“Canon is launching its new imagePROGRAF TM series of A0+ and A1+ printers for producers of technical and promotional large format printing applications in sectors from architecture, engineering, construction and manufacturing to retail, hospitality and education,” Canon USA said.
The portfolio incorporates five models – the 36-inch (91cm) TM-355, TM-350 and TM-340 for A0+ prints and the 24-inch (61cm) TM-255 and TM-240 for A1+ output – all featuring a newly formulated, vibrant magenta ink.
“The range is designed to meet diverse printing needs, from CAD construction and design drawings to retail and restaurant posters and school classroom displays” said a press release. “The refined body design and small footprint ensures they fit within virtually any office or retail space, even when combined with the optional large format scanner.
“The imagePROGRAF TM series features a newly developed L-COA PRO II image processing engine, which enables quick start-up. The TM-355/350 offers top printing speeds of up to 3.2 pages per minute (PPM), about 28% faster than previous models,[1] ensuring greater productivity for time-critical prints.
“The ink enhancements for the imagePROGRAF TM series deliver greater vibrancy even on uncoated paper. The newly designed image processing table and optimised magenta ink ensure excellent red colour development for vivid reproduction and sharper contrasts. This equates to more clarity when highlighting corrections and revisions in CAD drawings or displaying critical technical annotations.
“By utilising all-colour pigment ink which is also water resistant, the printers can produce eye-catching posters and point-of-sale items that attract attention and do not fade easily over a long period of time. Customers printing posters can produce borderless prints using the full roll width, which removes the time-consuming task of trimming the margins after printing.”
A new flat-top design makes it easier to switch paper rolls and the printers automatically detect and display paper type and estimate how much paper is remaining. The large touch screen panel shows paper width and type, as well as remaining roll paper and ink levels. The design also helps to reduce operating noise up to about 39 decibels (dB) in certain models, which is approximately 1/3 lower than predecessors.
“Setting a new bar for compact multi-use large format printers, the new imagePROGRAF TM series creates incredibly vibrant prints, with a small footprint and less noise,” said Duncan Smith, country director, production at Canon UK & Ireland. “Whatever your company size, however restricted your space, you can now conveniently produce a wide variety of print applications which would traditionally have to be outsourced, from CAD drawings to posters and retail POS materials, improving productivity and efficiency without compromising quality.”
The imagePROGRAF TM series has achieved a ‘Gold’ product rating under the U.S. EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) Registry, the highest level of registration in the field of imaging equipment products. Expanded polystyrene foam has also been eliminated from the products’ packing materials in favour of full cardboard packaging.
The TM series printers are supplied with Direct Print Plus software which means multiple files in different formats can be ordered to print in a batch with a simple drag-and-drop operation. For promotional applications, customers can use Canon’s PosterArtist web application to create original poster and flyer designs by choosing from a wide range of free templates.