Canon and Cimpress have signed an agreement under which the former will supply digital printing presses and related technology to the latter’s businesses in various locations. This is part of a strategic decision by Cimpress to continue to invest in technology, including inkjet printing, to retain its position in online print and production of customised products.
The businesses within the Cimpress portfolio include online printers Vistaprint, Pixartprinting, Drukwerkdeal, WirMachenDruck and Druck.at, which offer design, marketing and print services to millions of businesses around the world. The agreement with Canon follows a similar deal struck with HP in May 2021.
Cimpress founder and CEO Robert Keane commented, ‘Cimpress businesses relentlessly focus on innovation, quality and efficiency improvements that enable us to serve our customers well. A key investment area for us is printing technology and we believe inkjet technology has an important role to play. It brings flexibility, efficiency and a positive step to reduce waste, contributing to the achievement of our sustainability goals.’
Stuart Rising, head of Commercial Print, Production Printing Products, Canon UK & Ireland, added, ‘Inkjet development has reached a level of maturity that allows print service providers to achieve high productivity, cost-efficiency and return on investment without having to compromise on quality. High speed inkjet technology enables printers to take the next steps towards the digitalisation of their print business. Industrial-scale productivity, print quality that matches offset and access to automated digital workflow, are all key reasons for print businesses to invest in growth today and beyond.’
Canon’s inkjet portfolio includes the sheet-fed VarioPrint iX-series introduced in April 2020, and continuous feed models such as the high-speed ProStream 1000 and 1800 presses, which offer maximum speeds of 80m/min and 133m/min respectively. Canon says the ProStream series has been recognised for reaching the highest resolution and print quality of any digital printing press at that speed, enabling customers to achieve maximum performance. Pixartprinting installed its third CanonProStream 1800 digital web press, with Hunkeler Generation 8 finishing, this summer, while Druck.at has been using an iX 3200 since beginning of 2021.
