Inkjet & Digital Printing

Canon U.S.A. and EFI Announce Next-Generation Fiery-Driven Servers for Canon Customers in High-Quality, High-Volume Professional Print Environments

Thursday 06. March 2008 - Canon U.S.A., Inc. and EFI (Nasdaq:EFII), the world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today announced the Fiery-driven Canon imagePRESS Server A3100 and imagePRESS Server A2100 designed for the 70 pages per minute (ppm) Canon imagePRESS C7000VP and the new 60 ppm imagePRESS C6000VP and Canon imagePRESS C6000 digital color presses.

The companies also announced the new Fiery-driven Canon imagePRESS Server A1100 designed specifically for the new Canon imagePRESS C6000 digital color press. Showcased at Canon’s Booth 1416 at On Demand (March 3-6, Boston), the new Fiery-driven Canon servers deliver precision color, consistent high quality output, powerful variable data printing capabilities, seamless integration with EFI’s web-to-print, proofing, workflow and Print MIS solutions, and connectivity to all popular pre-press applications.

“With an incredibly strong combination of high quality, speed and ROI, our new production color printers driven by the new Fiery-based Canon imagePRESS Servers offer customers increased productivity and the opportunity to generate higher profitability,” said Janet Cain, senior director, Production Systems, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “imagePRESS digital press technology was one of the most anticipated breakthroughs in recent Canon history, and EFI is a key partner as we evolve our solutions for the greater benefit of our customers.”

“Customers who choose a Fiery-driven Canon imagePRESS system are empowered with industry-leading color management, consistent high quality output and workflow innovation,” said Frank Mallozzi, senior vice president, worldwide marketing and sales, EFI. “The combination of Canon digital color quality in a production engine and Fiery power, its seamless integration with EFI Print MIS solutions and on demand workflow, and connectivity to prepress applications are designed to increase Canon customers’ productivity and help them profitability grow their print business.”

The Fiery-driven Canon imagePRESS Server A3100 addresses the mission-critical, “extreme” print production, such as complex variable data printing (VDP), requirements of Canon imagePRESS C7000VP, imagePRESS C6000VP, and imagePRESS C6000 customers in the commercial print, print for pay, corporate reprographic department (CRD) and creative graphic arts markets. Ideal for customers in these environments with needs that will change over time, the scalable Fiery-driven Canon imagePRESS Server A2100 and Canon imagePRESS Server A1100 may be customized with powerful optional packages. The imagePRESS Server A3100 is the most robust of the three print servers and incorporates a full feature set that will meet the needs of the most demanding production environments.

With the Fiery open platform and compliance with industry standards such JDF, PDF, and PPML, the new servers seamlessly integrate into Canon customers’ overall print shop operations, including offset/digital hybrid environments and third-party graphic arts workflows, including Computer-to-Plate (CTP) environments. The new servers are integral to a highly efficient end-to-end workflow, from a customer’s document submission via the web with EFI Digital StoreFront(TM) through centralized job production management with EFI Fiery(R) Central and optimal print shop management with EFI Print MIS solutions.

The Fiery-driven Canon imagePRESS Server A3100, imagePRESS Server A2100 and imagePRESS Server A1100 all feature workflow innovation and professional tools, including the fastest, most open VDP solution and a unique Visual Workflow that optimizes productivity by providing job progress at-a-glance. Standard with the Canon imagePRESS Server A3100 and sold as optional packages are EFI Compose, which provides powerful functionality for complex document make-ready tasks, and EFI Impose, which delivers a unique Visual Imposition Workflow to enable Canon customers to create unlimited templates to automate job submission and reduce printing errors. Additional highlights of the Fiery-driven Canon servers include:

Performance

Among the server features that enhance Canon imagePRESS system performance are:

Fiery Smart RIP, new software architecture that combines intelligent processing with the efficient utilization of the Canon system. RIPping performance is accelerated to enable the fastest possible processing speeds on the Canon system.
Continuous Print: Enables processed pages to be stored in memory before printing, eliminating the need for the copier or printer to cycle down between unique pages.
RIP-While-Print: Allows one page to be printed, while subsequent pages are simultaneously processed.
The Fiery-driven Canon servers also make the Canon imagePRESS system a high-performance VDP solution, enabling Canon customers to readily take advantage of potentially lucrative personalized printing business opportunities. Including such VDP languages as industry standard PPML, Fiery FreeForm(TM), and several proprietary languages that may be legacy for Canon customers, to ensure that the Fiery-driven Canon servers smoothly integrate into existing workflows and ensure consistency regardless of whether the job is VDP or non-VDP.

High Quality Color Output

The Fiery-based Canon servers provide state-of-the art color reproduction capabilities that meet stringent Graphic Arts requirements. The Fiery-based servers are among the industry’s first products to pass the Altona Test Suite, third-party assurance that Fiery-driven Canon solutions are ideal for even the most demanding Graphic Arts professionals.

Built-in color management tools give consistent and superior output, proprietary compression schemes, true Adobe(R) PostScript 3, and professional toolsets.

The Graphic Arts Package, Premium Edition, an advanced package standard on the Canon imagePRESS Server A3100, immediately integrates into high-end workflow systems and enables Graphic Arts professionals to produce premium quality color from their Canon system.

Connectivity

EFI networking technologies allow users to print and manage the Fiery-driven Canon servers from the most popular network environments, such as Windows(R), Novell, the Macintosh(R), and UNIX. With standard support for Ethernet networks, this connectivity is in addition to integration with the previously mentioned EFI products and ready connectivity to industry-leading pre-press solutions enabled by EFI’s adherence to industry standards.

Security

From controlling access to the Fiery-driven Canon servers to managing open network ports and securing the data resident on the system’s hard drive, the servers feature a flexible configuration and rigorous implementation of security protocols. Also optional Removal HDD Kit for imagePRESS Server A3100, imagePRESS Server A2100, and imagePRESS Server A1100 is available for security conscious customers.

Immediate Control

The new servers’ features are designed to remove unnecessary complexity and ensure efficiency. Document building tools, print drivers for a variety of platforms, utilities for remote job management, and EFI’s award-winning local, intuitive interface helps customers achieve immediate control of their Canon imagePRESS system.

Advanced Proofing Capabilities

The Fiery-driven Canon servers are able to simulate a variety of print technologies on the Canon imagePRESS system and integrate into many related workflows.