Canon’s Colorado M-series printers with UVgel 460 inks, including a new white ink, have been approved by 3M as part of its MCS warranty programme.
Approval gives users assurance of the ‘highest quality standards’ when printing applications with this combination of technologies with 3M approved media. The applications it covers include vehicle graphics, sign and display, floor graphics, transparent film and multilayer applications such as window graphics.
The Colorado M-series and UVgel 460 inks were put through a series of ‘rigorous’ tests under 3M’s assessment conditions to qualify for the approval. 3M says its MCS warranty provides non-prorated protection for the graphic’s intended lifespan, including protection against fading, cracking, peeling, blistering, discoloration and many other aspects of graphic performance. In doing so, 3M noted that the warranty gives both print service providers and their customers, ‘confidence that their images will perform as expected for the intended lifetime of the printed graphic.’
The 64in-wide Canon Colorado M-series includes two base models (M3 and M5) that offer a choice of output speeds and the option to upgrade from one model to the other. Both printers can also be upgraded to include white ink (M3W and M5W). The odourless UVgel ink technology is claimed to incorporate the best aspects of alternative ink technologies, with the colour gamut and light fastness of eco-solvent, the fit for indoor and outdoor use, the quick drying time associated with latex and the productivity and low-temperature printing process of UV.
The inclusion of the white UVgel ink for the 3M MCS warranty programme maximises the scope for customers to benefit from using UVgel across a full spectrum of premium graphics, including window graphics, labels, interior décor and many multi-layer applications.
Mathew Faulkner, EMEA director for marketing and innovation, wide format printing group at Canon Europe, commented, ‘We’re committed to working with large format graphics producers to evolve their production and enable them to exploit new growth opportunities. With the new Colorado M-series, which has Canon’s UVgel technology at its core, we’re helping our customers to do just that by providing a fully modular printer platform capable of effortlessly handling high-value, white ink applications.’
For 3M, Woonsik Shim, vice president, graphics and personal auto business, 3M Commercial Branding and Transportation, said, ‘Extending the warranty through our partnership with Canon and their growing UVgel portfolio reinforces our commitment to quality and to our customers’ success, which in turn inspires confidence in the printed graphics.’
