsthand what the next generation of statements will look like. Equipped with the EMT International “Spectrum Series” (which includes options such as the DP22 Dynamic Perf Processor, CHS22 Sheeter with Chip Cut, and the SB2218 Stack-n-Batcher and is streamlined with the Océ PRISMAproduction® suite of workflow software), the Océ ColorStream 3900 printer paired with 24# Domtar VivaJet paper is sure to impress.
Ainsley Shay and Miranda Hardy books will be printing on the Océ ColorStream 3900 continuous-feed inkjet printer.
On Tuesday, stop by to see the lights-out production of a book on demand… and don’t forget to grab yourself a signed copy! Embracing one of the many creative outlets enabled by inkjet, the Océ ColorStream 3900 continuous-feed inkjet device will be printing two book titles. Authors Ainsley Shay and Miranda Hardy will watch as their books are printed before their eyes and will be signing copies in the booth.
Because Canon Solutions America understands your business, the many applications that the Océ ColorStream 3900 printer will produce at Graph Expo represent only a subset of the inkjet accomplishments of Canon. In the display area of the booth, two new and exciting technology demonstrations will be featured through video presentations and print samples—the continuous-feed Océ ImageStream® 3500 printer and the B3 format, cutsheet printer, “Niagara.” Both promise to break new ground in inkjet production. In addition to the inkjet technology, the Canon booth will also include the bustling hums of a variety of cutsheet toner devices, including the Océ VarioPrint® 6000 Ultra+ line, the Canon varioPrint 135, and the new Canon imagePRESS® 800 light production color series. A range of large format printers will also be highlighted, including the Canon imagePROGRAF® 785 printer, the Canon imagePROGRAF 9400S printer, the Canon imagePROGRAF 6450 printer with Spectrophotometer, the Océ ColorWave® 650 Poster Printer, the Océ ColorWave 900 printer, and the Océ Arizona® 6175 printer, as well as a Zünd 2500L digital cutter.
Also during Graph Expo 2014, Océ PRISMA® workflow software and third-party partner products will be fully integrated with each other to help develop and drive a variety of applications to the Océ ColorStream 3900 printer. The production print software products that are being highlighted include Océ PRISMAproduction software, Océ TrueProof® software, GMC Inspire, and color management software tools for the inkjet platforms.
Océ PRISMAproduction software, a centralized, productive workflow management system that provides transformation, reporting, and quality performance to the transaction/direct mail and graphic arts markets, will be showing its strength in managing a wealth of applications like books, direct mail, and financial statements on the Océ ColorStream 3900 printer. Océ TrueProof software, a WYSIWYG proofing tool that acts as a virtual high-volume production printer, integrates directly with Océ PRISMAproduction software to provide fully featured pixel-precise soft proofing of an application as well as an estimation of ink consumption.
Working with Océ PRISMAproduction software and Océ TrueProof software is a Canon Solutions America Production Print Solutions strategic partner product called Inspire from GMC, which is used to develop fully variable data applications like EOB statements, direct mail campaigns, and coupon books. The GMC Inspire product is also highlighting its storefront solution, which enables a simple tool for ordering books. Rounding out the solutions being shown at Graph Expo 2014 will be a color management suite for inkjet systems. These color management tools will be offered in customized packages and have been developed in close cooperation between Océ headquarters in Poing, Germany, and our partner basICColor. They enable customers to produce reliable and consistent color output for increased productivity and waste reduction as well as consistent color across all of their print processes.
With a theme of “Enabling Creativity,” Canon plans to fuel the transition from analog to digital print applications with creative ideas and concepts that drive connections during Graph Expo. Powers concludes, “Canon Solutions America has the capability to tailor solutions for our customers’ specific applications. This year, it’s our goal to display how we’re building an environment that can be a positive enabler for creativity throughout the print industry with our production print technologies.”