Canon has announced the launch of the DreamLabo 5000 production inkjet printer, which represents the company's foray into the production photo printing market.
The product, which emphasizes high image quality and high productivity, will arrive early next year.
“Utilizing our company's 70-year heritage in the photo industry with expertise in inkjet technology, DreamLabo 5000 is a natural progression of our business, delivering exceptional levels of image quality and productivity necessary for the photo and production print industries to flourish,” Junichi Yoshitake , senior vice president of Canon's Imaging Systems Group, said as part of the announcement. “We are excited about the debut of Canon's DreamLabo 5000 and the expansion of our business into this rapidly growing printing market.”
The DreamLabo 5000's seven-color dye-based ink system adds photo cyan, photo magenta and gray to the four CMYK colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) to realize smooth gradations and tonality, especially in the highlight and shadow areas of images. The printer employs image processing technology that makes use of the full range of Canon's large inkjet color gamut for imaging performance that effectively integrates the strengths of conventional silver halide processing into genuine advantages of inkjet printing.
On the imagePROGRAF front, Canon has announced two new large format printers—the 44-inch imagePROGRAF iPF8300S and 24-inch imagePROGRAF iPF6300S. These two eight-color large format printers feature similar technology found in the award-winning 12-color iPF8300, iPF6350 and iPF6300 printers, including Canon's LUCIA EX ink set. “These new additions to the imagePROGRAF lineup broaden Canon's offering to the graphics arts, photo and production markets by setting a new standard for the category by providing an optimal balance of high productivity and exceptional print quality,” the company explained.
Condé Introduces DyeTrans Sublimation Printers
Condé Systems has introduced the DyeTrans 7890 and 9890 ink jet sublimation printers. The DyeTrans 7890 (24″ wide media output) and the DyeTrans 9890 (44″ wide media output) are both supported by Wasatch SoftRIP technology and produce higher-quality prints at nearly twice the speed of previous generation printers (up to 50 sq. ft./hour for hard substrates and 300 sq. ft./hour for soft substrates). Available in a choice of SubliM 8-color or Dual CMYK ink configurations, these state of the art ink jet systems utilize refillable extended capacity ink cartridges and economical liter ink bottles.
For consistent quality and runability, paper choices include TexPrint and DyeTrans. With over 16 years of experience in the wide-format sublimation transfer industry, Condé is highly experienced in workflow integration, installation, color management, training, service, and technical support and provides optional on-site installation, training and color profiling. Visit www.conde.com for additional information and pricing.
HP Indigo 3550
Released late last year, the HP Indigo 3550 is the latest generation of digital presses from HP. The company also announced the installation of the unit at PrintPapa, a short-run print provider located in San Francisco's Bay Area.
The new press will be used to produce the wide range of products that are currently offered by PrintPapa, from business cards, postcards, marketing collateral to specialized applications such as short run books, booklets, labels and more. The new press will also be used to print the recently launched line of photo products such as photobooks, photo calendars, photo greeting cards and posters. Check out www.hp.com/go/indigo for more information.
Epson's 4900 Going Strong
Epson used the recently concluded WPPI Show in Las Vegas to showcase their Stylus Pro 4900, a 17-inch production printer that, they explain, sets new standards in color precision for pre-press, packaging, design, commercial photographs and fine art reproduction.
The 4900 features “outstanding color consistency and accurate color matching” and can reproduce 98 percent of all PANTONE colors. Epson's 11-color UltraChrome HDR inks and Advanced-TFP print head “give a professional finish every time” and are identical to the inks and technologies used in Epson's larger-format production printers up to 44-inches. www.epson.com