Canon unveils new flagship colour
production printer series at Ipex 2010

Av Ratanaporn B. Jakobsen

ImagePRESS C7000VP

Canon Europe, recently raising the bar for colour production printing with the launch of the imagePRESS C7010VP, C6010VP and C6010 colour presses at Ipex 2010.  

Having evolved from the groundbreaking imagePRESS C7000VP range, the new presses provide greater profitability through increased productivity and flexibility as well as the traditional imagePRESS benefits of exceptional quality and maximum performance on all media types and weights. New features include faster simplex and duplex output on a wider range of stocks (from 60 to 325 gsm) and higher productivity on mixed-sided print jobs, offering commercial printers, Print-for-Pay businesses and Central Reprographic Departments (CRDs) a broader array of applications. The new series delivers enhanced uptime and reduces service visits to give a more robust and efficient device.

Demonstrating Canon's ongoing commitment to providing innovative technology to the professional print industry, the new imagePRESS series builds on Canon's heritage and expertise in digital colour with the inclusion of X-Rite i1Process Control v3, an enhanced version of its colour management software.

ImagePRESS C7000VP

New features in i1Process Control v3 maximise the colour capability of the imagePRESS C7010VP and deliver significant user benefits. Spot Colour Optimisation allows users to add specific spot colours, e.g. brand colours, into the profiling process and tune the imagePRESS to be able hit them with greater accuracy.

i1Process Control v3 also gives users access to the most up-to-date PANTONE colour libraries and, though the new 'Print Safe Colours' capability, allows them to view colours in their digital libraries and check that they will be accurately replicated before printing them.

"With the launch of the new flagship devices, we're confident that our customers will reap the increased benefits offered by the imagePRESS C7010VP series - greater productivity and uptime and quicker turnaround on key applications," comments Mark Lawn, European Marketing Manager, Business Imaging, Canon Europe. "Extending their print-on-demand capabilities, the enhanced engines will also give customers the confidence to handle the most time-critical and premium-quality digital print jobs and enable them to pursue growth opportunities by making the leap into new areas of business."


Efficiency gains
The new imagePRESS series can be paired with a range of new Canon controllers, the imagePRESS Server 3200, 2200 and 1200. Based on EFI technology, the controllers feature a new operating system - not previously available in existing Canon controllers - that delivers faster RIPPING speeds and job turnaround, leading to increased uptime for printers. Providing further efficiency gains, the new controllers also include Adobe's Pdf Print Engine (APPE). Customers are also given the option to incorporate Canon's range of controllers based on imagePRESS CR Server A7000 which is powered by CREO Color Server technology.

Since Canon entered the high-quality, high-volume digital colour production print market with its imagePRESS C7000VP at the last Ipex, the range has proved immensely popular with customers. The figures speak for themselves - over 1000 Canon imagePRESS colour engines have been installed across Europe since July 2007 and they're now producing over 100 million pages every month.

From October 2010, the new imagePRESS C7010VP series will be available through Canon's direct sales organisations in Europe, and also through its network of accredited dealers, with the ability to provide the quality of consultancy, service and after-sales support associated with the Canon brand.