Canon announces new Arizona 135 GT UV Flatbed Printer

Canon has announced the launch of the new Arizona 135 GT UV flatbed printer which can create impressive applications across an extensive range of rigid media and, with its Roll Media Option, of flexible media too.

Manufactured in Poing, Germany, with the same industrial-build quality and heritage as other Arizona models, the easy-to-use Arizona 135 GT produces exceptional image quality,  due to its VariaDot greyscale printing technology, which uses advanced drop size selection techniques to deliver photo-realistic images. With the ability to handle substrates of up to 125 x 250 cm in size and up to 50.8 mm thick and to print at speeds of up to 34.2 m²/hour, the Arizona 135 GT is a smart investment for customers with a print volume from 2,000 m² per year.

The productivity of the Arizona 135 GT is enhanced by its easy-to-use functionality, including nesting, batching of complex jobs, step and repeat, mirroring and re-assignment of print modes. With accurate print registration, errors can be avoided and valuable time can be saved, with the ability to make last-minute adjustments at the printer. With uptime being crucial to any print operation, the Arizona 135 GT incorporates a number of service features to maximise availability: Automated Maintenance System provides hands-free printhead maintenance and selectively restores nozzle function in seconds, while On Remote Service allows the user to authorise remote assistance by experienced service technicians, ensuring the highest possible uptime.

Thanks to Arizona flatbed technology and its UV-LED curing, a vast range of durable applications are achievable on rigid or flexible media with standard or porous surfaces, including glass, aluminium and other metals, canvas, wood, MDF, cardstock, ceramic tiles and plastics. The optional Arizona Static Suppression Upgrade Kit also enables the Arizona 135 GT to print on hard plastic materials, such as acrylic, polycarbonate and styrene, while the Arizona Classic high-pressure vacuum system provides extremely reliable media hold-down during printing, even for warped rigid media. Even more opportunities are accessible with the flatbed printer’s field-upgradeable Roll Media Option. This allows users to produce flexible media applications up to 220 cm wide or 50 kilograms in weight, including thin and heat-sensitive media, and to run roll-to-roll jobs unattended overnight.

The Arizona 135 GT comes with Arizona Xpert prepress software, enabling the design and production of high-value applications with ease. Including ready-made “recipes” for easy-to-create applications, the software allows users to exchange “recipes” directly with customers, so that designers can preview the end product with a 3D view in the Arizona Xpert Extensions, minimising design errors. The Arizona approach to first-time-right printing leads to less waste and fewer costly mistakes which, in turn, leads to better overall margins and faster turnaround times. Arizona Xpert also offers further high-margin opportunities for elevated printing functionality – the ability to print applications with layers that total up to 0.4 mm.

The Arizona 135 GT’s VariaDot technology uses variable drop sizes from 6 to 30 picolitres. On top of producing pin-sharp images, the Arizona printing process consumes as much as 50% less ink than regular flatbed printers, making the Arizona 135 GT environmentally friendly and cost efficient. The device’s environmental credentials also include the use of UL GREENGUARD Gold certified inks for any indoor applications, such as in schools, hospitals and retail stores – and the low emissions make for a healthier printing environment too. Additionally, the Arizona 135 GT features low-energy consumption as a result of its Instant-On functionality and minimal warm-up time due to its LED lamps.

Other energy saving features include its standard voltage power supply, energy-efficient curing process and power-efficient vacuum pumps. Finally, the new Arizona will, in time, be included in the Arizona Remanufacturing Programme, giving a second life to a very sustainable flatbed printer.

“The Arizona has become renowned for its image quality, productivity, reliability and application versatility, winning multiple awards and resulting in over 7,500 installations worldwide,” said Shinichi Yoshida, executive vice president and general manager, Canon USA Inc.

“In bringing the Arizona 135 GT to market, we’re looking to make the ideal flatbed platform for printing multiple applications on both rigid and flexible media available to any interested party. As the newest member of the fifth generation of Arizona printers, the Arizona 135 GT offers users the same core technology and benefits of its mid-volume siblings at an attractive investment level and we’re confident that it will again prove to be as popular with customers as its predecessors.”