What makes the Canon Colorado Gel-Ink printer so special for art prints?
ArtisanHD has recently installed a new Canon Colorado Gel-Ink printer. Part of what makes the Canon Colorado so special is the introduction of new ink and finishing technologies.
Primarily there are 3 key reasons why you should print on the Canon Colorado:
#1 – UV gel ink produces clearer images with brighter colors and greater image contrast.
Unlike most printers (even commercial-grade printers), the Canon Colorado uses inks that are cured using UV light during the printing process. As the ink comes out of the printer an attachment to the printer projects UV light onto the ink and instantly cures it. Because of this, the inks are specially designed to offer unique advantages over standard printers.
#2 – The Canon UV gel ink provides a durable, scratch-resistant layer that needs no further protection for most applications.
This ink is also more flexible, providing the ability to stretch without damage when prints need to be folded, creased, wrapped, or stretched on a frame. This makes it ideal for several different mediums, such as HD photo paper, watercolor paper, or even canvas.
#3 – The new FLX finish technology, with which you can print your images with a beautiful glossy finish or a luxurious matte finish.
For a matte finish or when using porous media, a brief flash of UV light pins the UV gel droplets in place immediately after jetting, freezing the shape of every drop of ink. This results in a rough surface at the micro-level, providing the characteristic velvety-matte finish.
For instance, with a glossy finish, the droplets get a little more time to settle into a smooth, even layer.
The difference between Glossy and Matte finish
#4 – Low-odor, faster-drying UV inks
Inks used in other printers can have distinct and unpleasant smell as well as take much longer to dry because of what they are made out of to achieve their colors:
Pigments or dyes – give unique color to the ink but can also give a unique smell
Solvents – used to disperse pigments throughout the ink, alcohols, glycols and other chemicals have a chemical smell
Resins or binders – to help the ink adhere to the surface but can give off a strong chemical smell
Additives or fillers – used to improve specific characteristics of an ink, non-UV ink can require many different chemicals to perform properly
UV ink not only doesn’t smell like many inks, but because it’s instantly cured by UV light, it dries faster and allows for faster shipping.
#5 – Lower environmental impact than non-UV inks
With the growing importance of sustainable printing practices, UV inks are a perfect example of advancing technology that reduces the environmental impact while also providing a superior product – truly the best of both worlds.
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