Oce Arizona 318 GL UV Printer Offers True Flatbed Versatility Without Compromise

TRUMBULL, Conn., Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Oce, a Canon Group Company and an international leader in digital document management and printing for professionals, today announced the new Oce Arizona^® 318 GL printer, a highly-capable introductory UV flatbed model that offers smaller print producers entrance to the world of award-winning, high-quality UV flatbed printing. The Oce Arizona 318 GL printer makes its worldwide debut at the FESPA Digital 2012 exhibition in Barcelona, February 21-24, 2012. It will make its U.S. debut at the International Sign Expo in Orlando, March 22-24, 2012.

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Popular UV flatbed printer series

According to IT Strategies, a Hanover, MA industry research firm, the Oce Arizona product range(1) has the leading installed base of printers in the <$200,000 UV Flatbed category. Since the first shipment of an Oce Arizona Series printer in 2007, nearly 3,000 systems built on this platform have been shipped to date.

"The popularity of the Oce Arizona Series in the market is validation of the benefits and opportunities it provides to our customers," said Attilio Mainoli, CEO of Oce Display Graphics Systems. "The Oce Arizona 318 GL model gives smaller shops – those that thought they couldn't afford an Oce Arizona model – the same application versatility as our other Oce Arizona models at an affordable price point."

Affordable flatbed printing

The Oce Arizona 318 GL printer delivers quality printing on the same robust platform as the Oce Arizona 360 GT printer at a price positioned for low-volume production environments – while delivering the same application versatility. The Oce Arizona 318 GL printer is available fully installed and operational for less than $100,000(2). It is ideal for sign makers, smaller print providers, reprographers and other graphics producers that need true flatbed quality and capability but cannot afford a large capital investment.

"For quite some time, we have been looking for a UV curable, rigid substrate printer to sell as an introductory model," said Jamie Powers, Digital Specialist with Reece Supply, a distributor of Oce Arizona Series printers in the U.S. "Nothing that I have seen to date could provide the quality at a price point that I felt the small and mid-size sign shops need in order to compete with the larger print providers. After seeing the Oce Arizona 318 GL printer in action, I am glad to say we have finally found the printer I have been looking for. The overall image quality, speed and options you get for the price will make the Oce Arizona 318 GL printer a big hit."

With the Oce Arizona 318 GL printer, print providers can produce sellable output with print speeds of up to 194 square feet per hour in Express Mode, producing more than twenty 2- by 3-foot boards per hour.

In addition to the lower price-point, value-priced ONYX^® PosterShop^® X10 Oce Edition software is available to drive the printer. ONYX PosterShop software increases productivity by giving users flexible control over their workflow. It includes advanced and custom nesting tools for maximum media savings as well as a white ink tool for fast job preparation.

True flatbed enables a versatile range of applications

The Oce Arizona 318 GL printer can print on rigid media up to 49.2 inches wide by 98.4 inches long and up to 1.89 inches thick. The true flatbed design holds media stationary on a flatbed vacuum table assuring registration. The true flatbed architecture allows for edge-to-edge printing (full bleed), the printing of multiple boards simultaneously, registered double-sided prints and the printing of large displays tiled over several boards – all applications that are difficult to produce on printers that move the media through the printing system. This true flatbed architecture enables printing on irregularly-shaped or non-square items, heavy substrates, unusually smooth media such as glass, or materials that have an uneven surface such as plywood or framed canvas.

Options increase flexibility

An available factory-installed White Ink Option enables under-printing for non-white media or objects, over-printing for backlit applications on transparent media and printing white as a spot color. The White Ink Option provides potential high-value, high margin application opportunities, and, since 2008, more than 90% of Oce Arizona printer purchasers have selected this option for their printer.

A Roll Media Option is also available, giving print providers the ability to print onto flexible media including vinyl, self-adhesive vinyl, scrim banner, paper and blue backed paper without compromising the rigid printing workflow. Entire campaigns – including rigid signs, banners and posters – can be created on one printer, ensuring quality and consistency across all printed items.

A real Oce Arizona printer in every way

Like all Oce Arizona Series printers, the Oce Arizona 318 GL printer includes Oce VariaDot^® imaging technology for award-winning, high-quality output. Oce VariaDot technology does not require "light" colors to achieve high image quality and as a result uses significantly less ink – less than half that of many competitive systems.

The Oce Arizona 318 GL printer includes a UV curing system designed by Oce that provides more UV energy to support difficult-to-cure media, while reducing heat at the media surface. It also features a new-style tabletop that allows very thin media to be printed directly on the table without mechanical distortion of the media into the vacuum holes.

Highly honored UV flatbed printer series

All Oce Arizona Series printers – including the new Oce Arizona 318 GL model – share the same award-winning image quality and robust architecture, offering the Oce values of quality, reliability, productivity and user-friendliness. In all, Oce Arizona Series UV flatbed printers have earned 27 industry awards to date from organizations throughout the world. These awards validate the quality and innovation built into every Oce Arizona Series printer.

About Oce Display Graphics Systems

Oce Display Graphics Systems is a leading provider of professional, wide format solutions for indoor and outdoor color display graphics applications. Oce solutions are specifically designed to enhance the revenue and profit opportunities for service providers by combining hardware with workflow software and the expertise to help companies expand into digital large format color. From extremely high-quality UV flatbed printers to roll-based printers and advanced finishing systems, Oce offers a total solution including hardware, software, imaging supplies, finishing systems, applications expertise, hardware support and financing. Customers benefit in working with a full-service partner they can count on to help their businesses grow.

About Oce

Oce is one of the leading providers of document management and printing for professionals. The Oce offering includes office printing and copying systems, high speed digital production printers and wide format printing systems for both technical documentation and color display graphics. Oce is also a foremost supplier of document management outsourcing. Many of the Fortune Global 500 companies and leading commercial printers are Oce customers. The company was founded in 1877. With headquarters in Venlo, The Netherlands, Oce is active in over 100 countries and employs more than 20,000 people worldwide. Oce North America is headquartered in Trumbull, CT, with additional business units in Chicago, IL and Boca Raton, FL. For more information, visit www.oce.com.

Oce and Canon: Stronger together

In 2010 Oce joined the Canon Group of companies with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, to create the global leader in the printing industry. Canon develops, manufactures and markets a growing line-up of copying machines, printers, cameras, optical and other products that meet a diverse range of customer needs. The Canon Group comprises over 198,000 employees worldwide. Global net sales in 2011 totaled USD 45.6 billion. Visit the Canon Inc. website at www.canon.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With more than $45 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks fourth overall in patent holdings in the U.S. in 2010(3) and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2011. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

(1) "Oce Arizona Series product range" includes Oce Arizona Series printers and FUJIFILM Acuity printers.

(2) Dollar amount includes Oce Arizona 318 GL printer with standard features, delivery, installation and starter kit. Other options, software and accessories are available at additional cost.

(3) Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

SOURCE Oce North America