In line with Canon's focus on innovation through rigorous research and development, Canon is launching a new software release, enabling the varioPRINT iX2100 and iX3200 to deliver high-level performance in terms of image quality, efficiency and productivity.

To date, there have been more than 110 installations of the varioPRINT iX-series in the United States. The varioPRINT iX-series has also been a preferred product for print service providers (PSPs) looking to invest in Canon's products for the first time. More than 29% of customers made the varioPRINT iX their first investment in Canon production printing hardware, having installed it to complement existing presses or to replace legacy technologies. Of those net-new customers, 16% have installed a second varioPRINT iX-series.

The varioPRINT iX-series offers a high level of automation and multiple efficiency features that support PSPs, contributing to savings in labor costs and helping to reduce maintenance activity. VarioPRINT iX customers have also reaped the benefits of its media versatility. With more than 760 approved substrates, including standard offset coated, uncoated and creative media, varioPRINT iX-series customers have been printing a wide range of applications, encompassing brochures, premium direct mails and books, along with flyers and calendars. With the fastest print speed in its class, unparalleled productivity and a proven uptime of more than 90%, the top 10 varioPRINT iX-series users are printing more than 6 million images per month.

"Technology moves quickly and we felt that the varioPRINT iX was a perfect fit for our business," said Eric Seid, COO, Century Direct. "We found the transition to be virtually seamless. Since utilizing the iX as part of our fleet, we have been able to reduce our overall costs while simultaneously speeding up production. We are able to get pieces out the door quicker while not compromising quality in the slightest. We're excited to keep using the press and seeing just what it can do."

"The varioPRINT iX became our go-to tool to grow our direct mail capacity," said Chris DuBach, executive vice president of sales & business development, Phoenix Innovate. "This press was really the first opportunity to look at something that was stable and could produce fast, reliable results for our clients. The reliability, the speed, the repeatability and the outstanding color quality of the iX is truly unmatched. The quality and the substrate flexibility are the two biggest selling factors for our business. It bridged the gap. This investment sharpened our edge in helping our clients get deeper into their marketing needs."

The varioPRINT iX-series has been praised for achieving a high level of offset-like quality, which has been verified by certifications from Idealliance.

In line with its continuous focus on technological enhancements, Canon is launching a new software release, R4.3. Providing customers with the advantages of short-run or personalized digital printing to even more applications, such as demanding premium commercial print and high-quality books, the automatic image quality verification system can scan every sheet to check the quality and dynamically make system adjustments as needed.

Other performance improvements include the automatic customer media validation process (MVP) for easier onboarding of new media with the support of a wizard, as well as improved detection of potential multisheet feeds in the paper input module (PIM), which diverts detected sheets to the sentry bin. No operator intervention is required and production continues uninterrupted.

The update also brings a host of workflow benefits with the Canon PRISMAsync controller, such as SMB hot-folder support, subset support via JDF, media handling for two-sided media with different front/back handling, and improved encrypted disk support.

"Due to its high quality and productivity, the sheet-fed inkjet varioPRINT iX has proved to be a popular investment option within the commercial print market and feedback from customers has been extremely positive," said Shinichi "Sam" Yoshida, executive vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "As with all our technologies, we are continuously investing in research and development to ensure they are delivering to their maximum and supporting users with their changing needs, enabling them to future-proof their businesses. With the release of R4.3, we are taking another step in the development of the varioPRINT iX-series by ensuring that all users can achieve maximum quality, efficiency and productivity."

The software-driven release is retrofittable to all varioPRINT iX devices and will be rolled out to customers starting in March 2023.