Canon Colorado XL printer
The print industry is becoming more volatile and so the machines must become more reactive to what’s needed. Hence hybrid printers nowadays and with so many already out there, Canon has released its latest machine to tap into this mature market. Assistant editor, Benjamin Austin, reports.
The world of wide-format printing is seeing the emergence of a new trend.
As print service providers (PSPs) look to adapt to the increasingly volatile market, it is becoming more and more important to be able to offer more with less.
It is something that printer manufacturers have recognised, and now almost all of them are offering hybrid models as part of their portfolios. With their capabilities of being able to produce work as both a flatbed and a roll-to-roll machine, working with rigid and flexible substrates of almost all kinds, they have become a huge benefit to PSPs who may wish to look to diversify without adding several machines to their roster.
And now Canon has decided to adapt to this new configuration with its first hybrid printer in the Colorado XL. The manufacturer is already versed with the 1.6m market with its Colorado M series of roll-to-roll printers and then covers the flatbed market with its Arizona series, but it is now looking to provide an all-in-one solution with its latest machine.
The new machine
Officially launched at Printing United 2025, the company held a webinar event for the Colorado XL, where it highlighted the benefits it hopes to bring to the wide-format market. Mathew Faulkner, EMEA marketing and innovation director at Canon Europe, hosted the event and was on hand to answer questions.
Mathew Faulkner, EMEA marketing and innovation director
He said: “The market is heading towards hybrid as it is aiming for flexibility and wants to say yes to jobs coming. Whether it’s rigid or roll-to-roll.
“The market is surely growing on the large-format graphics side, and at Canon, we are serving many of them. There are customers currently active
that are looking to make the step up into higher productivity ranges with the flexibility of hybrid and with the productivity capability of 3.2m, whether
that’s speed production or dual-roll printing.
“But we recognise this is actually quite a mature market, and many active customers are using existing 3.2m printers, so with the new Colorado XL series, this is really addressing the wide-format printers looking to make the step up, but also for existing users of 3.2m to invest in the latest version of technologies.”
Having a hybrid configuration allows for greater flexibility in a business’ services. The ability to switch from soft to rigid materials at almost the touch of a button. But multiple conversations Canon had with customers brought up several challenges being faced in the modern print industry.
More often than not, it is becoming harder to find skilled print operators, so asking more of the machine to ensure better prints is becoming increasingly important. A lot of major manufacturers are pushing automation with their latest releases, and now Canon has looked inward to find ways to develop the hardware attached to the Colorado XL.
UVgel technology
Colorado XL configured to a roll-to-roll
The company has therefore used it as the first printer with a 3.2m specification to be equipped with the patented UVgel technology.
Having debuted the ink with the Colorado series back in 2017, there has been a desire for the ink to be available in the wider format.
Mathew continued: “When we launched the UVgel tech along with the Colorado, that was in 2017, that was off the back of talking to many customers in the wide-format segment about some of the challenges they face and needs they have in the future around productivity.
“Particularly with the UVgel, it has brought many advantages and taken away some of the compromises existing in the wide-format tech and inks in the market at the time.
“In developing the next part of the story of UVgel, it is now entering the 3.2m market.
“We spoke to a lot of partners and customers who used those technologies in the market, but also with a lot of operators who use those devices.”
But wait, there’s more
But in an age of automation, it isn’t enough just to provide unique inks, so Canon has also decided to incorporate some new features into the Colorado XL to help PSPs produce better prints more easily.
First is the new UVgel 850 print heads. They contain 4,544 nozzles, nine times more than the industry standard, meaning only two are needed to print CMYK. If white is wanted to be printed, then a third can be included.
They are attached inside the carriage while printing, meaning they can adjust to what is happening to the substrate. This innovation has been called UVgel DynamicMotion Control.
Colorado XL configured to a roll-to-roll
The carriage moves and reacts to the printed media. High-speed imaging sensors are constantly taking snapshots of the print, with each picture acting like a fingerprint. When the carriage comes over the next time, it compares the images, so if there are any tiny imperfections between the two images,
the print heads adjust accordingly.
The media itself is also aligned through Canon’s new UVgel TRIdrive vacuum belt system. Most hybrid printers use a two-roller setup, but Canon decided to add a third roller that interacts with the others in an attempt to put an end to skewing, slipping and wrinkling.
They provide even tension and steer the belts, focusing solely on making sure the media stays straight and steady. Last of the added inclusions is Canon’s new UVgel FullBeam Curing. It is a 3.4m UV curing light across the whole printer, applying a continuous, even light across the printing process.
It can also turn on in sections and will only do so when media is detected, ensuring no wasted energy and life extension for the beam.
Round-up
With these innovations, Canon is hoping to help all PSPs adapt to the new print environment. It is an industry that ebbs and flows with whatever is most in need, with so many branches. The diversity of jobs to be done out there means that for PSPs to truly make the most of it, they need the equipment that can adapt as quickly as possible.
This is why printers are now going to hybrid configurations. By doing so, businesses can adjust without compromising themselves too much. This is what Canon hopes to help, and so by offering more innovations with the Colorado XL, it hopes to push businesses into new markets and new opportunities, either by taking the step up or improving previous offerings.
