Canon USA Inc. has announced the company's inaugural entry into the production photo printing market with the launch of the DreamLabo 5000 production inkjet printer. This new printer debuts at AIIM On Demand Exposition and Conference on March 22– 24, at the Canon USA booth (#1901). The DreamLabo 5000 delivers a new level of performance for Canon products that combines exceptional photo and text quality together with high productivity. This technology offers the retail photo printing and the high-end print-on-demand (POD) markets a new alternative to traditional silver halide processing technology.
Canon's FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) print-head technology makes it possible to simultaneously achieve both high image quality and high productivity. The system achieves color representation rivaling that of conventional silver halide processing, delivering high-speed printing of high-quality photos and detailed text to support a variety of value-added output, from premium photo albums, photo calendars, photo collages and other merchandise to high-quality POD (Print on Demand) offerings.
"Utilizing our company's 70-year heritage in the photo industry with expertise in inkjet technology, DreamLabo 5000 is a natural progression of our business, delivering exceptional levels of image quality and productivity necessary for the photo and production print industries to flourish," said Junichi Yoshitake, senior vice president, Imaging Systems Group, Canon USA. "We are excited about the debut of Canon's DreamLabo 5000 and the expansion of our business into this rapidly growing printing market."
The Canon DreamLabo 5000 features a newly developed high-density FINE print head enabling the printing of output up to 12 inches wide. The new FINE print head additionally delivers high-speed One-Pass Printing, requiring only a single pass of the printing paper while the print-head remains in a fixed position. When used in combination with the time-saving automatic double-sided printing function, a standard feature included in the printer, the DreamLabo 5000 is capable of printing the contents of a 20-page A4-size (8.27” x 11.69”)Photo Album in just 72 seconds. The system also realizes high productivity by enabling paper and ink tank replacement during printing, supporting the extended, uninterrupted operation times required for production printers.
The DreamLabo 5000's seven-color dye-based ink system adds photo cyan, photo magenta and gray to the four CMYK colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) to realize smooth gradations and tonality, especially in the highlight and shadow areas of images. The printer employs image processing technology that makes use of the full range of Canon's large inkjet color gamut for imaging performance that effectively integrates the strengths of conventional silver halide processing into genuine advantages of inkjet printing.
The DreamLabo 5000 supports the creation of beautiful high-quality photo prints without the need for tedious color adjustment procedures. The optional Digital Photo Image Enhancement System automatically analyzes the shooting scenes of images, determining the appropriate corrective adjustments for optimal print results.
The ink-receiving layer of the genuine Canon inkjet paper employs alumina as the key material. Compared with conventional photo paper, alumina quickly absorbs ink solvent, affixing only the dye component near the surface of the ink-receiving layer to make possible high-density and vivid color reproduction.
The DreamLabo 5000's Double Ink Tank System temporarily stores ink from the main tanks in buffer tanks, allowing users to replace ink tanks while the printer is in use. A Double Paper Magazine System makes the replacement of paper rolls possible without interrupting printing jobs by automatically supplying paper from a separate magazine in the event that the paper roll in use should run out. When outfitted with an optional paper deck, the system enables the loading of four paper rolls, supporting extended, continuous-printing jobs.
The printer can produce up to 40 photographic prints (4x 6 inches) in one minute and supports a variety of output options. Canon has prepared a lineup of single- and double-sided, glossy and semi-glossy papers in a variety of widths. This paper selection supports the printing of a wide range of photo merchandise, such as photo albums, photo calendars and photo collages, as well as high-quality POD and many other items that combine high-quality photos and crisp, detailed text.
The Canon DreamLabo 5000 production inkjet printer is expected to be available starting in early 2012.