Digital Printing Challenge: Gloss

There’s no doubt that the advancement of inkjet, large-format and laser printing technologies have had a positive impact on commercial printers. Digital printing produces higher quality, more economical and faster output, helping print shops reduce overhead while exceeding customer expectations.

However, digital printing also poses an unprecedented challenge: unlike offset ink, which conforms to the substrate it’s printed on, toner has traditionally provided just one option for the finish. Regardless of the type of paper used, the fusing process with electrographic printing creates a glossy appearance. Despite the numerous benefits offered by digital printing, this limitation has stifled the creativity of print shops and their customers alike. Imagine if Home Depot only sold paint with a high-gloss finish – it would affect a house painting contractor’s ability to meet the unique needs of each client. The same holds true with commercial printers.

Canon U.S.A. (Booth 613) has created a solution with its Gloss Optimization technology, providing the same range of finishing options to production printers with digital printing that they enjoy with offset printing. Developed for the imagePRESS, Canon’s line of color digital presses, Gloss Optimization provides the unique ability to adjust the glossiness of toner to the substrate that is being printed on – resulting in toner that behaves similarly to offset ink. The ability to customize the type of finish expands our reach in applications for digital printing – including art reproductions, diplomas and books – which will translate into new customers and revenue streams for print shops.

Gloss Optimization adjusts the gloss level through a dual fusing process – the user simply needs to specify the type of paper being printed on. Gloss Optimization also allows the user to store the settings, so the device can automatically and intuitively adjust the gloss level for future projects.

Canon is providing the sophisticated methodology of Gloss Optimization to an underserved market – light production – with the introduction of the new C800 imagePRESS Series. Comprised of the imagePRESS C700 and the imagePRESS C800, this series is compact, cost-effective and efficient, yet delivers the high-quality output, productivity and flexibility offered by the current imagePRESS line.