Crowther has also revealed that the Australian market has been particularly interested in the machine, outselling even the European market, which is considered to be one of the largest printing markets in the world. One customer is said to have even purchased four of the units, however Crowther was not able to reveal whom.
Steven Brown, Canon Australia Business Imaging Solutions Group product manager for Production and Graphic Arts, says the reason the W8200 has proven so popular is the technology housed within.
“Clearly the W8200 has set a new technological benchmark in regards to speed, quality, running cost and a new breed of pigment inks. When you include one of the most trusted names in the industry, combined these are what the wide format buyers find most attractive,” Brown says.
“In 1.5 months our resellers have sold over 35 units which is great because it shows that the enormous amount of time and money that has been put into research and development is worth it and that Canon understands what is required in the wide format market. In fact one of our customers has just bought four W8200s to go with six W2200 A3+ printers they bought earlier this year and they are ecstatic.”
Canon is pushing this solution with the message of “stay in control”, along with speed and quality, low cost per print and high ease of use.
“With a W8200 you can produce all kinds of work that will have your client’s wanting more. Its ability to print proofs is impressive but the fact that it can print posters that will last up to 100 years without loss of colour gives you options other proofers don’t,” says Brown.
“There are of course two versions of the W8200. There is a dye version for short life and for longer lasting prints there is a pigment version. What is really good though is our customers can’t believe how close the colour is between the different versions – the colour gamut for both is so good it has to be seen to be believed. The other feedback we have had is that the print heads are very durable and the speed increases they see in print production saves them money because with other devices, they may have required two or more units to achieve the same levels of productivity.”
This was highlighted at a recent demonstration, members of Canon’s Production and Graphic Arts Team stepped observers through the process of image capture, manipulation on Adobe Photoshop, print setup, printing, and then through to sealing with the TS4400 thermal sealer.
Also demonstrated was the replacement of ink cartridges, which Canon has designed to not only be easy to do, but also clean and safe as the cartridges lock when removed, preventing spillage.
According to Crowther, the sealer forms part of Canon’s wide format range, and offers signage and poster printers the opportunity to significantly improve the lastability of the images, as well as their aesthetic quality, with gloss, semi gloss and matt sealing options available. The TS4400 differs from traditional laminators in that it applies the liquid laminate into the print instead of encapsulating the print. This offers the advantage of a permanent seal with added aesthetic quality.
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