Digital Printing
Canon ImagePress C7000VP
Simon Creasey, PrintWeek, 22 June 2006Ipex hosted the first public demonstration of Canon's entry into the digital colour production printing market, the imagePress C7000VP. It is a 70ppm sheet-fed machine intended for high-quality variable data or short-run work, with multiple paper feeders and inline finishing options.
It received an enthusiastic reception at Ipex, with more than 60 European orders signed during the show, around 15 of which are destined for the UK.
"The reaction was incredibly positive," says Dave Preskett, Canon's European professional solutions marketing director. "One of the most pleasing aspects was not just the numbers but the breadth of segments – copyshops, CRDs and commercial printers. A lot of European dealers brought their potential customers and some signed orders on the spot."
It seems strange that Canon took so long to enter the colour production press market, for it introduced its first CLC (colour laser copier) back in 1990, which was soon given a computer interface to turn it into a low-to-medium volume colour printer.
But it was only last year Canon announced it was entering the high-quality, high-volume market for the first time with an entirely new set of toner and engine technologies. It codenamed the printer imagePress X, which was unveiled at Ipex with the less mysterious designation C7000VP.
Launched in style Canon launched the machine in style at Ipex, with demos of a vast multiple-feeder and in-line finishing configuration in a theatre-style area. The press alternated jobs in rapid succession, with different stocks and binding styles. The quality on coated stock was particularly good, with excellent gloss matching – often a weak point of toner-based printers, though rival manufacturers such as Xerox, Xeikon and Konica
Minolta have also improved quality with their latest generations. Although the image resolution of 1,200x1,200dpi is lower than the latest Xerox DocuColors (with 2,400dpi), this isn't a drawback, says Sean Sinfield, Canon's European product marketing manager for colour. "Resolution isn't a big factor in the final image quality and the customer response backs this up. We have 256 grey levels, and the way the device lays it down is important too," he says. It prints CMYK with a choice of AM or FM screens. High-precision registration and imaging control technologies allow the engine to run at the same rated speeds on substrates from the 64gm2 minimum up to 300gm2. It prints 70 A4 simplex impressions per minute on A4 sheets (61.4 pages duplex, or about 30 completed sheets). It can run 36ipm on two-page sheet sizes up to 330x487mm (just over SRA3), with the same speed for simplex or duplex, which equates to 18 double-sided sheets. Minimum sheet size is A5.
Print on demand The standard paper input combination holds 6,000 sheets from 2x1,000 sheet trays and a POD (print on demand) deck with 1x2,000 and 2x1,000 sheet trays. A second POD deck is optional for up to 10,000 sheets. Up to eight different stocks can be handled at once.
The new print technologies used are called v-toner, t-developer and e-drum. The v-toner (v is for "vivid") has an average particle size of 5.5 microns. The colour gamut is wider and there's no fuser oil needed so the image reflectance is more flat and able to match the gloss level of the paper.
The t-developer system is a combination of components and methodology, Sinfield says. There are four of the new e-drums and a new-technology image transfer belt. The fusing system is also new and allows the printer to run at its rated speed on all stocks and it can also apply either a gloss or matt finish. The printer can store scripts that set the appropriate gloss for a particular stock.
Modular in-line finishing options can be fitted singly or in multiples, including stacking, punching, trimming and saddle-stitched booklet making. The press can link to UP3i-compliant third party finishing units. At Ipex Canon announced a deal with Duplo to supply near-line or off-line finishers.
Perfect binder Another Ipex launch was a Canon-built in-line perfect binder for the iR series monochrome presses, which Preskett says is likely to become a future option for the colour press.
The standard front end is the imagePress Server A3000, supplied by EFI. Canon can also supply the EFI JDF Connector for bi-directional integration into a JDF workflow. A 600dpi colour scanner can be integrated into the press line, with a basic image-merging facility to build up documents.
As far as prices go, only the base configuration price quoted at Ipex is available at present: £258,000 for the A3000 server, a four-tray feeder for 6,000 sheets, engine and saddle-stitcher with 5,000-sheet capacity.
Sinfield says the C7000VP is being positioned for print-on-demand, print-for-pay and CRD (central reprographic departments). "With the 7000 we also want to move into commercial print," he adds. "We call this 'flexible production capacity', which will let commercial printers move into digital. In terms of production scheduling they can consider the most suitable available engine. We expect most users to run between 50,000 and 300,000 pages per month. This gives them a chance to increase their production capacities and still make a profit."
Canon will support the press on a click charge basis. "We've looked at the other options, but the market wants a simple cost per page," Preskett says. "If the market wants something else we will respond to that in the longer term."
The same print technology is also being used in a slower but more compact and affordable SRA3 printer called imagePress C1. Speed is 14ppm full-colour or 60ppm mono. Preskett says its C1 could be used as a proofing engine for the 7000 as the imaging system is the same.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIFICATIONS Max speed • 70ipm (A4 simplex) • 36ipm (SRA3 simplex) Sheet sizes • A5 - 330x487mm Stock range • 64 to 300gsm Max resolution • 1,200x1,200dpi Front end • Canon ImagePress Server A3000 Price • About £175,000 Contact • Canon UK 01737 220000 www.canon.co.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ALTERNATIVES HP Indigo Press 1050 Based on the original Indigo Series 1 digital offset colour engine with liquid ink, the base price is for four colours but £125,000 gets you six colours. Duplex is standard. Speed is lower than the C7000VP, stock weights are more restricted and there is only one (offset-style) feeder. Quality is good despite relatively low resolution with the Indigo trademark of offset-style gloss matching. Multi-pass technique gives considerably faster speeds with one, two or three colours. It can be used with the IndiChrome off-press spot colour ink mixer or the six-colour on-press extended gamut range. Max speed 33 A4 ppm Max sheet size 320x464mm Stock range 115 – 270gsm Max resolution 800x800dpi Front end Indigo RIP (Adobe PostScript 3) Price from £105,000 Contact HP Indigo 01923 242402 www.hp.com
Xerox DocuColor 7000 This 70ppm model fits in the middle of Xerox's second-generation Docucolor range, which features 2,400dpi resolution and the ability to handle a wider range of stocks without slowing down too much. Above it is the 80ppm 8000 and below it is the 50ppm 5000 as well as the lower-priced 600dpi, 52ppm 5252. Max speed 70ppm Sheet sizes 182x182mm - 320x488mm Max print area 315x480mm Stock range 60 to 300gsm Max resolution 2,400dpi Front end options EFI Fiery, Creo PDS Spire Xerox FreeFlow DocuSP Price about £193,000 Contact Xerox UK 0870 900 5500 www.xerox.co.uk
Konica Minolta bizhub PRO C6500 New at Ipex, this forthcoming production colour printer has broadly similar specs to the C7000VP, for a duty cycle around 200,000 A4 pages per month. Input capacity is 7,500 sheets, with stacker capacity up to 8,400. As with the Canon there's a new toner technology, called Simitri-HD. It's said to need less coverage and its silicon-free, low-heat fusing means reduced curl and paper damage. Pricing is not finalised but KM staff hinted at prices that overlap with the Canon. Speed 65ppm (A4 simplex) Sheet sizes A5 - 324x460mm Stock range 50 - 300gsm (64 - 256gm2 duplex) Max resolution 600x1,800dpi Front end EFI Fiery IC-303 Price TBA Contact Konica Minolta Business Solutions 01268 534444 www.konicaminolta.co.uk
The World of Digital Printing at Your Fingertips!
Digital printing has changed the world of printing forever. In the past decade, digital printing has boomed thanks to increased affordability, technical advancements, and the availability of more digital print options. There are many benefits to digital printing for business and personal use.
Why use Digital Printing?
Although digital printing is not for everyone, there are many advantages to this form of printing. Digital Printing is:
• cheap
Digital printing is actually quite easy on the wallet. Unlike offset printing, this form of printing doesn't need to make films and color proofs and also doesn't require the step of manually stripping pieces together. If you're looking to save a buck or two, you should look into your digital print options.
• a good quality print
Digital printing also produces much different results to ink or toner printing. This is because unlike ink, it doesn't absorb into the paper but rather forms a layer on the surface. This helps to prevent the smudging and bleeding of prints.
• flexible and fast
Digital printing is also ideal for rapid prototyping. Digital printers are much faster than most other printers so ultimately, you have shorter turnarounds for print jobs. This is ideal for photos, leaflets, brochures, posters, certificates, business cards, covers and binder inserts.
• environmentally friendly
Yes, digital printing is also environmentally friendly. Printing digitally generally requires less waste of chemicals and also less paper usage. This is because the inks are water-based and because very little water is required for washing off.
The Drawbacks
Although there are many benefits to digital printing, there are also some drawbacks. Many inexperienced companies have jumped on the bandwagon in an attempt to tackle the world of digital print. Some of these simple, inexperienced companies ultimately found out the hard way that digital printing did not meet their needs.
Deciding on the Right Print Method
These days, there are scores of companies and websites dedicated to digital printing. A simple Internet search can help you get all the answers on digital printing. Don't rush out and switch over all of your printers without first looking into your options. Understand what the world of digital printing has to offer and make a calculated decision based on your needs.
Find information about Digital Printing
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