Canon launches “print on anything” tech

Building on its rich heritage in flatbed printing, Canon has launched the Arizona 2300 series for the large format graphics market.  

The new printer series is built on Arizona Flow technology, which is an airflow suction technique that combines a zoneless, multi-origin table layout with easy-to-use pneumatic registration pins to better secure the substrate in place on the table. The result? Productivity up by more than 20% compared with previous generations of Arizona printers, as no operator time is required for masking the table or taping the media down, enabling faster changeover between jobs, shorter set-up times and hassle-free job switching.  

The technology also makes for easier printing on unusual and more challenging media, such as cardboard, wood and glass, or even printing large images tiled over multiple large boards. Print from edge to edge on the substrate to benefit from less or no waste, more output and even more possibilities.  

The pneumatic registration pins allow users to align media to either the left or the right edge of the table – or even to both – and you can print 2-up, 4-up and 6-up. Turning the substrate over from front to back and from left to right on the flatbed enables perfect registration when printing double-sided, regardless of whether the substrate has dimensional imperfections. Confidently print on unusual, heavy, smooth or pre-cut media. 

With Arizona Xpert, the Arizona 2300 series has a self-learning capability so users can design – and then repeat – complex, multi-layered projects. The printer remembers the ‘recipe’ for the next time they want to print similar applications, saving them set-up time and automating the production process. 

In addition to the Arizona 2300 series, Canon is also introducing Arizona Xpert version 2.1. With new features and ‘recipes’ to further enhance productivity, the software application is able to print intelligent outlines of the media onto the flatbed table for perfect positioning without taping or masking.  

Arizona Xpert 2.1 supports ‘recipes’ for print and cut workflows via integration with Canon’s ProCut software. Double-sided and multi-panel printing is more straightforward, thanks to more automation. No mistakes and, consequently, reduced waste. The software application also enables easy ‘recipe’ exchange between print supplier and designer, so they can see the end product with a 3D view in Adobe Creative Suite, reducing the chance of design flaws to a minimum. 

Dirk Brouns, VP of large format graphics and Martijn van Hoorn, SVP of research and development at Canon Production Printing say: “The large format graphics market is driven by innovation and we are fully committed to the R&D programme of our Arizona flatbed solutions. With the Arizona 2300 series, we are introducing new revolutionary flatbed technology: an airflow system that simplifies customer workflows and speeds up production processes. We’re excited to bring this product to the market to help our customers fuel new growth opportunities.”