imagePROGRAF TZ-30000
Editor’s Note: Canon U.S.A. recently announced the launch of the latest imagePROGRAF printers, which compete with LED printers for fast CAD printing, as well as color. In this interview (edited for clarity), APDSP Managing Director Ed Avis spoke with Canon U.S.A.’s Amit Bagchi, Rich Reamer and Ed LaManna about the new printer.
Avis: Is the printer intended for reprographics shops or onsite locations, such as AEC businesses?
Reamer: It is an ideal solution for locations such as an architectural firm, general contractor, engineering firm, places like that where typically you would have seen an LED or Fixed head type of device. But we also see this as a solution for print-for-pay locations, especially those that would take advantage of the color output capabilities.
Bagchi: We were really taken back with the number of the high-end repro companies that have shown interest in this product. And these are the ones that we had not done business with. The TZ fits the hybrid model of offering the advantages of LED and inkjet.
Avis: How much does this printer cost?
Reamer: There are two versions. There's the one with the integrated scanning solution and that is $14,995, MSRP. And we would expect street price to be pretty close to that. Then there's the version without the scanner, printer only, which is $10,995.
Avis: How does the new printer compare to LED printers?
Reamer: It is offering features the market has asked for from 4D sized drawings per minute to 244 prints per hour. It has the top stacking capability up to 100 sheets. It offers the production needed in many environments. On top of that, it includes software, such as the new Direct Print Plus, which simplifies the customer’s workflow, similar to what they see from other technology.
Bagchi: There's another advantage to inkjet -- the ability to make graphic prints at very good quality. You get that advantage that you typically would not get on an LED device.
Avis: You didn’t even mention the color capabilities in the press release. Why not?
Reamer: There was so much information that we just didn’t have room for it, but that is a great point, and as Bagchi mentioned earlier, it is a key selling point for the new TZ-30000. Based on early reactions of this new solution, the market seems excited about the color versatility.
Avis: I understand Océ was involved in this new printer. In what way?
Reamer: Well we are all one company, but they are now part of Canon Production Printing (CPP), and we are excited to offer software from them for the new TZ-30000 Series, as well as the new imagePROGRAF TX-4100 and TX-3100 series’. Both new series are now compatible with CPP’s Publisher Select and the CPP Print Driver.
Avis: What’s the deal with scanning and printing at the same time?
LaManna: You could be sending a print job, large or small while someone else could walk up and begin scanning t to file. This offers another productive advantage to prospective users.
Reamer: The versatility of this machine is amazing. Users can change a roll of media while it's printing from another roll of media, which can't do on competitive models. There are LED lights on the drawers that give users a sense of how much media they have left. The machine is not going to start a print on a roll of media that doesn't have enough media. Similarly, it’s not going to start printing if there’s not enough ink in the sub-ink tank system. Plus, users can open up the ink tank, take out a cartridge, replace one while it's printing. We say four D's per minute, 244 D-size an hour, but the productivity goes way beyond that with all of these different features.
Avis: What about the printhead? Is it new for this machine?
Reamer: It's our legacy printhead, but Canon’s printhead has come a long way over the years. First of all, the droplet size is so small that each nozzle is basically the size of a human hair. And so that's what offers such precise fine lines. With a printhead, it’s important to be careful that it's not over spraying. When it’s over spraying, not only does it give a bad print, but it creates dirt inside the printer. The fact that this is our legacy printhead is great for environments where users may have multiple Canon printers. It's great to have that end-user-replaceable head and to be able to do it with so many different machines.
Avis: That’s the end of my questions, but is there anything else you’d like to add?
Bagchi: Well, the one thing I would like to add is that I've been with this company 32 years, I've been involved with large format for 20, and this is one of the first devices that I witnessed that's being launched with feedback from all kinds of U.S. customers. We have had people from Japan travel here every month visiting customers, analysts, copier dealers, channel partners, everybody, saying, "Tell us more, what can we do?"
Avis: If someone is not currently a Canon dealer, how can they become one?
Bagchi: Just contact us. We are always looking to expand. Please reach out to us @ ipf_info@marketing.cusa.canon.com