The Océ VarioPrint i300 press
MELVILLE, N.Y. - May 9, 2018 - Canon Solutions America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., announced that Maryland-based Gasch Printing has added the Océ VarioPrint i300 inkjet press to its robust production print fleet and as such marked yet another chapter in its evolution from offset and digital toner to the inkjet space, where the company now resides as a forward-thinking leader.
Founded over 30 years ago, Gasch Printing, along with seemingly every major offset print provider, underwent major transitions as the industry rapidly evolved in the early-mid 2000's. Understanding the need to adapt to these dramatic changes and recognizing the omnipresent shift to inkjet, the company's leadership team moved from its offset environment - and what later became a digital toner operation - to inkjet when it installed the Océ ColorStream 3900 monochrome press in 2016. That initial move helped stabilize the company's consistent growth, and ultimately ushered in a new era for the industry-leading book print provider.
Fast-forward to the present and it's readily apparent that Gasch Printing has doubled down on its commitment to inkjet with its latest installation of Canon's flagship inkjet press: the Océ VarioPrint i300 color inkjet press. Known throughout the country for providing its vast customer base with exceptional quality and turnaround time, Gasch Printing provides its customers with offerings that include perfect bound books, case bound books, saddle stitched booklets, catalogs, and an array of other specialized digital book printing projects, all enhanced by its recent investment in the VarioPrint i300.
"There's no doubt that Gasch Printing understands the critical role of inkjet and how it has brought - and still brings - us major advantages in terms of capacity and expansion," said Jeremy Hess, director of Sales and Marketing at Gasch Printing. "We invest in the future, and for us that future is inkjet and the Océ VarioPrint i300's ability to help us not only enhance our book publishing offerings, but eventually explore new markets outside of that industry."
Every product investment Gasch Printing makes is centered on one key element - quality. Critical both to the company itself and its customers, Gasch Printing asked the pivotal question of Canon Solutions America before installing the i300: what kind of impact will this new technology have on overall quality? Since installation in late March, Hess and his team quickly realized that the answer lies in the reliable color consistency and profound image quality on a variety of different papers that the i300 produces.
"Historically, book printing has accounted for over 95% of our business, and with that comes the need for enduring quality and consistency," added Hess. "With the i300, we are taking our quality to new heights while at the same time utilizing the technology for application growth. In addition, in just a few short weeks we've seen how to augment our productivity as it relates to book printing by combining black-and-white and color jobs on one platform."
The expansion does not stop there. Hess noted that more than ever Gasch Printing is now poised to compete in far more areas and can now focus on markets that were once exclusively dominated by offset as the i300 comes with the ability to increase flexibility, expand application mix, take on more digital work, and leverage inkjet versatility. Adding to that is Gasch Printing's ability to now enhance its offerings on the customization and variable data side of production print, again cementing its emergence into new market segments.
As a testament to its commitment to customers, Gasch Printing has taken all of these different factors into account and worked one-on-one with its customers to ensure easy and seamless transitions to inkjet.
"With any new technology comes the need for education," affirmed Hess. "Even before the installation we were having conversations with our customers on how the technology will positively affect turnaround times and quality. We've also had open houses to demonstrate these new capabilities and how the i300 will allow us to do things differently, and more cost-effectively."
Key to the ultimate success of the VarioPrint i300 for Gasch Printing is its combination with Océ PRISMAsync. One of Canon's leading workflow tools helps customers like Gasch Printing handle their workflow - from simple output management to complex multi-location, multi-vendor workflows. First using the workflow tool when it installed the Canon imagePRESS C10000, PRISMAsync has allowed Gasch Printing to boost productivity and control and automate production while increasing printer utilization. Further still, Gasch recently installed a BDT VX370+ Long Sheet Feeder on their imagePRESS C10000, enabling them to run production long sheet applications up to 30 inches in length. This extended capacity has resulted in Gasch's ability to print their dust jackets as part of their production process thus growing their revenue potential and eliminating the need for them to outsource this work. With the i300 that workflow optimization trend continues. Hess has called it a real "differentiator" and commented on its ability to simplify workflows and improve flexibility and turnaround time.
"Gasch Printing exemplifies how Canon technology can enhance a print provider's operation from both a workflow and inkjet technology standpoint," said Francis McMahon, executive vice president, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America. "For those interested in embracing inkjet, Gasch Printing is a shining testament of how to effectively balance machine and workflow to equal a full solution."
To learn more about Gasch Printing's evolution with inkjet, visit here. Additionally, to discover how the VarioPrint i300 can transform your business starting today, visit Canon Solutions America's Production Print Solutions Resource Site.