Long sheet feeder solution opens up new offerings, opportunities
Canon Solutions America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., today announced that GlobalSoft Digital Solutions has installed a Canon imagePRESS® Color Series digital press with Long Sheet Feeder solution - the first in the United States.
GlobalSoft Digital Solutions (GlobalSoft), with corporate headquarters and U.S. operations in Mahwah, New Jersey, was founded in 1998. An early adopter of digital technologies, the company leverages variable data, print on demand, and targeted marketing solutions to help brand name clients improve the effectiveness of their communications.
GlobalSoft's focus from the start was to create a unique communications resource that was nimble, quick-to-market, and adaptive to client needs. Today, the all-digital shop works three shifts a day to meet the print and multimedia needs of top U.S. and European companies in pharmaceutical, financial services, automotive, and manufacturing industries.
The Need for Speed
GlobalSoft is also a white label producer of photo specialty products for major manufacturers. About 40 percent of its business comes from products such as greeting cards, postcards, calendars, and photo books. During peak season, the company produces 200,000 photo books in a four-week time span.
Covers for those books were printed on a wide format inkjet press and would take 2 minutes and 23 seconds per cover. That created a lag in the production process, with the GlobalSoft team always waiting for covers to produce finished books. The company was on the lookout for a better solution, but existing options were cost prohibitive, in addition to having large footprints and complex workflows.
That changed in 2013 when Chris Petro, President and Chief Executive Officer at GlobalSoft, took a trip to the Canon research, development, and production facility in Poing, Germany to see the latest Canon and Océ technologies. There he found a new series of digital color presses equipped with a long sheet feeder. He knew immediately that the Canon imagePRESS Color Series digital press would fulfill the need to increase speed without sacrificing cost and footprint.
"That press is a grand slam. There's just nothing better," said Petro. "This was the best peak season in our history. This press allowed us - for the first time ever - to finish books and book covers at the same rate. Now, covers take less than 2 seconds."
Larger Sheet Brings New Opportunities
The long sheet feeder on its Canon imagePRESS Color Series has also allowed GlobalSoft to expand into cover sizes it couldn't do before - specifically 12 by 12 inches. It has also led to innovation on the other side of its business.
"In the color digital printing world, there have been limitations in size," said Petro. "You can't do some traditional marketing pieces on a press with a sheet size of 13 inches. Now, I can go up to a 26 inch sheet and play in markets like 6-panel brochures."
Before, the company would sometimes have to outsource large marketing pieces to an offset vendor. Now projects like those 6-panel brochures can be done in-house with the added advantage of variable integration - a distinct competitive advantage.
"I couldn't have asked for a better solution," said Petro. "The footprint is very small. It has a very open architecture. It's lightning fast. And the cost is ridiculously low."
According to Lisa Weese, Manager, Product Marketing, Production Print Solutions division of Canon Solutions America, the Canon imagePRESS Color Series is a perfect solution for companies like GlobalSoft. "The new Canon imagePRESS lineup offers an efficient, customizable, and cost-effective solution that helps them stay innovative and competitive in the market."
The Right Product from the Right Partner
In 2012, GlobalSoft installed an Océ VarioPrint® 6160 Ultra and was immediately impressed with the quality, reliability and "service that is better than anyone else in the marketplace," according to Petro. When it came time to choose its new color press, the decision to work with Canon Solutions America went beyond service. It was also about partnering with a company it can trust.
"We don't like to work with people who just drop a box off and walk away," said Petro. "We like working with people who bring innovative ideas to us and listen to what we have to say. That's Canon Solutions America."
About the Canon imagePRESS Color Series
Canon's new imagePRESS Color Series digital press consists of six base models that offer print speeds of up to 70 or 60* letter-size pages-per-minute with up to 1200 x 1200 dpi image resolution. The models incorporate the company's proven PRISMA®sync controller that streamlines production, making printing workflows more intuitive and consistent. In addition to the PRISMAsync controller, the Canon imagePRESS Color Series models offer several external server options to help provide increased control over the printer, for a customizable workflow.
To help expand capabilities, increase productivity and reduce costs, the Canon imagePRESS Color Series models can be configured with a Long Sheet Feeder solution. This device allows for the input of longer sheet sizes, expanding the types of applications that can be produced. Supporting paper sizes up to 13 by 26 inches, applications such as book covers, dust jackets, maps, larger posters, banners, point-of-purchase signage, pocket folders, 12 page brochures, and calendars can now be created in one seamless workflow
