Canon Flexes Color Muscles

Unveiled without a name a year ago at Canon Expo (mysteriously known then as imagePRESS “X”), the imagePRESS C7000VP officially enters the U.S. print production floor in a few months, as the high-speed digital color printer begins shipping to North America. Engineered with versatility and productivity in mind (hence, the “VP” in the model name), the device caused some buzz this spring at the AIIM On Demand show.

The imagePRESS succeeds the CLC color copiers, which for years had a lock on quick-print and small commercial users. While some CLC 5100 and 5000 owners may upgrade, the new, faster line is not a replacement, notes Rich Reamer, Canon's senior product marketing manager for the graphic arts segment.

Targeting high-quality, high-volume professional printing environments, the company says imagePRESS will rival offset print quality at price and productivity levels yet to be seen in the digital press market. The C7000VP model (shown below) delivers consistent print speed at 70 ppm for letter-sized output in both color and black-and-white. It maintains the various rated engine speeds for letter, ledger, 12×18´´ and 13×19.2´´ media sizes, regardless of weight or coverage.

Using new toner technology, the digital press will print consistent color at resolutions up to 1200 dpi. The company's new finer-grain toner, coupled with the elimination of fusing oil, results in the “look and feel” of offset printing. Along with the new toner, a new advanced-fusing technology allows for Gloss Optimization, a technology that helps match the gloss of the toner to the gloss of the paper. The effect, says Canon, is spectacular output.

The modular C7000VP has a range of options. On the front end, Canon will offer either its own controller or one of two imagePRESS servers (co-developed with EFI) to tackle various levels of production workflow and the integration into existing workflows through the support of open standards. Canon also sells its own production makeready solution: imageWARE Prepress Manager.

The marking engine comes standard with two paper trays holding 1,000 sheets each of 20-lb. bond, letter-sized paper. The press offers multiple input and output options, including up to two Print On Demand (POD) paper decks, two high-capacity stackers, and either a plain or saddle finisher with optional trimmer. The POD decks hold up to 4,000 sheets each, bringing the maximum input capacity to 10,000 sheets. Anticipating customer needs, an optional image reader and digital automatic document feeder (DADF) also will be available.

The imagePRESS C7000VP digital printer will allow users to add toner, add paper and empty waste toner all on the fly without interruption to the print job. In addition, when configured with the POD deck, the digital printer will be able to feed any acceptable media and any acceptable weight (64 gsm to 300 gsm) from any paper source. This new paper-feeding capability is accomplished through both air-suction and air-assist technologies, enhancing the reliability of the system for increased uptime and productivity.

The C7000VP will be shown at Graph Expo in Booth No. 1253. www.usa.canon.com