TRUMBULL, Conn., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Oce, a Canon Group Company and an international leader in digital document management and printing for professionals, today announced the new Oce Arizona® 360 GT and Oce Arizona 360 XT flatbed printer models with enhancements over previous models that enable its customers to increase productivity and application versatility and open doors to technical and industrial applications. The Oce Arizona 360 GT printer will be on display in the Oce booth #4258 at the International Sign Expo in Las Vegas, NV, April 28-30, 2011.

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The Oce Arizona 360 GT model features the standard table size of 49 by 98.4 inches while the Oce Arizona 360 XT model features an extra large table size of 98.4 by 120 inches. Both offer an Express Mode print speed of up to 377 square feet per hour, which is ideal for banner and outdoor work. A new High Definition print mode delivers incredibly fine feature reproduction including the ability to print text as small as two-point size, enabling print providers to offer higher-margin technical and industrial applications such as printing on lenticular lenses and membrane panels.

These new models include 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 by 50%. This improves support for heat-sensitive media such as thin polystyrene or polyester films.

Both models also feature 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. This enables users to print very thin, flexible materials on the flatbed table, if they do not have the Roll Media Option installed.

Oce VariaDot® imaging technology for high quality and cost savings

The Oce Arizona 360 GT and Oce Arizona 360 XT printers use UV curable inks and Oce VariaDot imaging technology to deliver near-photographic image quality for nearly any application. Printers equipped with Oce VariaDot technology can simultaneously jet smaller 6, 12, and 18 picoliter droplets for the production of sharp images with smooth gradients and quartertones. This technology also provides the ability to jet larger 30, 36 and 42 picoliter droplets for the production of dense, uniform solid colors. The result is near-photographic image quality with sharpness only before seen at resolutions of 1,440 dpi or higher. Print providers should never have to refuse a job because of their clients' expectations for high quality output, when using an Oce Arizona 360 GT or Oce Arizona 360 XT printer.

In addition to superior image quality, Oce VariaDot imaging technology requires only four-color inks to achieve the best image quality in the industry, based on the six DPI/SGIA Product of the Year Awards earned by the Oce Arizona Series of printers, more than any other UV flatbed printer on the market. The clever use of only four colors, jetted in variable-sized droplets, results in significantly lower ink consumption than printers that use fixed droplet inkjet technology or require six colors to achieve sufficient print quality. On average, all Oce Arizona Series printers consume less than 8 ml of ink per square meter, including all maintenance; less than any other flatbed printer Oce has tested to date.

Select the table size that fits the job

Designed as true flatbed systems, the Oce Arizona 360 GT and Oce Arizona 360 XT printers can print on a wide variety of rigid substrates up to 1.89 inches thick. Each uses a vacuum system to hold media stationary on a flat surface, assuring accurate registration even on multiple imaging passes. Full bleeds can be printed, saving time and labor costs in finishing.

The standard size table on the Oce Arizona 360 GT printer can accommodate a 49.2 by 98.4 inch rigid board, and is designed to handle the vast majority of display graphics jobs.

The extra large size of the Oce Arizona 360 XT printer enables printing of oversized sheets and objects up to 98.4 by 120 inches in size. Two independent vacuum systems in the Oce Arizona 360 XT model also enable the printer to be used in a continuous imaging mode for rigid media up to 49.2 by 98.4 inches (or a standard four- by eight-foot board). Two rigid boards can be placed on different areas of the flatbed table. While one board is being printed, the operator can change the other. Since the system never has to stop printing for a media change, no time is lost between prints and significantly higher net productivity can be achieved. Up to 87 four- by eight-foot boards can be produced in a single eight-hour shift on the Oce Arizona 360 XT printer using Express print mode, making it a great solution for typical sign and display work that would otherwise go to the screen press.

Available options for both models

A Roll Media Option is 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.

A White Ink Option is also available that enables under-printing for non-white media or objects, over-printing for backlit applications on transparent media and/or printing white as a spot color. Because the White Ink Option enables users to take advantage of these high-value, high-margin application opportunities, more than 90% of Oce Arizona printer purchasers have selected this important option for their printer since its introduction in 2008.

The most honored flatbed printer series in the world

All Oce Arizona Series printers – including the new Oce Arizona 360 GT and Oce Arizona 360 XT models – share the same award-winning image quality and robust architecture, offering the Oce values of quality, reliability, productivity and user-friendliness. Since 2006, Oce Arizona Series UV flatbed printers have earned 25 industry awards to date – including six DPI/SGIA Product of the Year Awards – from organizations throughout the world. These awards validate the quality and innovation built into every Oce Arizona Series printer. With more than 2,500 systems sold to date, it is the best selling series of UV flatbed printers in history.

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 and roll-based printers to 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. Total revenues in financial 2010 amounted to approximately euro 2.7 billion. Oce is listed on Euronext in Amsterdam. For more information visit www.oce.com.

Oce North America is headquartered in Trumbull, CT, with additional business units in Chicago, IL and Boca Raton, FL. North America represents 34% of Oce's worldwide revenues, and employment is over 8,000. For more information about Oce North America, visit www.oceusa.com. Outside the U.S., consult http://global.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 197,000 people worldwide. Global net sales in 2010 were more than US $45 billion. For more information visit 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. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2010(*), with global revenues of more than US $45 billion and is listed as number five in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies 2011 list. 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. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – "all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future" – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. 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.

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

SOURCE Oce North America