Partition Graphics invests in Canon Colorado M3W

Partition Graphics invests in Canon Colorado M3W UVgel 1.6m roll-to-roll printer from CMYUK.

Stan Bochev, Production Manager, with Dale Fosbury and Stuart Gorton, joint Managing Directors, Partition Graphics

Partition Graphics has upgraded its production capabilities with the acquisition of a state-of-the-art Canon Colorado M3W UVgel printer from CMYUK. Recommended by Jason McNulty, Senior Digital Sales Consultant at CMYUK, who is a trusted advisor to Partition Graphics, this advanced printing platform stood out as the optimal choice for the business’ requirements going forward.

“The Colorado M3W is excellent for all our applications from printing sophisticated fade effects and white ink on optically clear film to producing high quality wallcoverings, graphics, and vinyls. It really does everything we need,” says Stuart Gorton, who along with Dale Fosbury, is joint managing director at the company.

The business invested in the Colorado to replace some of its ageing printers – 2 x Mimaki JV300-160s, While one of the JV300-160 printers has been removed, the others will remain for a few months longer to provide continuity should there be a need to produce replacement panels for existing installations.

“We’ve had Mimaki printers for the past fifteen years and they have served us very well. We’re setting a transition period of roughly four months then the plan is to replace them with a second Colorado,” says Dale.

Seamless surfaces

Partition Graphics specialises in corporate fit outs – offering bespoke designs, production, and the installation to businesses of all sizes from small local enterprises to FTSE 100 companies across the UK and throughout Europe.

Founded in 1998, it started out producing glass partitions using in-house plotters rather than printers to create and then apply small round frosted dots, little thin lines, or frosted plain bands with logos. In the intervening years, the company has built up new service offerings to its glass manifestation work including wallcoverings, digital prints, safety and solar films, and signage for receptions and corporate exteriors.

During their 25 years in the industry, Stuart and Dale have witnessed a sea-change in the cultural aesthetic. “The market has changed massively, and the bigger jobs involving architects or designers are much more flamboyant. For the vast majority of our bigger jobs, we print onto clear film and apply this to the glass as a seamless panel,” says Stuart.

Happy customers

Everyone is impressed by the Colorado M3W’s compact design. “Everything’s hidden away, it looks very neat and sleek,” says Partition’s Production Manager, Stan Bochev, who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the printer. He also rates it highly for speed, intense colour rendition, and its ability to produce both matt and gloss finishes at the touch of a button.

The M3W functions at speeds of up to 111 sq. m per hour, delivering bright colours and clear details with Canon’s unique UVgel inks that deliver precise dot placement with no dot gain. Known for their exceptional colour quality and consistency from a wide colour gamut, these inks produce deep saturation in dark colours, have no smell, dry instantly, and are safe for immediate application in environments requiring high sensitivity.

The M-series of Colorado printers offers a White ink option to customers that is 3 x faster than comparable ink technologies. “The white is treated in the same way as the rest of the colours channels; it doesn’t need specific attention and doesn’t require any additional treatment, which is a bonus,” Stan explains.

While UVgel inks deliver scratch and scruff resistant prints, Stan adds an additional layer of protection to its wall graphics for extra customer reassurance. “We like the ability to print fast gloss because output is instantly dry, ready for further finishing. We prefer to laminate our wall graphics, giving them an added layer of protection so they can easily be wiped down,” he says.

Colorado M-series

The Colorado M-series represents Canon’s continuing commitment to sustainability in its fourth generation of 1.6m wide roll to roll UVgel production technology introduced in March 2023. This series stands out with its environmentally friendly features including a modular configurable design that allows for infield upgrades, enhancing its longevity and reducing the need for replacement. It’s designed to be productive while being eco conscious, consuming up to 40% less ink compared to other 1.6m wide models, which not only cuts down on ink usage but also significantly lowers energy consumption and minimises waste.

Its dual roll drawer optimises efficiency by streamlining media loading processes. Furthermore, advanced PAINT technology pre-emptively addresses nozzle clogs to maintain print quality without wasting resources. Its predictive automatic maintenance feature drastically reduces the need for manual operator intervention ensuring the printer operates efficiently with less downtime and resource usage.

Stuart says, “What sold the Colorado M3W to us was that it fits into our production space very nicely, handles everything we need, offers significant efficiencies, and is in the right price range.”

Dale further sums the investment up, adding, “We’re very happy with this printer, and if we’d realised earlier how good it was, we would have bought one sooner.”

This article was first published by CMYUK. Find out more about the Colorado M-series here.

Published 11th Apr 2024

Partition Graphics invests in Canon Colorado M3W