Polestar Applied Solutions, a division of Polestar UK Print Ltd, has invested in an Océ ColorStream 3500 and four Océ VarioStream 8650 printers from Canon to join its Nottingham site.
The investments are the latest chapter in a six year partnership between
Polestar and Canon and will provide the company with the capacity to win new contracts in the transactional, business critical mail and growth markets such as financial and retail.
Geoff Mordt, managing director, Polestar Applied Solutions, commented ‘Following a comprehensive review of the available technologies, we believe that Canon’s continuous feed systems are the best in the market. The print quality, reliability and seamless workflow are integral ingredients to create accurate, impactful and secure applications in the business critical mail and transactional markets and will help drive business growth across the board.’
The ColorStream 3500 will enable the company to offer its customers increased capacity in its end-to-end white paper solution, allowing for higher volumes of targeted business critical mail colour applications that can be tailored to each individual recipient. The ColorStream 3500 has been installed with pigment ink to complement the existing dye-based JetStream 2200, which has also been upgraded to Canon’s latest colour management software.
The four VarioStream 8650 devices will replace some of the existing VarioStream 9000 systems and refresh the company’s toner-based production lines. The high image quality and non-stop production capability of the VarioStream machines will strengthen the company’s service offering in the transactional and transpromotional print markets while increasing overall capacity.
‘While we feel that inkjet is the future for our business, it’s important to have both toner-based and inkjet technologies, assigning the right production line for the right application,’ continued Mr Mordt. ‘With Océ ColorStream and Océ VarioStream technology alongside our JetStream 2200, we now have an arsenal of flexible technology that, supported by Canon, allows us to cement our position as a leader in the transactional, and business critical mail fields. Meanwhile the capability for a white paper solution lays the foundations for substantial growth in the future.’
(L-R) Craig Nethercott, commercial print group director, Canon UK, Geoff Mordt, managing director, Polestar Applied Solutions
‘Also integral to the deal was Canon’s PRISMAproduction software,’ added Mordt. ‘It is the only workflow tool that is adaptable to meet our full PCI DSS compliance needs. With this secure solution, we are able to handle AFP or PDF data streams natively without having to go through lengthy RIP or conversion processes. The capability to pre-flight incoming files automatically and enrich print ready files is a key feature in driving production efficiencies.’
Craig Nethercott, commercial print group director, Canon UK, added ‘We have been supporting Polestar’s transformation into full colour from the outset, beginning with the installation of the UK’s first JetStream 2200 at its facility in 2009. We then began to help the company identify appropriate applications to migrate to white paper.’
