The device was delivered to the Croydon-based firm’s premises around two months ago. The company invested £100,000 in the flatbed, which it said would aid ongoing growth plans and expansion into new markets.
The business moved to new 372sqm premises in May, doubling the size of its previous unit, which was also based in the town.
This relocation equipped the business with the space to take on the new flatbed, which joins a range of other Canon equipment including a ColorWave, a VarioPrint 2090, an imagePrograf wide-format colour machine and a TDS800 professional plan printer.
According to Canon, the Océ Arizona 460 GT produces "near-photographic" image quality on both rigid and flexible media up to 1.25x2.5m.
With six independent ink channels and Océ VariaDot imaging technology, it offers varnish capabilities with spot and flood gloss effects and white ink to print on coloured media at up to 32.8sqm/hr.
Benchmark Reprographics managing director Jeff Hall said: “We’re a traditional reprographics company in terms of our customers being very much in the architecture, engineering and construction market.
“We wanted to spread our wings and go for more of the POS and display graphics marketplace. We’ve done a bit of that with our roll-fed device for the past four years but having the Arizona, which is able to print direct-to-substrate, has massively increased our workflow and reduced our turnaround times.”
He added: “We’ve seen increased demand from customers for display graphics work and the Arizona has also given us the opportunity to print on various different materials.
“The versatility and accuracy of the machine also really impressed us, as well as being able to swap relatively easily between different thicknesses and types of materials.”
Hall said the firm looked at alternatives from other manufacturers but that Canon was “a natural choice” due to the existing relationship between the two parties.
He added the business is looking to upgrade its cut-sheet equipment over the coming months.
Benchmark Reprographics has seven staff and a turnover of £350,000. It serves customers including architects, rail companies and small businesses.
