Canon U.S.A. Inc. has announced the upcoming release of the imagePRESS V1000 digital press. With a strong emphasis on automation, tasks such as color repeatability and registration alignment are simplified for print establishments looking to produce a wide range of applications, from direct mail and business cards to booklets, posters and other creative marketing collateral.

The imagePRESS V1000 digital press, currently scheduled to be available in June 2022, is the first of the new "V" series lineup, designed to provide vivid output, be vigilant during production, allow customers to provide additional value to their clients, as well as be a versatile digital press that production environments can depend on. Capable of printing up to 101 letter images per minute (rpm) the imagePRESS V1000 digital press's POD-SURF (Surface Rapid Fusing) allows the press to maintain its speed on coated and heavy stocks up to 400 GSM, as well as sustain high productivity when printing complex and mixed-media jobs.

A digital presses ability to produce brilliant and repeatable color is crucial as ever. With the Inline Spectrophotometers (ILS), press operators can easily perform advanced color adjustments such as engine linearization, color profile creation, G7 calibration, and color validation with minimal operator involvement in a short amount of time. The imagePRESS V1000 also has the ability to auto duplex stocks up to 400 GSM in weight and 51.2 inches in length. With the new Precision Registration Technology, duplexed sheets are mechanically adjusted four times to help alignment remain accurate and consistent during long production runs.

"To help address the diverse array of customer needs in the production printing markets, we are excited to announce the release of the imagePRESS V1000 digital press to our portfolio of color digital presses," said Shinichi "Sam" Yoshida, executive vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A. Inc. "The flexibility to print on a variety of stocks including envelopes, magnets, banner sheets and rigid stocks with fast turnaround times can help enable production environments explore new opportunities which can help their business."

The imagePRESS V1000 will have two front-end controller options: PRISMAsync print server or imagePRESS Server D3000. Canon's PRISMAsync Print Server is designed to help boost production capacity and provides a common workflow across Canon's production printing offering. The PRISMAsync Automated Color Task feature combines multiple color setup functionalities (including G7 calibration) into a single action providing hands-off automation. When utilized with the PRISMAcolor Manager (currently scheduled to be available in June 2022) users can monitor print quality versus internal or certain industry standards over time.

Powered by the Fiery FS500 Pro system software, the imagePRESS Server D3000 adds new and upgraded technologies to include familiar workflow and prepress features. The Express Media Color Manager and Auto Recall combined with the imagePRESS V1000 digital press' ILS perform color management functions quickly and with a clean and intuitive interface.

The imagePRESS V1000 digital press offers features that can provide opportunities that can help you transform your business, with features designed to help save time and allow production environments to focus on other tasks. Canon has synergized form and function so that even inexperienced operators can impress with superb color and exquisite output. With the proven quality, productivity and versatility features of imagePRESS devices, combined with the outstanding vital technologies, the imagePRESS V1000 digital press is designed for our customers to realize their vision more easily and efficiently.

The imagePRESS V1000 digital press is currently scheduled to be available through Canon authorized dealers for purchase starting in late June.

In other news, Canon U.S.A. Inc. has announced the launch of the PRISMAcolor Manager solution that can assist users in evaluating and monitoring print quality when using compatible printers. By using objective measurement methods to help define and establish color quality, the PRISMAcolor Manager solution shows users how their printed color compares to either a user's internal or one of the accepted commercial printing industry specifications. The cloud-based solution is simple to deploy and also allows users to track and compare results over time.

PRISMAcolor Manager, a cloud-based solution accessible via PRISMA Home, can be used with a variety of Canon and non-Canon production printing devices to help provide feedback and tracking on the four-color output against industry or internal standards.

When utilized with the recently announced imagePRESS V1000 digital press and the current imagePRESS C10010VP series of digital presses with the PRISMAsync print server additional color profiling capabilities an increased level of automation can be enabled. The imagePRESS inline spectrophotomers provides hands-off measurement automation and the PRISMAsync embedded color profiler technology can help optimize the color potential of each family of print papers with an integrated G7 calibrator and embedded color profiler. The outcome of the G7 calibration and color profiling process can then be ranked with its integrated G7 Grayscale verifier and color validator tools. This highly automated solution can help print providers advance the utilization of color process control by allowing users to reduce the on-site resources and skills required to implement.

"Managing the color accuracy and consistency in print manufacturing is an important component of quality control, and the PRISMAcolor Manager offers a way to help provide objective measurement methods to define and establish color quality," said Shinichi "Sam" Yoshida, executive vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A. Inc.

PRISMAcolor Manager can assist users in evaluating how printed color ranks compared to many print specifications. The real-time validation results are presented along with detailed color metric analysis and are automatically stored and kept for historical comparisons.

For its user interfaces, PRISMAcolor Manager earned an iF Design Award, a design prize given out each year by the world's oldest independent design organization, the Hannover, Germany-based iF International Forum Design GmbH. PRISMAcolor Manager won over the 132-member jury, made up of independent experts from all over the world.

The PRISMA Home cloud portal offers users an easy-to-deploy application that offers one interface for managing a user's compatible PRISMA cloud workflow applications and tools. It also facilitates storing jobs and data and incorporates some Microsoft® Azure security features, complementing the PRISMAcolor Manager's capabilities.

PRISMAcolor Manager sales release in the United States is currently scheduled for third quarter 2022 through Canon Authorized Dealers and will include several subscription options based on the number of devices and verification requirements.

In other news, with hybrid working environments now the new norm for many companies, remote employees need every tool available to help keep them productive at home, while businesses also need intuitive equipment for when staff does come to the office. To help bridge the gap between home and office, Canon U.S.A. Inc. has introduced six new printers designed to enhance productivity for hybrid workers and small businesses. These models include new features to help meet the latest market needs for convenience, workflow efficiency and security.

"Canon is proud to deliver solutions designed to meet new customer needs through the continued expansion of the MAXIFY and imageCLASS printer lines," said Isao "Sammy" Kobayashi, senior vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A. Inc. "These new printers are designed to improve efficiency for small and home offices, while being versatile, eco-friendly and time-saving tools."

The new MAXIFY GX5020 printer is an extension of the Canon MegaTank Printer lineup utilizing a high-volume continuous ink supply system, which can significantly reduce ink costs by utilizing high-volume ink bottles. This technology also allows users to focus on their work and not get distracted by frequently replacing ink cartridges; and when bottles do need refilling, it is an easy-to-fill, "no-mess" process. The MAXIFY GX5020 printer can hold up to 350 sheets of paper. Additional features include:

• Low Total Cost of Ownership & Increased Productivity — Thanks to low running costs of roughly $.02, coupled with high-volume ink bottles, it can produce approximately 14,000 sheets in color and approximately 6,000 sheets in black ink.
• Small Footprint — Do not let the size of the MAXIFY GX5020 printer fool you. While sufficiently compact to fit neatly in limited space, such as a retail store counter or medical reception desk, it delivers high productivity and efficiency.
• Print Quality & Media Versatility — The MAXIFY GX5020 printer delivers professional print quality via a four-color pigment-based ink system — sharp, crisp prints that are less likely to smudge. Plus, it offers the versatility to print a range of media from labels to banner papers, glossy media, envelopes and more. 

The Canon MAXIFY GX5020 printer is also compatible with the new online version of PosterArtist, a poster creation program designed for all levels of users to create professional-looking posters, banners and signage, with a unique technology allows it to express four different textured looks in gold or silver to enhance the output. This application, which works across many supported compatible models of Canon devices including the imagePROGRAF, PIXMA, imageRUNNER ADVANCE, imageCLASS, imagePRESS and MAXIFY series, offers prepopulated templates in various categories including education, business, health, travel, hospitality and many others that the user can customize to fit his (or her) needs.

Along with the launch of the new MAXIFY GX5020 printer, Canon U.S.A. Inc. has announced the addition of three new models to its imageCLASS-branded black-and-white laser all-in-one portfolio:

• imageCLASS MF453dw – Three-in-one (print, scan, copy) at 40 pages per minute (ppm)
• imageCLASS MF452dw – Four-in-one (print, scan, copy, fax) at 34 ppm
• imageCLASS MF451dw – Three-in-one (print, scan, copy) at 34 ppm

With their high-speed, crisp prints, user-friendly interface and Wi-Fi printing capabilities, these new models will benefit small- and home-office workers. These printers utilize Canon's Application Library device platform, which provides the ability for frequently used applications and convenient functions to be registered as quick buttons on the home screen for user convenience. It takes only five seconds for the first page to print on all of these three new imageCLASS models.

The new models build on the platform capabilities of Canon's imageCLASS predecessors with features such as:

Cloud Connect (Scan and Print): Cloud-based printing and scanning directly from the printer's 5-inch color touch screen. Users can print documents directly from Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive accounts, or scan images and documents directly to these services.
Simple Wi-Fi Network Setup Process: Connecting to a Wi-Fi network is much easier than in the past.
One Pass Scan: Scan both sides of your document in a single pass for increased scanning speed and to help keep documents in order.

The free Canon PRINT Business application for compatible Apple and Android mobile devices offers convenient and quick printing and scanning on the go for the imageCLASS MF450 printer models.

"Canon’s MAXIFY GX and imageCLASS devices offer a great value for small- and home-office environments and increase the value of the company's already impressive lineup for the SOHO buyer to consider," said Keith Kmetz, program vice president for imaging, printing & document solutions, IDC.

Lastly, Canon is adding the imageCLASS MF3010 and MF3010VP ("Value Pack") to its lineup of black-and-white laser printers for home office environments. These models can print up to 19 ppm, with the first page printed in eight seconds and a capacity of 150 sheets. The MF3010VP printer comes with an additional toner cartridge, and both models come with a long USB cable to connect to a PC or Mac. The imageCLASS MF3010 and MF3010VP printers can be perfect for those looking for a low-cost printer with the functionality to get the job done.

The new MAXIFY GX5020 printer is available for immediate purchase through the Canon online store for $399. The imageCLASS MF453dw and MF451dw printers are available for purchase immediately for $349 and $299, respectively. The imageCLASS MF452dw printer will be available for purchase the first week in May for $329. The imageCLASS MF3010 printer is available exclusively through Walmart for $99 and the imageCLASS MF3010VP printer is available for purchase immediately for $149.