Colorado has 58 mountain peaks exceeding 14,000 feet (14ers) - the most of any state.

On the way to the top, a stroll up the Colorado wilderness offers wide, 360-degree views of the beautiful creation surrounding you.

As we widen our wide format printer portfolio yet again, the view is equally magnificent for Datamax. This month, we are introducing a line of Océ wide format machines – including the Colorado – that create expansive, wide open opportunities for our organization within the production print space.

“Print is changing. It’s diversifying. Production printers are looking for a wide variety of print applications, from trailer wraps, vehicle graphics, back-lit displays, perforated window films and displays on high rise buildings ... This to me, signifies Datamax’s forward thinking, saying ‘we’re willing to grow with our customers and those diverse applications.

- Production Print Specialist Grant Murray

3 Reasons We’re Sky High on the Océ Colorado:

1. The Technology is Game Changing.

At the core of the Océ Colorado Series of printers is its signature Canon UVgel technology. The gel droplets, when heated, liquefy until they make contact with the media; from there, they return to their gel state and instantly "gel" to the media.

A unique print-then-cure process that uses UVgel inks and UV LED curing, these inks not only provide excellent color gamut and color depth, but also vastly expedite the finishing process. Essentially, once through the machine, the print is instantly dry, instantly scratch proof and UV resistant.

A few other advantages of this game-changing UVgel technology:

• Low-odor prints, important for indoor usage
• No drying time
• High printing speeds
• Low temperature, low energy,
• UV LED curing enables use of heat-sensitive media

2. The Creative Possibilities are Wider than Ever for Printers.

The Oce Series unabashedly supports even the most extreme creative possibilities. In a diversifying market, printers need the flexibility to let their imaginations run wild. With Océ, there are seemingly no limits – indoors or outdoors.

Consider these applications as just a few examples:

• Deep Matte Designer Wallpaper  - The highest quality wallpaper has a deep matte finish. With Océ FLXfinish technology, you can increase the perceived value of your wall decoration with the push of a button.
• Neatly Folded Canvas Prints - Produce gallery-quality canvas prints with perfect creases thanks to the elasticity of the Océ Colorado 1650 printer’s UVgel inks.
• Eye-catching Front-lits and Back-lits - Stop passersby in their tracks with vibrant front-lit or back-lit displays. Canon UVgel technology offers rich colors, elegant matte, and great blocking power.
• Stunning Double-sided Banners - Help lower your operational costs and increase your margins with accurate and easy to produce double-sided banners, for indoor or outdoor use.
• Jaw-Dropping POP Posters - Nothing draws attention like a huge poster print. Single-sided, double-sided, it is all possible with the Océ Colorado series. And with the scratch-resistant UVgel finish, these are investments that last and last.

3. It Conquers Today’s Challenges inside the Production Room. 

Analysts confirm that more than 40% of production jobs need to be turned around within 24 hours and a majority of those are same-day.

It’s fast. The new Océ Colorado 1640 is the fastest 64-inch printer on the market, with a top speed of 1,710 square feet per hour and POP printing at 430 square feet per hour – faster than any competing system in this segment, according to  Canon.

The new UVgel ink instantly gels on contact with media resulting in precise dot gain and positional control, perfectly repeatable images and instantly cured, durable prints. The low-temperature LED-UV curing system moves independently from the printing carriage, enabling uniform post-print UV curing that further contributes to print speed and print quality. Unattended printing, automated quality assurance, unattended roll changes, and reduced print waste also contribute to overall productivity.

This speed, of course, addresses the shrinking turnaround times printers face.

It’s efficient. The gel droplets remain stable on the media, with minimal dot gain, making it possible to deposit more ink in fewer passes. The result is more efficient ink usage – reduced ink consumption up to 50 %, in fact according to the Océ Site Seller.

Less ink consumption, of course, means lower operating costs for printers.

"I'm not sure if this is the technically correct way to put it, but the Colorado? It’s like eye candy to me,” Grant says. “But it’s not just a truly beautiful piece of equipment. It makes us a viable player in all production print marketplaces.”

He pauses briefly.

“They’re show stoppers, really.”