Canon extends imagePress V series with new flagship and more

The imagePress V1350 has a top speed of 135ppm
The imagePress V1350 has a top speed of 135ppm

Canon UK & Ireland has unveiled two new additions to its imagePress V series of cut-sheet toner printers; the flagship V1350, and the V900 series.

The manufacturer said the V series features technological enhancements that take its performance “to a new level”, while making it easier to use.

Joining the imagePress V1000 mid-range production press launched in April, the V1350 offers the highest print speed, productivity and durability of the imagePress family. With a top speed of 135ppm, it is capable of handling monthly volumes of up to 2.4 million A4 pages.

The inclusion of a vacuum-feeding mechanism, a flatter paper transport path, the advanced Print on Demand-Surface Rapid Fusing (POD-SURF) unit, and integrated cooling system supports long, continuous periods of “top-quality printing at high speed” and without paper jams, Canon said.

The Multi-D.A.T. colour correction system automatically preserves colour stability even during continuous runs, with the built-in, In-Line Spectrophotometric Sensor automating accurate colour adjustments when needed.

The machine, which can support media weights ranging from 60-500gsm, is designed for the production of brochures, leaflets, high-end mailings, and cards, “and offers the tightest accuracy in its class for front and back registration (0.5mm), thanks to its advanced registration technologies”, according to Canon.

Meanwhile, the new V900 series is suitable for users producing monthly volumes of up to 500,000 A4 pages. It comes in three different models: V900, V800, and V700, reflecting the maximum speed of each – 90ppm, 80ppm, and 70ppm respectively.

This series can support materials ranging from 52gsm plain and 70gsm coated to 350gsm thick media, narrow envelopes, as well as auto-duplex 762mm and simplex 1.3m banners and embossed and synthetic paper.

This versatility is supported by vacuum technology that adjusts the suction force according to paper weight, stabilising the transport of thick paper, as well as the inclusion of feed rollers and strengthened transport rollers that improve transport stability for thin, thick, and short paper.

The device also incorporates new automation features including the optional Duplex Colour Image Reader Unit, which allows the machine to make rapid pre-print adjustments to front and back registration – delivering 0.8mm accuracy, colour gradation, colour density, and secondary transfer voltage.

Canon said users can run printed adjustment charts through the Automatic Document Feeder, part of the Duplex Colour Image Reader Unit, and the V900 then automatically makes the required adjustments. Other time-saving features include remote alerts to tell operators when consumables are running low.

Carlotta Basile, production portfolio product manager at Canon UK & Ireland, said: “The additions of the V1350 and V900 to our imagePress V series family will allow both commercial and in-house print service providers to work better, faster, and with greater scope to offer their customers more high-value print products.

Basile added the series “offers more automated features, a broad range of feeding and finishing options, and easy workflow integration”.

The imagePress V printers also feature controls for maintaining colour consistency in real time and are available with options that include the Sensing Unit for further automation of quality control tasks.

The imagePress V1350 will be commercially available from Canon and accredited partners in the first half of 2023 while the V900 will be available from December 2022. Pricing had not been disclosed at the time of writing.

Also released by Canon UK & Ireland today is version 6 of its integrated, high-performance workflow and production management platform, Prismaproduction, and the launch of Prismasimulate Ultra, which includes digital layout proofing, ink estimation, and production simulation features for graphic arts and business communication applications.

Prismaproduction has been further developed to automate and integrate data input and conversion, pre-press, and production management, in a single platform to maximise workflow efficiency.

Version 6 runs on SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server), which Canon said supports even higher security standards than its predecessor.

Prismasimulate Ultra, meanwhile, is said to provide an easy-to-integrate, on-premises application that supports users in ink estimation, proofing, and workflow simulation, enabling them to increase predictability and reduce makeready times.

Offered on a subscription basis, it is the successor of TrueProof and consists of two independent optional modules when purchased with Prismasimulate Ultra Server.

First is the Universal PDF Estimator, which gives customers detailed ink consumption for Canon’s web-fed inkjet presses.

Also, in combination with Prismaproduction, the Printer Simulation Packages offer layout proofing and production simulation for web-fed inkjet and selected toner presses “to ensure first-time-ready output by checking the layout, registration and printability of each file before printing”.