Prepress

CANON U.S.A. ANNOUNCES THE AVAILABILITY OF THE NEW CREO COLOR SERVER FOR CANON imagePRESS C7000VP, C6000VP & C6000

Monday 14. September 2009 - The New CREO Color Server Offers Print-On-Demand Environments A High Level Of Control Of Their Digital Output

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging and office solutions, today introduced an exciting new color server for the Canon imagePRESS C7000VP/C6000VP/C6000 digital presses – the imagePRESS CR Server A7000, Powered by CREO Color Server Technology. This new server is a robust and flexible front-end solution that leverages the expertise of the CREO Color Servers, developed by Kodak’s Print On-Demand Solutions Group, to support the position of Canon imagePRESS digital presses in the commercial print market.

The imagePRESS CR Server A7000 will help production print environments increase productivity by utilizing powerful color management tools, workflow connectivity via built-in JDF capabilities and comprehensive variable data printing (VDP) functionality. The new imagePRESS CR Server A7000 is an ideal choice for digital press users who need advanced color management tools to produce outstanding print quality.

“The imagePRESS CR Server A7000 offers customers a wide range of easy-to-use, yet sophisticated features designed to deliver exceptional productivity and provide a high level of control over digital output in production print environments,” said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. “As Canon’s first collaboration with Kodak’s Print On-Demand Solutions Group, we are thrilled that together, we were able to create an advanced front-end solution for imagePRESS users that can help them consistently produce high-quality, precise color output.”

As a result of the development of this new server using CREO Color Server Technology, Canon digital press customers will be able to integrate with a variety of professional workflows with open connectivity using JDF standards, such as KODAK PRINERGY Workflow System. This new server enables print service providers to manage both offset and digital workflows from a central point, helping to optimize the print process and enable intelligent automation for faster turnaround time.

“We’re very happy to provide CREO Color Server Technology to support Canon’s flagship digital presses,” said Hezy Rotman, general manager, Kodak’s Print On-Demand Solutions Group. “The cooperation between our products acknowledges the leadership of CREO Color Servers in high-performance digital print workflows and the outstanding quality and reliability of Canon digital presses. At PRINT ’09, Canon customers will be able to see a live demonstration of how they can achieve workflow automation via the new imagePRESS CR Server A7000 and its integration with KODAK PRINERGY Workflow System.”

The new imagePRESS CR Server A7000 also features strong performance in the processing of complex variable data jobs, through features such as image caching. With the built-in Easy VDP File Creator software, Canon customers can easily and smoothly gain entry-level access to the world of VDP through simple, template-driven design. Micropage Printing, based in New York City, was the first U.S. imagePRESS digital press customer to have the opportunity to use the new server.

“CREO Color Server’s exceptional use of the rich color gamut that our customers have come to love from our imagePRESS C7000VP is outstanding,” said Brian Goodman, director of client services, Micropage. “As experienced printers, our operators quickly became very ‘at home’ with the workflow, color adjustment and color management capabilities of the new imagePRESS CR Server A7000 that allows us to be as hands-on or hands-off as we would like to be, project-to-project and customer-to-customer.”

CREO Color Server’s advanced fusion imaging hardware technology enables the imagePRESS CR Server A7000 to maximize efficiency, flexibility and job processing throughout the entire workflow process for production printing. The new server also features professional imposition tools, automation tools, flexible paper handling and control of the imagePRESS digital presses’ variety of finishing capabilities. In addition, productivity can be boosted further with the optional ‘Process Power Pack’ that includes Parallel RIP which runs two jobs simultaneously and Photo Touch-up Software for the expanding photo book printing market.

The new Canon imagePRESS CR Server A7000, Powered by CREO Color Server Technology, will be demonstrated with the Canon imagePRESS C7000VP digital press at the Canon booth, (# 2612), at PRINT ’09. The imagePRESS CR Server A7000, Powered by CREO Color Server Technology will be available in Q4, 2009.