Canon Celebrates 10 Years of Sheetfed Inkjet
A Decade of Innovation: Canon Revolutionizes Commercial Printing with Sheetfed Inkjet Technology
In the dynamic and highly competitive commercial printing industry, print service providers are continuously searching for advanced technologies that can help optimize their operations, reduce overarching costs, and deliver superior products to their customers.
Historically, the production printing market faced a significant technological divide. While continuous feed inkjet systems offered incredible speed and economic advantages for high-volume jobs, many commercial printers still required the distinct media flexibility and application versatility that only cutsheet printing could provide. Recognizing this critical industry challenge, Canon embarked on a mission to engineer a solution that would fundamentally transform the digital print landscape.
Today, as the industry celebrates a major technological milestone, it is clear that Canon successfully bridged this gap, empowering hundreds of print service providers around the globe to build stronger, more profitable businesses through the power of advanced sheetfed inkjet technology.
Bridging the Gap Between Speed and Flexibility
The journey toward modern sheetfed inkjet production began with a distinct operational problem that the industry needed to solve. Early technological introductions, such as the Canon JetStream in 2008 and the ColorStream in 2011, successfully demonstrated the high potential of digital inkjet webfed production presses. These continuous feed systems proved that inkjet technology could deliver massive productivity and exceptional cost efficiency for commercial print operations.
However, this early success also revealed a major opportunity and a pressing logistical challenge for the wider market. Print providers needed a specialized way to harness the high productivity and low running costs associated with inkjet technology, but they desperately needed to combine those specific economic benefits with the sheer convenience, versatility, and media flexibility of printing on individual sheets. Commercial printers required a single, highly capable system that could efficiently handle diverse, short-run applications without sacrificing the financial advantages of high-speed inkjet production.
Pioneering the Sheetfed Inkjet Era
To help solve this complex industry challenge, Canon leveraged its extensive global research and development capabilities, continuously utilizing direct market feedback to engineer highly innovative inkjet hardware and software solutions. In 2015, Canon officially launched the varioPRINT i300, a groundbreaking digital press that officially marked the beginning of the sheetfed inkjet era. This innovative system successfully merged the low running costs and high productivity of traditional inkjet formats with the absolute versatility of sheetfed printing.
Following this initial breakthrough, Canon continued to drive the timeline of commercial print innovation forward by setting new technological standards in both quality and performance. In 2016, the introduction of ColorGrip technology and second-generation inks enabled print providers to achieve sharp, incredibly vibrant images across a wide variety of coated, uncoated, and structured paper surfaces. This technological evolution reached new heights in 2020 with the launch of the next-generation Canon varioPRINT iX-3200. This highly advanced press featured 1200 dpi imaging capabilities, an innovative two-step drying process, and an even wider range of media support than its predecessor, effectively redefining the production sheetfed market.
Maximum Versatility, Profitability, and Comprehensive Support
The implementation of Canon sheetfed inkjet technology has helped deliver transformative operational benefits to the commercial printing sector. By utilizing highly advanced systems like the varioPRINT iX-3200, print service providers gained the ability to accept and execute virtually any customer job. This massive expansion in media diversity and application capabilities helps commercial printers to effectively right-size their businesses, capture highly profitable new market opportunities, and significantly increase their overall profit margins.
Beyond the impressive hardware capabilities, Canon ensures its customers succeed by providing an unparalleled support ecosystem. With strict in-house ink development and manufacturing, Canon maintains total control over print quality and performance standards.
Furthermore, Canon deploys thousands of global, field-based technical and professional service specialists to assist customers every single day. These dedicated experts provide essential, hands-on support in critical operational areas such as workflow automation, complex project management, and detailed color and media consulting. This comprehensive level of service benefits a wide range of organizations, ranging from small family-owned print shops to massive global enterprises, providing them with the exact expertise necessary to make inkjet production work flawlessly for their specific business models.
Looking Toward the Future of Production Print
As Canon celebrates more than a decade of continuous sheetfed inkjet success alongside its vast network of customers, the company remains deeply committed to leading future industry innovations. By continuously expanding its robust hardware and software portfolio, Canon remains a dedicated global leader in production inkjet printing, building advanced solutions for today and tomorrow while supporting customers every sheet of the way.
Interested in learning how Canon production printing technology can help your business grow? Contact us today.