Canon received three Buyers Lab (BLI) Outstanding Innovation 2021 awards in the Production Printing category. The awards, presented by analysts from independent research firm Keypoint Intelligence, were given to the manufacturer for the varioPRINT iX sheetfed inkjet press, the ProStream 1800 continuous inkjet printer and the Arizona 2300 flatbed printer.
The BLI Outstanding Innovation Awards are presented to "technologies that improve print quality, increase productivity, enable efficiency gains, have a positive impact on sustainable development and significantly advance their product segments".
Competition organizers have invited manufacturers and developers of production printing to present their own products or technologies that are expected to make their debut in 2021 (or soon after). Keypoint Intelligence's expert production printing analysts then rated them according to three criteria: innovation, its likely impact on the market segment it addresses, and the expected time to market.
The varioPRINT iX series is "the first sheet-fed inkjet press truly capable of handling different sizes and weights of coated and uncoated media." . Its maximum speed of 320 A4 images per minute and monthly volumes of up to 10 million images have also been described as "very good" "impressive for this category."
As for the ProStream 1800, the judges described it as a "very good" and "very good" "impressive evolution". They praised its offset printing quality on standard coated substrates at speeds of up to 133 m/min. Canon's air flotation drying and in-line quality control also impressed the experts.
And the Arizona 2300, launched a few weeks ago, has been distinguished by its Arizona Flow technology "revolutionary" . This technology eliminates the need to hide the table, or to attach the media to the printing area. "Switching from one run to the next is faster and easier, and adjustments are made more quickly", the experts emphasized.
