FESPA Munich Canon "Makes it Big"

Canon’s stand at FESPA 2023 features a simulated retail and hospitality environment demonstrating the creative and commercial scope of a vast array of wide format graphics including interior décor and packaging output. On the stand, as visitors wander the ‘retail shops’, they experience authentic print applications, ranging from promotional graphics, effective wayfinding and signage – as well as décor and packaging, all of which can help to create the right in-store ambience and customer experience. Output is printed on a host of Canon wide format production technologies and visitors can discover a diverse range of customer samples on display. 

Canon has unveiled a new addition to its Arizona flatbed printer family, and visitors can see the productive, versatile, accurate and highly efficient, true flatbed printer in action. Arizona printers can work with a vast variety of rigid and flexible substrates, including more challenging media such as cardboard, wood or glass, ideal for a retail or hospitality environment.

The company has also announced the launch of PRISMAelevate XL which succeeds Arizona Touchstone and delivers twice the elevation at up to 20% higher speeds - creating tactile print applications and elevated prints on the world-leading Arizona 1300 and 2300 flatbed series. PRISMAelevate XL is the latest member of the successful PRISMA XL Suite, enabling customers to design creative, high value applications with textured effects by mimicking textured surfaces and using embossing, metallic accents and raised lettering up to 2mm.

It expands the range of creative and functional applications users can produce including high-value signage, interior and exterior décor, awards, fine art reproduction and packaging prototyping, for growing areas such as the décor, packaging and retail industries. It also provides innovative print options with the capability to produce accessiblesignage, such as braille, for the visually impaired.

The patented Advanced Layer Printing System (ALPS) technology in PRISMAelevate XL, used in combination with the Arizona mid-volume flatbed printers, makes it possible to intelligently print layers of ink to create unparalleled quality in high-resolution colour, adding stunning or functional tactile

Andrea Haklander, Braille and Relief Manager, at The Christian Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBB), one of the largest braille printing services in Europe, explains  how Canon’s elevated printing technology, Arizona Touchstone (now PRISMAelevate XL), has helped their business and enabled them to offer a complete package;  “We can now offer customers braille, large prints, audio, embossing and digital reading matter in one complete package, thanks to the Arizona. 90% of our products printed on the Arizona are elevated prints and previously, it was not possible to combine relief with fine structuring or with full colour, nor was it possible to print relief on other materials.

Now all of this is possible. Producing elevated prints requires expertise but Touchstone makes it easy to create a good file, it includes all the elevation data the printer needs to build up the print layer by layer and that’s how we can reduce costs by 65-80% compared to the previous process. The output quality of the braille is much better than alternative processes can offer.”

The recently launched Colorado M-series, the latest addition to the award-winning Colorado family, has made its European live debut at the show, illustrating to PSPs and print factories the benefits of its modularity and in-field upgradability. The unique FLXfinish+ technology as well as the new white ink option will demonstrate the extensive range of applications it can print from bright and bold wallpapers to window graphics and high-impact front and back-lit signage. Visitors have the opportunity to watch both the Arizona and Colorado printers live in action during demonstrations in both English and German. 
 

Recognising the continued importance and growth of the digital wallpaper market and the opportunities it brings to transform spaces, the ‘UVgel Wallpaper Factory’ shows how customers can print high volumes of wallpaper unattended around the clock. This end-to-end solution, shared across Canon’s stand and the neighbouring Fotoba stand, showcases the capability of the Colorado M-series when used inline with the Fotoba jumbo roll feeder, cutter and rewinder to produce a variety of curated wallcoverings. Also on the Fotoba stand is the ‘UVgel Print Factory’, the jumbo-to-jumbo roll solution for producing fully automated high-volume UVgel applications. 

Showcasing the capabilities of the Canon imagePROGRAF family of photographic-quality, roll-to-roll printers is the imagePROGRAF GP-4000(44 inch), bringing campaign visuals to life with stunning print quality and a wide colour gamut. Boasting eleven colours including fluorescent pink, the imagePROGRAF GP-4000 can create high impact visuals from pastel shades through to neon. It’s also PANTONE calibrated, making it perfect for printing output for graphics applications such as posters and point-of-sale materials in brand colours. 

Under the overarching theme ‘Make It BIG’, wide format graphics providers and designers can see work that pushes the boundaries, encouraging them to create new products that leave a lasting impression. By showing them how they can ‘Make It Grow’, Canon aims to inspire customers to push their own creative and production boundaries to succeed and to pursue opportunities to expand into new markets. By showcasing various examples within the application tunnel on Canon’s stand, visitors can immerse themselves with an interactive experience where they can touch and feel the samples, helping them to evaluate how they can expand their business into new application areas, such as promotional graphics, décor, and packaging. 

To ‘Make It Eye-Catching’, visitors are guided on how they can make an impact, whether in terms of stimulating sales, creating memorable experiences for consumers, or driving foot traffic. Visitors at the stand will also see how to ‘Make It Smart’, with end-to-end automation and workflow tools that can help them flexibly meet their customers’ changing demands. 

Mathew Faulkner, EMEA Marketing & Innovation Director, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon Europe says, “At this year’s FESPA Global Print Expo we’re showcasing our market-leading wide format technology portfolio to demonstrate to our customers that we’re ready to support them with commercial opportunities in the retail, décor and packaging sectors so they can ‘Make it BIG’ with impactful products that leave a lasting impression. Whether it’s through sheer size, design, colour, special effects or personalised applications – the bigger the impact, the bigger the value, and the better the growth and success. 

“With the recovery of events, conferences, and trade shows, we’re seeing an increase in wide format applications, from posters and wall coverings but also with growing demand for soft signage, banners and pop-ups. Print providers need to be prepared to meet these demands with scalable technology and end-to-end automation that can optimise performance and maximise opportunities to achieve sustainable and profitable growth. With the breadth of our Canon portfolio, from flatbed, roll-to-roll and workflow solutions and also with our new Colorado M-series with a UVgel white ink option, we can support our customers to open up new possibilities in graphics, décor and packaging.”