Canon is targeting in-house poster and POS producers in the retail and hospitality markets with two new 6-colour imagePrograf printers. The 24in iPF6400SE and 44in iPF8400SE sit between the 5-colour dye ink CAD models and the 8- and 12-colour photo quality and production print models.
The machines, designed and priced for entry-level users, can output an A1-sized poster on coated paper in one minute in ‘Fast Mode’.
A key feature is the 6-colour Lucia-Ex inkset, which uses pigment inks for image longevity and use on a wide range of media. Canon said the composition of the inkset can offer lower ink usage by reducing the amount of ink required to produce certain colours. By including red as one of the six ink colours (magenta, cyan, yellow, black, matte black, and red), the printers can produce eye-catching colours that frequently appear in posters and POS collateral.
Both the iPF6400SE and the iPF8400SE feature a larger optional ink tank (300ml and 700ml respectively) in addition to the standard respective 130ml and 330ml tanks. A sub-ink tank allows for non-stop printing, or ‘Hot Swap’, during ink tank replacement.
The footprint of the iPF6400SE is almost 20% smaller than that of the iPF6400 or iPF6400S.
To make the machines as easy as possible to use for those with little or no experience of printing, Canon bundles with the printers added value software including PosterArtist Lite, which allows users to create posters in four easy steps, and a plug-in for Microsoft Office software. Also included as standard is Direct Print and Share software, which streamlines print workflows by simplifying the printing process and offering cloud-based sharing.