The six-colour machines, the 609.6mm (24in) wide imagePrograf iPF6400SE and the 1,117mm (44in) wide imagePrograf iPF8400SE, are primarily targeted at the corporate, retail and hospitality inplant markets, but according to Canon they would also be suited to commercial and high-street printers looking to take their first steps into wide-format.
The two printers sit between the five-colour CAD models and the top-end eight- and 12-colour photo and production machines in the Canon portfolio and run the manufacturer's six-colour Lucia-EX pigment-based inkset (CMYK, matt black and red).
“Some people are already using the five-colour devices as multifunction printers, and they’re pretty capable machines for a broad range of applications from CAD to posters and commercial print, but the addition of the red is particularly useful in point-of-sale when it comes to producing [reds and oranges for] eye-catching designs,” said Richard Turner, Canon UK wide-format group marketing director.
According to Canon, the new inks offer lower ink consumption combined with wide substrate compatibility and durable image life. The two machines also feature optional larger ink tanks for uninterrupted running, 300ml and 700ml respectively compared to the standard 130ml for the iPF6400SE and 330ml for the iPF8400SE. The tanks can also be changed on-the-fly thanks to a sub-ink tank.
Both the 2,400x1,200dpi iPF6400SE and the iPF8400SE can produce an A1 poster on coated paper in 60 seconds in 'Fast Economy' mode or 105 seconds in 'Standard' mode.
The machines have a compact footprint, with the iPF6400SE being 20% smaller than the standard iPF6400 and iPF6400S models. They have also been designed to be operable by users with “little or no experience” and come bundled with PosterArtist Lite, a plug in for Microsoft Office and Photoshop and Direct Print & Share software for simplified printing and cloud-based sharing. However, they can also be run with higher end third-party RIPs.
According to Turner, the two new imagePrografs are priced “on a scale” between the five-colour CAD models and the eight-colour photo production machines.
“If customers are looking for the range of applications that the eight-colour machines provide, then they will still buy an eight-colour, but if they have very specific requirements for poster production with the red ink, then these new machines are perfect,” he added.
The imagePrograf iPF6400SE and iPF8400SE are available for order immediately and will begin shipping shortly.
