Advantage Color Graphics Invests in Sheetfed Inkjet
Advantage Color Graphics invested in the Canon varioPRINT iX-series sheetfed inkjet press, and it not only integrated seamlessly into their operation but delivered “shockingly” high quality, more reliable uptime, low running cost, exceptional flexibility, and more. Discover how this full-service commercial printer is taking full advantage of this smart investment.
Driving Excellence in Commercial Printing: Advanced Color Graphics Elevates Operations with Canon Support
In the highly competitive commercial printing and marketing industry, delivering top-tier quality while maintaining cost-effectiveness is a constant challenge. Advantage Color Graphics, located in Anaheim, California, is a premier full-service marketing organization known for its high-quality printing and mailing services. Guided by its founder and president, Tom Ling, the company handles a vast array of marketing materials, ranging from personalized direct mail and digital campaigns to full web newspaper jobs.
Deeply woven into the company's operational DNA is the core philosophy that the customer always comes first and that exceptional print quality means everything. To continuously meet evolving client demands and provide the best possible offerings, the organization recognized the critical need to invest heavily in advanced printing technology.
The Challenge: Meeting Demand and Maintaining Competitiveness
As Advantage Color Graphics sought to expand its capabilities and tackle new projects, the company faced strict requirements during the Request for Proposal process, where operational costs heavily influence competitive positioning. The organization needed to fill a specific technological gap in its facility to remain competitive without sacrificing its notoriously high-quality standards. To find the perfect solution, the leadership team initiated a rigorous process of comparing various types of digital printing equipment across the market. They needed a machine that could balance their strict quality requirements with the economic realities of modern print production, allowing them to win bids while delivering exceptional results.
The Canon Solution: Seamless Integration and Superior Support
After extensive market research, the Canon varioPRINT iX-series consistently stood out from the competition due to its remarkable speed and steadfast reliability, convincing the team that it was the exact machine they needed. Although the team at Advantage Color Graphics was not highly familiar with Canon prior to this acquisition, the comprehensive experience provided by the Canon team quickly validated their choice. The main factors that drew the company to Canon included the seamless sales process, expert installation, thorough onboarding, and exceptional ongoing service.
When the varioPRINT iX-series was implemented, it was paired with Canon’s PRISMA workflow software, helping to ensure an incredibly smooth transition for the production floor. The software integration with the company's current network was extremely seamless, requiring no fundamental changes to their established daily processes.
Operators found the PRISMA server intuitive, making it easy to learn, queue, and send files directly to the press. From day one, the production team was able to continue working without interruption, simply loading the paper and pressing print just like any other machine in the facility.
The Benefits: Speed, Versatility, and Cost Efficiency
The implementation of Canon’s technology has revolutionized daily operations at Advantage Color Graphics, solving their initial production challenges and delivering a tremendous return on investment. One of the most significant benefits is the sheer versatility and print quality of the new equipment. The varioPRINT iX-series easily meets the company’s stringent quality standards for all customers, seamlessly handling offset coated media and virtually any other substrate a client requires.
The press effortlessly transitions from cover to text, continuously printing on materials ranging from 130-pound to 70-pound text weights, whether coated or uncoated. This outstanding output gives them a tremendous advantage from a sales standpoint, as potential clients focused on quality are consistently highly impressed by the results. The system also allows the company to incorporate personalization throughout the printed pieces and deliver them rapidly.
Furthermore, the press delivers unparalleled speed and continuous uptime. Operators note that when the facility is in a pinch and needs to produce a job quickly, the Canon press gets the job done without stopping. Production staff can queue up to five different files at once, and the machine allows them to change the ink and paper on the fly without ever halting production.
Financially, the Canon system has actively solved the company's cost-competitiveness challenge. The cost of running the new Canon machine is significantly less than their other in-house digital equipment, which empowers Advantage Color Graphics to be far more competitive in the marketplace. Furthermore, Canon’s exceptional pre-installation guidance, highly responsive installation team, and rapid ongoing support—often arriving on-site within an hour of a service call—have ensured that the company experiences continuous success with the new implementation.
Looking Toward the Future
Advancing forward, the leadership at Advantage Color Graphics believes the new technology is at least as good, if not far better, than almost every other piece of digital equipment currently on their production floor. Driven by the machine’s stellar usability and impressive return on investment, the company is already planning for future expansion.
Company leadership anticipates bringing another varioPRINT system into the facility to replace more outdated equipment. Through its partnership with Canon, Advantage Color Graphics has successfully future-proofed its operations, guaranteeing rapid, high-quality, and cost-effective marketing solutions for its diverse clientele.
Interested in learning more about how Canon production printing technology can help your business grow? Contact us today.