To serve the growing demand for digitally printed wallcoverings, Canon Solutions America has introduced the Canon UVgel Wallpaper Factory. The integrated system combines a 64 in. Colorado wide-format roll-to-roll UVgel printer with a motorized Fotoba Jumbo Roll media loader and Fotoba cutter and rewinder.
The UVgel Wallpaper Factory was designed for automated, unattended end-to-end production of customized wallpaper. Designs set up in prepress are printed on paper that is automatically fed into the Colorado printer. The fully dry printed wallpaper is then cut and rewound in the roll widths and lengths specified by the customer. An embedded device tapes each roll for immediate packing and shipping.
Advantages of UVgel Inks
To produce seamless, room-size designs from multiple rolls of wallpaper, the inkjet printing process must be exceptionally precise, with dimensionally stable materials and color consistency from roll to roll. The images must be accurately positioned on the paper for proper alignment. Plus, the substrate can’t stretch during production or the printed image could be distored and out of alignment when installed. Mismatches in color from one roll to the next would be obvious when the printed panels were hung on the wall side by side.
Canon believes the flexible, odorless UVgel technology developed for their Colorado 1650 wide-format printing system provide an ideal solution for wallpaper production.
UVgel technology is a form of UV-LED printing that uses a gel-like ink that is heated inside the printheads and jetted as a liquid onto a temperature-controlled platen. When the liquefied inks contact the media on the low-heat platen, the drops return to their gel state and are partially cured (“pinned”) by a low dose of UV light from LED lamps. Full LED curing occurs after all of the droplets required to form an image swath have been applied and gelled onto the media.
By controlling the spread of ink dots on the media (e.g. “dot gain”), the Colorado UVgel ink technology supports brilliant color consistency from print to print. Companies that use multiple Colorado printers for high-volume wallpaper production can expect consistent colors even a specific design is output on different printers at on various days and times.
Wallpapers printed with the UVgel 460 inks in the Colorado 1650 printer are odorless and have been independently tested to generate very low levels of chemicals. The inks have met the GREENGUARD Gold standards for safe use in sensitive indoor environments such as healthcare facilities and schools. Wallpaper printed with UVgel inks also meet ASTM F793 Type II classification, which means it is fit for use in commercial environments that have the potential for higher-than-average scuffing (e.g. waiting rooms, classrooms, and hallways).
The UVgel 460 ink technology in the Colorado 1650 features a FLXfinish system that enables users to produce wallpaper with either a standard gloss surface or a velvety matte finish without changing from one roll of paper to another.
This scalable, modular system can help wallpaper companies and decor firms expand into custom-printed wallpaper. Or print-service providers can use this system to diversify into high-volume digital wallpaper manufacturing.
The UVgel Wallpaper Factory is available as an end-to-end solution or as an upgrade to existing Colorado 1640 and 1650 wide-format printers. For more information about the Canon Colorado printers visit www.csa.canon.com/portal/csa/products/large-format/colorado-uvgel-printers.
“The UVgel Wallpaper Factory is a highly automated workflow solution that enables our customers to print exceptional quality wallpaper with quicker turnaround times,” said Peter P. Kowalczuk, president, Canon Solutions America, Inc.
To receive additional information about the UVgel Wallpaper Factory, contact a Canon Solutions America, Inc. representative or send your request through our website: csa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/csa/contactus
The Canon UVgel Wallpaper Factory won a 2020 Product of the Year award from PRINTING United Alliance in the category of
Automation Equipment (Print/Post Print)
About Canon Solutions America
Canon Solutions America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc. in Melville, New York. Canon Solutions America provides enterprise, production, and large-format printing solutions. They also and help companies of all sizes discover ways to improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs in conjunction with high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management operations. For more information, visit: https://csa.canon.com/
Canon Solutions American announced the UVgel Wallpaper Factory on May 14, 2020