Aimed at businesses that produce indoor and outdoor applications such as posters, banners, signage, POS, billboards, window graphics, and decals, the Océ Colorado 1640 is a 64in (1.6m) roll-to-roll wide-format printer built around Canon’s patented UVgel curable ink system.
It boasts a top speed of 159sqm/hr for billboards or outdoor banners – faster, Canon claims, than any other printer in this market segment – and a top speed for highest-quality, close-up indoor applications of 40sqm/hr.
The Océ Colorado is the first of Canon’s new line of roll-to-roll printers built around its UVgel technology, a new UV-curable ink that instantly gels on contact with the media, resulting in a precisely positioned dot with minimal gain and virtually no satellites. It contains no water so it significantly reduces media swelling.
The UVgel printheads feature patented continuous nozzle monitoring using acoustic sampling to detect and correct any underperforming nozzles, allowing the machine to operate unattended.
The movement of the low-temperature LED-UV curing system is independent of the printing carriage to ensure uniformity of curing, and the prints dry instantly, ready for immediate finishing or laminating.
Canon said the technology cuts ink consumption by up to 40% compared with eco-solvent and latex printing.
The Colorado’s dual-roll configuration enables the user to switch between two types and sizes of media on the fly. It also employs an optical feedback loop that continuously monitors media advance to automatically correct the subsequent step size as needed.
According to Mark Lawn, director of Canon Europe’s Graphic & Communications Group, the technological advancement of the Colorado offers large-format print providers the “optimum balance of image quality, productivity, application range, automation and operating cost”.
“Demand for wide-format graphic applications is booming,” said Lawn, “and with the Océ Colorado 1640, Canon is bringing radical innovation to roll-to-roll printing.”
The Colorado is expected to be the smallest in Canon’s range of UVgel machines, and was announced at PrintWeekLive! last week by Duncan Smith, director of industrial and production solutions at Canon UK.
It will be showcased for the first time on Canon’s stand at Fespa in Hamburg on 8-12 May.
