Canon imagePRESS C910: workhorses can now do more
In early 2019, the Japanese company Canon again updated its line of sheet-fed digital printing machines of the light-production class. The popular C650 / C750 / C850 models have been replaced by the new C910 series: it is faster, provides more opportunities for working with materials, and also has a number of other interesting innovations.
Major enhancements:
Canon imagePRESS C710 / C810 / C910 specification
At the beginning of 2019, PrintDaily wrote in detail about the Canon imagePRESS C650 / C750 / C850 series of sheet DPCs, which the manufacturer classifies as light-production. This equipment, designed for regular printing of about 150 thousand A4 / month, but at the same time able to withstand peak loads of up to half a million. The first models in the series were launched on the market in 2016 and so far have found numerous owners around the world. They work both in the corporate print departments of various companies, and in digital and offset printing houses, which needed a solution for the short-run and operational printing of advertising, representation and publishing products.
However, competition does not allow you to rest on our laurels, so in 2019 the Japanese corporation announced the replacement of the imagePRESS C850 series with the new imagePRESS C910. It also consists of three models with different maximum performance and load, but their capabilities are wider than their predecessors.
Like its predecessors, the imagePRESS C910 series machines come calibrated from the factory, but since the settings “go wrong” over time, the machines have two calibration procedures that can (and should) be initiated by the operator before starting work.
Auto Gradation Adjustment (AGA) is an automatic gradation adjustment for each base color (YMCK). To perform the procedure, the operator needs to display a test print with calibration tables (they are sewn into the print server and become more detailed in new models). After that, the print is read out by the scanner of the machine (or automatically using the optional built-in Auto Gradation Sensor), the system detects discrepancies in optical density and performs the necessary adjustment of the operating mode of the exposure system, thereby adjusting the density of the toner on the material. This calibration can be performed for each type of paper used.
Auto Correct Color Tone (ACCT) - automatic correction of composite colors. To carry out this operation, the operator also needs to display a corresponding sheet with control fields, as in the previous case, measure the absorbance values on each field, and then compare them with the initial values that were entered into the machine during installation by the seller’s service engineers. Next, the discrepancy value for each field is determined and the correction is actually performed in the same way as in the AGA.
In most cases, AGA procedures are sufficient to ensure accurate color reproduction. But if you need to reproduce a complex color and the AGA can not cope - ACCT will help. ACCT is also recommended after replacing key components of the press.
An even more accurate result can be obtained if you use a combination of a spectrophotometer and a Fiery Server or PRISMAsync print server together with specialized i1 Process Control software (optional).
The manufacturer recommends calibrating the machine daily at a time convenient for the operator - preferably in the morning, before the start of the working day. If the machine is part of a printing fleet in a large company, the IT manager has the ability to remotely start calibration using iWEMC.
We add that the mechanisms described above are used not only during the calibration of the machine, but also during printing - the corresponding function is called Multi Density Adjustment Technology. Its presence allows you to get a stable color and halftone during the print run.
ImagePRESS C910 series machines can print on a wide range of materials: offset and coated papers, designer textured materials, and so on. “Recycled paper”, color printing paper, perforated paper, labels, transparencies and even envelopes (special equipment required). The range is the same as the imagePRESS C850 series, but the maximum density and format have increased.
Density officially increased from 300 to 350 g / m²! Many users have previously received good results at 350, but, as they say, at their own peril and risk, and not always. Now, the manufacturer officially declares that the necessary changes have been made to the machine design (improved transfer belt, development module, etc.), which make it possible to produce high-quality and stable printing on materials with a density of 350 g / m². They can be fed manually or from optional automatic feeders - standard cartridges are not suitable for this.
The maximum format has also increased. The machines of the imagePRESS C850 series could print on sheets up to 330x762 mm, including automatic duplex, but new models allow working with sheets up to 330x1300 mm! Due to this, the printing house can print banners, book covers, album brochures and other products that require the ability to print on the so-called long sheet. The only limitation is that not all automatic feeders and finishing modules are suitable for working with sheets of maximum length. The list of suitable devices is best to check with the supplier in advance.
It is called Stack Bypass-C1 and allows you to work with sheets of maximum format and density. The tray has a smaller angle of inclination and an optional extension tray Stack Bypass Alignment Tray-D1, which allows on the one hand to avoid sliding and folding long sheets towards the machine or drooping and falling to the floor on the other hand. The same innovation made it possible to increase the capacity from 150 to 250 sheets (80 g / m², length up to 487.7 mm). In addition, the principle of gripping the sheet in the manual feed tray has changed: if previously one large-diameter roller was used for this, the developers installed two independent rollers in the new tray, which makes sheet feeding more stable. Another innovation in the tray is sheet lifting to reduce the angle of paper entry into the print path. This made the feed of heavy sheets more stable.
Canon did not forget about the register. Usually, when feeding sheets from the bypass tray and subsequent duplex printing, there is a deterioration in the alignment of the image on the face and the back of the sheet, especially with banner printing. Therefore, a new functional mode was added that takes into account sheet lengths up to 762 mm.
ADF
A few words about other modules that automate the sheet feeding process:
Three standard cassettes
Multi-drawer Paper Deck-C1 (optional)
POD Deck Lite-C1 Compartment (optional)
POD Deck Lite XL-A1 (optional)
Work with envelopes
Sealing envelopes on imagePRESS C910 machines requires special retrofitting. Envelope Feeder Attachment-F1 is included in standard cassettes. The G1 module is optionally available: it is installed in the POD Deck Lite-C1 and POD Deck Lite XL-A1 automatic document feeders and allows you to work with envelopes of various formats.
Sheet Alignment and Register
The C910 series uses an improved mechanism with a sensor and four rollers, which ensures alignment of the sheet along the side and front edges before feeding into the print zone, as well as combining images from the face and back.
At the same time, the semi-automatic register function is available to the operator: it is necessary to print and scan a sheet with special marks, after which the machine itself will correctly adjust the geometry in rectangularity, correct keystone, change the magnification, skew and registration.
As a result of these operations, the alignment accuracy of 1.0 mm is achieved, and the accuracy of combining the face and horizontal / vertical rotation is 0.2 / 0.3 mm (for papers with a density of 90 g / m²) and 0.2 / 0.4 mm (for 200 g / m²), which exceeds the performance of most other solutions in this class.
Exposure, printing, drying
Digital machines of the imagePRESS C910 series traditionally use the classic technology of electrophotographic printing with dry toner. Exposure of the drum is performed by a compact 32-beam head with VCSEL technology, developed by Canon together with the Japanese company Sony. It provides not only high resolution (up to 2400x2400 dpi, readable text from 3 pt), but also high image recording speed, allowing the machine to print at speeds up to 90 ppm. As a radiation source, a red laser is used, which has a large depth of field in comparison with the IR analog and provides, as a result, the possibility of forming a shallower point on the drum.
There is another innovation here! ImagePRESS C910 uses a new screening algorithm with a lineature of 190 lpi by default, while the previous model had 170 lpi. Thanks to this, the machine began to reproduce better small elements, the graininess of the image and moire decreased.
As in previous models, imagePRESS C910 uses proprietary finely dispersed and abrasion resistant toner CV (Consistently Vivid). Its characteristics allow you to get a consistently high print quality in terms of reproducing small elements and color reproduction while maintaining the texture of the printed material.
The development module in the machine has also undergone some changes. Among other things, Canon engineers reworked the principle of its cooling and lowered the temperature inside the module. This allowed us to reduce toner waste, which is especially important when printing plots with a small fill, as well as to provide more stable print quality during long-term operation of the machine.
From the drum unit, toner is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt, which has an upper elastic layer. Thanks to him, the belt adheres more tightly to the material (especially to textured design papers), as a result of which a greater amount of toner is transferred to it, in comparison with belts that do not have an upper elastic layer.
The toner is fixed in the oven, where the sheet passes between two belts: the upper fixing, which is heated by induction, and the lower cooled pressure belt. This solution allows you to print without speed reduction on uncoated papers with a density of up to 220 g / m², as well as obtain consistently high quality printing on the most dense textured materials (350 g / m²), but at a slightly lower speed. The operating temperature of the stove is 160 degrees.
Enhanced Transfer Current Management
This is a useful feature that allows you to choose the optimal value for the transfer currents for each type of paper. Previously, for this, the operator had to consistently display sheets with different values of currents and choose from them the best in terms of quality. Now the machine allows you to display only one sheet with new control fields, each of which is sealed with a different value of the transfer current. It is enough for the operator to select a field with optimal quality and indicate the required value in the machine control system. Obviously, this method reduces setup time and saves printed material, which is especially important when working with expensive designer papers.
This operation can be implemented through the machine control interface or the Media Librarian utility. The second option is almost twice as fast.
Print speed
Thanks to the innovations described above and further, the performance of each model in the new imagePRESS C910 series has increased by five pages in comparison with its predecessors:
Major enhancements:
- increased maximum print speed,
- increased maximum paper size and density,
- new rasterization algorithm with increased lineature,
- The function of controlling transfer currents has been improved.
- new manual feed tray
- new and improved finish modules
- new print servers, etc.
Canon imagePRESS C710 / C810 / C910 specification
- Material format: up to 330x1300 mm
- Material density: 52–300 g / m²
- Printing speed: up to 70/80/90 A4 / min. (on papers with a density of up to 220 g / m²)
- Resolution: 2400x2400 dpi
- Controllers: Canon PRISMAsync or EFI Fiery
- Recommended load: up to 125/167/167 A4 / month.
- Max. load: 350 thousand / 400 thousand / 500 thousand A4 / month.
At the beginning of 2019, PrintDaily wrote in detail about the Canon imagePRESS C650 / C750 / C850 series of sheet DPCs, which the manufacturer classifies as light-production. This equipment, designed for regular printing of about 150 thousand A4 / month, but at the same time able to withstand peak loads of up to half a million. The first models in the series were launched on the market in 2016 and so far have found numerous owners around the world. They work both in the corporate print departments of various companies, and in digital and offset printing houses, which needed a solution for the short-run and operational printing of advertising, representation and publishing products.
However, competition does not allow you to rest on our laurels, so in 2019 the Japanese corporation announced the replacement of the imagePRESS C850 series with the new imagePRESS C910. It also consists of three models with different maximum performance and load, but their capabilities are wider than their predecessors.
Machine calibration and preparation for work
Like its predecessors, the imagePRESS C910 series machines come calibrated from the factory, but since the settings “go wrong” over time, the machines have two calibration procedures that can (and should) be initiated by the operator before starting work.
Auto Gradation Adjustment (AGA) is an automatic gradation adjustment for each base color (YMCK). To perform the procedure, the operator needs to display a test print with calibration tables (they are sewn into the print server and become more detailed in new models). After that, the print is read out by the scanner of the machine (or automatically using the optional built-in Auto Gradation Sensor), the system detects discrepancies in optical density and performs the necessary adjustment of the operating mode of the exposure system, thereby adjusting the density of the toner on the material. This calibration can be performed for each type of paper used.
Auto Correct Color Tone (ACCT) - automatic correction of composite colors. To carry out this operation, the operator also needs to display a corresponding sheet with control fields, as in the previous case, measure the absorbance values on each field, and then compare them with the initial values that were entered into the machine during installation by the seller’s service engineers. Next, the discrepancy value for each field is determined and the correction is actually performed in the same way as in the AGA.
In most cases, AGA procedures are sufficient to ensure accurate color reproduction. But if you need to reproduce a complex color and the AGA can not cope - ACCT will help. ACCT is also recommended after replacing key components of the press.
An even more accurate result can be obtained if you use a combination of a spectrophotometer and a Fiery Server or PRISMAsync print server together with specialized i1 Process Control software (optional).
The manufacturer recommends calibrating the machine daily at a time convenient for the operator - preferably in the morning, before the start of the working day. If the machine is part of a printing fleet in a large company, the IT manager has the ability to remotely start calibration using iWEMC.
We add that the mechanisms described above are used not only during the calibration of the machine, but also during printing - the corresponding function is called Multi Density Adjustment Technology. Its presence allows you to get a stable color and halftone during the print run.
Work with materials
ImagePRESS C910 series machines can print on a wide range of materials: offset and coated papers, designer textured materials, and so on. “Recycled paper”, color printing paper, perforated paper, labels, transparencies and even envelopes (special equipment required). The range is the same as the imagePRESS C850 series, but the maximum density and format have increased.
Density officially increased from 300 to 350 g / m²! Many users have previously received good results at 350, but, as they say, at their own peril and risk, and not always. Now, the manufacturer officially declares that the necessary changes have been made to the machine design (improved transfer belt, development module, etc.), which make it possible to produce high-quality and stable printing on materials with a density of 350 g / m². They can be fed manually or from optional automatic feeders - standard cartridges are not suitable for this.
The maximum format has also increased. The machines of the imagePRESS C850 series could print on sheets up to 330x762 mm, including automatic duplex, but new models allow working with sheets up to 330x1300 mm! Due to this, the printing house can print banners, book covers, album brochures and other products that require the ability to print on the so-called long sheet. The only limitation is that not all automatic feeders and finishing modules are suitable for working with sheets of maximum length. The list of suitable devices is best to check with the supplier in advance.
Advanced Manual Feed Tray
It is called Stack Bypass-C1 and allows you to work with sheets of maximum format and density. The tray has a smaller angle of inclination and an optional extension tray Stack Bypass Alignment Tray-D1, which allows on the one hand to avoid sliding and folding long sheets towards the machine or drooping and falling to the floor on the other hand. The same innovation made it possible to increase the capacity from 150 to 250 sheets (80 g / m², length up to 487.7 mm). In addition, the principle of gripping the sheet in the manual feed tray has changed: if previously one large-diameter roller was used for this, the developers installed two independent rollers in the new tray, which makes sheet feeding more stable. Another innovation in the tray is sheet lifting to reduce the angle of paper entry into the print path. This made the feed of heavy sheets more stable.
Canon did not forget about the register. Usually, when feeding sheets from the bypass tray and subsequent duplex printing, there is a deterioration in the alignment of the image on the face and the back of the sheet, especially with banner printing. Therefore, a new functional mode was added that takes into account sheet lengths up to 762 mm.
ADF
A few words about other modules that automate the sheet feeding process:
Three standard cassettes
- Formats: SRA3, A3, A4L, A4S, A5S, custom (100x148 to 330.2x487.7 mm)
- Capacity: up to 1650 sheets with a density of 80 g / m² in three drawers
- Materials: uncoated paper with a density of 52–300 g / m² (increased maximum density!), Coated paper (glossy, matte, semi-matte), textured paper, perforated paper, dividers, tracing paper, synthetic paper, self-adhesive materials, envelopes (with special equipment )
Multi-drawer Paper Deck-C1 (optional)
- Formats: SRA3, A3, A4L, A4S, A5S, custom (139.7x182 to 330.2x487.7 mm)
- Capacity: up to 6000 sheets with a density of 80 g / m² (2000 in each of the three trays
- Materials: uncoated paper 52-350 g / m² (increased max density!), Coated paper 85-350 g / m² (increased range), coated paper (glossy, matte, semi-matt), textured paper, perforated paper, dividers, tracing paper, synthetic paper, self-adhesive materials (ISO-C5 only).
- Air blowing
POD Deck Lite-C1 Compartment (optional)
- Formats: SRA3, A3, A4L, A4S, A5S, custom (139.7x148 to 330.2x487.7 mm)
- Capacity: up to 3500 sheets with a density of 80 g / m².
- Materials: uncoated paper 52–350 g / m², coated paper 85–350 g / m² (glossy, matte, semi-matt), textured paper, perforated paper, dividers, tracing paper, synthetic paper, self-adhesive materials
- Air blowing
POD Deck Lite XL-A1 (optional)
- Formats: SRA3, A3, A4L, A4S, A5S, custom (from 139.7x148 to 330.2x487.7 mm or from 210x487.8 to 330.2x762 mm).
- Capacity: up to 3,500 sheets up to 487.7 mm in size or up to 1,000 larger sheets and a density of 80 g / m²
- Materials: uncoated paper 52–350 g / m² up to 487.7 mm or 64–300 g / m² over 487.7 mm; coated paper 85–350 g / m² up to 487.7 mm or 100–300 g / m² over 487.7 mm. The rest is similar to POD Deck Lite-C1.
Work with envelopes
Sealing envelopes on imagePRESS C910 machines requires special retrofitting. Envelope Feeder Attachment-F1 is included in standard cassettes. The G1 module is optionally available: it is installed in the POD Deck Lite-C1 and POD Deck Lite XL-A1 automatic document feeders and allows you to work with envelopes of various formats.
Sheet Alignment and Register
The C910 series uses an improved mechanism with a sensor and four rollers, which ensures alignment of the sheet along the side and front edges before feeding into the print zone, as well as combining images from the face and back.
At the same time, the semi-automatic register function is available to the operator: it is necessary to print and scan a sheet with special marks, after which the machine itself will correctly adjust the geometry in rectangularity, correct keystone, change the magnification, skew and registration.
As a result of these operations, the alignment accuracy of 1.0 mm is achieved, and the accuracy of combining the face and horizontal / vertical rotation is 0.2 / 0.3 mm (for papers with a density of 90 g / m²) and 0.2 / 0.4 mm (for 200 g / m²), which exceeds the performance of most other solutions in this class.
Exposure, printing, drying
Digital machines of the imagePRESS C910 series traditionally use the classic technology of electrophotographic printing with dry toner. Exposure of the drum is performed by a compact 32-beam head with VCSEL technology, developed by Canon together with the Japanese company Sony. It provides not only high resolution (up to 2400x2400 dpi, readable text from 3 pt), but also high image recording speed, allowing the machine to print at speeds up to 90 ppm. As a radiation source, a red laser is used, which has a large depth of field in comparison with the IR analog and provides, as a result, the possibility of forming a shallower point on the drum.
There is another innovation here! ImagePRESS C910 uses a new screening algorithm with a lineature of 190 lpi by default, while the previous model had 170 lpi. Thanks to this, the machine began to reproduce better small elements, the graininess of the image and moire decreased.
As in previous models, imagePRESS C910 uses proprietary finely dispersed and abrasion resistant toner CV (Consistently Vivid). Its characteristics allow you to get a consistently high print quality in terms of reproducing small elements and color reproduction while maintaining the texture of the printed material.
The development module in the machine has also undergone some changes. Among other things, Canon engineers reworked the principle of its cooling and lowered the temperature inside the module. This allowed us to reduce toner waste, which is especially important when printing plots with a small fill, as well as to provide more stable print quality during long-term operation of the machine.
From the drum unit, toner is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt, which has an upper elastic layer. Thanks to him, the belt adheres more tightly to the material (especially to textured design papers), as a result of which a greater amount of toner is transferred to it, in comparison with belts that do not have an upper elastic layer.
The toner is fixed in the oven, where the sheet passes between two belts: the upper fixing, which is heated by induction, and the lower cooled pressure belt. This solution allows you to print without speed reduction on uncoated papers with a density of up to 220 g / m², as well as obtain consistently high quality printing on the most dense textured materials (350 g / m²), but at a slightly lower speed. The operating temperature of the stove is 160 degrees.
Enhanced Transfer Current Management
This is a useful feature that allows you to choose the optimal value for the transfer currents for each type of paper. Previously, for this, the operator had to consistently display sheets with different values of currents and choose from them the best in terms of quality. Now the machine allows you to display only one sheet with new control fields, each of which is sealed with a different value of the transfer current. It is enough for the operator to select a field with optimal quality and indicate the required value in the machine control system. Obviously, this method reduces setup time and saves printed material, which is especially important when working with expensive designer papers.
This operation can be implemented through the machine control interface or the Media Librarian utility. The second option is almost twice as fast.
Print speed
Thanks to the innovations described above and further, the performance of each model in the new imagePRESS C910 series has increased by five pages in comparison with its predecessors:
- imagePRESS C910 - 90 ppm
- imagePRESS C710 - 70 ppm
- imagePRESS C810 - 80 ppm
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