LFP - Large-Format-Printing

Canon launches Océ Touchstone elevated printing solution at FESPA 2018

Thursday 17. May 2018 - At FESPA 2018 (Messe Berlin, 15-18 May 2018, Hall 3.2 Stand A40B40), Canon is launching Océ Touchstone, an elevated printing solution with applications in digital wide format graphics, décor and packaging.

The new solution enables graphics producers, sign-makers and décor service providers to use an Océ Arizona flatbed printer to print multiple layers, resulting in printed effects that mimic textured surfaces, embossing, metallic accents and raised lettering.
Océ Touchstone is an end-to-end solution comprising four individual components: a plug-in design tool for Adobe Photoshop; the ONYX Thrive workflow solution; the Océ Touchstone software using Océ ALPS (Advanced Layer Printing System) technology; and an Océ Arizona 1200 or 2200 series wide format flatbed printer.
The complete solution has been carefully integrated to make high quality elevated printing simple and reliable, enabling print service providers (PSPs), as well as companies in the packaging, display and industrial sectors, to add value to customer projects and produce high value applications.
Mark Lawn, Director, Graphics & Communications Group, Canon Europe says: “PSPs are looking for innovative ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors and create additional value for their customers. In turn, designers and print specifiers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for more stylish and impactful finishes. The trend for this is supported by recent research from InfoTrends which found that 89% of print buyers and 43% of PSPs expect to pay a premium for textured or elevated prints1. Materials printed on the Océ Arizona can now be enhanced with unique textures, low relief or metallic accents for eye-catching effects, with broad appeal for a number of markets, including signage, décor and packaging. It takes a flatbed technology with perfect registration, such as one of the Océ Arizona Series printers, to achieve the reliable and accurate dot placements for optimum elevated print results. Océ Touchstone enables PSPs to add an exciting, tactile element to their offering.”
Océ Touchstone can be used to recreate a range of textured surfaces with potential applications in interior and exterior décor, for example stone, brick, wood and tile effects. Sign-makers can use the technology for functional applications such as braille, or to create relief lettering for aesthetic purposes. For PSPs using flatbed printing technology to produce short-run customised packaging, Océ Touchstone can be used to reproduce the effect of embossing.
With Océ Touchstone, conceptualisation and design takes place in Adobe Photoshop, supported by the plug-in. A 3D preview enables users to pre-emptively identify potential adjustments that need to be made to the design and the level of elevation. Once finalised, the design is transferred to a standard PDF file, making it easy to share for production.
The ONYX Thrive workflow solution performs colour management and passes the file and height information to the Océ ALPS engine, which processes the 2D and height data into an elevated printing file, ‘slices’ it into the individual layers to be printed, creates a batch job and sends the batch file to the flatbed printer.
The Océ Arizona system prints the individual layers in perfect registration, by raising the print head gantry automatically. The outstanding accuracy and registration of the Océ Arizona flatbed printers, combined with the Océ ALPS technology, ensures customers get pristine quality prints with every job.
Wouter Derichs, Marketing Director, Wide Format at Canon Europe concludes: “Listening to our customers, it was clear that there is an appetite to innovate by adding texture and other effects to prints. However, until now, this has required a great deal of experimentation, with variable and unpredictable results. With Océ Touchstone, we set out to deliver a solution that translates creative visions into reality. By taking care of the complexities of multi-layer processing and print file optimisation in the background, we allow our customers to focus on delivering amazing elevated prints, time after time. With the outstanding colour reproduction and precision printing capability of the Océ Arizona printers, we believe that the repeatable quality of elevated prints that can be achieved with Océ Touchstone is unparalleled in the market.”
At FESPA 2018, Océ Touchstone will be demonstrated with an Océ Arizona 1280 GT printer on the Canon stand, producing embossed packaging, interior décor items and raised layers on POS displays.
Océ Touchstone is commercially available from Canon Europe from May 2018.