Arrow Digital installs Canon UV gel

This innovative seamless workflow technology opens a range of possibilities for the wallpaper and signage industry.

Sam Patel, CEO and managing director of Arrow Digital, said, “UVgel Wallpaper Factory enables on-demand printing, allowing for customisation and personalisation of wallpaper designs. This capability caters to the growing demand for personalised and bespoke wallpapers in the market.” 

The UVgel technology developed by Canon is a unique print-then-cure technology with instant-dry gel inks, cured with UV LED lights. The UVgel printing process does not rely on evaporation or heat, so there is no media distortion with prints, delivering precise, consistent vibrant colours, sharp details, and smooth gradients print after print, panel to panel of visually stunning wallpaper.  It is designed for high-speed production, enabling fast turnaround times even for large orders. UVgel inks are extremely resistant and durable, making them ideal for long-lasting applications such as wallpaper. 

The Canon Colorado M5W is a fully modular UVgel roll-to-roll printer designed for wide format graphics offering exceptional productivity and substantially expanding the range of premium graphics and décor applications that customers can create. One of the most exciting features of the Canon Colorado M5W is its hassle-free white ink printing capabilities. Thanks to the unique UVgel technology which offers high-opacity white ink with speeds up to three times faster than comparable technologies, even for multilayer modes. UVgel’s properties eliminate many of the production, nozzle-cleaning, and maintenance issues commonly associated with white ink, offering smooth, error-free printing, minimising ink usage and waste, and maximising productivity.

With this addition and new media detection sensor technology for easy handling, Colorado M-series customers can now print on a wide range of wallpaper media such as coated, uncoated, non-woven, heavily textured, self-adhesive, metallic, and coloured media. It can also produce premium graphic signage printing on transparent, reflective, dark coloured and magnetic media. This versatility allows for diverse design options and ensures compatibility with different customer preferences. 

With Canon PRISMAguide XL, an easy and powerful make-ready software, one can enjoy first-time-right printing as it supports easy preparation of many multi-layer print jobs, such as underflood, overflood, 3 layer and 5-layer print jobs, and much more.  This results in an effortless production run with consistently high quality.

“The Canon Colorado M5W will outrun many existing technologies, giving print professionals an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage that will transform the way things are done, especially with the Canon’s UVgel white ink,” Patel said. “Adding Canon Colorado M5W will be a big plus for print pros as it consistently delivers excellent, repeatable colour quality with precise, sharp dots, a wider colour gamut, strong saturation for dark colors and accurate skin tones. Premium and higher-margin jobs will be a piece of cake with this technology.”