Me & My: Canon Imagepress C8000VP

Please describe your company.
Hyderabad-based Icards is a commercial printing company established in 2000 as an ID card manufacturing unit. In 2014, Icards entered into digital commercial printing with a Canon Imagepress C700 production engine. Initially, we started with commercial jobs from corporate offices, government bodies and freelancers.

When did you start to use the Canon Imagepress C8000VP?
We are using the digital printing press from 2019.

What are the properties of the machine you like?
There are many features including double fixing, speed for mixed jobs, colour consistency and front and back registration.

Why did you decide to use the Imagepress C8000VP?  
Our customer base improved since the installation of the C700 due to quality and on time delivery that we were able to offer our customers consistently. With continuous growth in print volume using the C700 we reached to a point when we felt there was a scope to take a leap for further growth, and we should provide faster turnaround with the support of the C8000VP.

Now, our print volume has doubled and we are expecting more growth in the coming months.

How much have these features helped you in your production, especially in fast conversion and post-print and brand protection?
Colour consistency in a market like Hyderabad is the key, especially for a digital printer like us who is serving corporate clients. With the help of the C8000VP and EFI Fiery, we could execute the production and maintain our brand in the market.

For what applications is the Imagepress C8000VP used?
We use the digital production engine for commercial jobs, especially catalogue and certificates.

Is there anything that can be improved about this?
We didn’t face any issue with the Canon during installation and after-sales service is also good. The Canon India team has planned everything for us — from logistics to installation.

If there’s a critical printing job that has come your way, would you rely on this to see it through?
We will definitely rely on this as it is one of the best machines in the market. We have done an urgent job in a night and that production proved its zeal for critical jobs.

What’s the quality like? Can you give examples to compare quality enhancement?
There are corporates who sticks to the particular colour for their print demand and we always match those requirements with the Canon digital press consistently.

How easy is it to use?
Canon C8000VP is a user-friendly machine and our operator can easily operate this high-end production engine. My view of Canon is that it has all solutions, from light production to high-end production.

Would you say that it offers value for money?  
Since we upgraded from the C700 to the C8000VP, our customers’ satisfaction and production have improved. We are serving more customers within the same timeframe and time is the real money. The C8000VP is value for money in terms of productivity, performance and reliability with support.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the use of Canon Imagepress C8000VP?
There ware initial hiccups. The basic unit comes with two trays and due to space, we couldn’t add the extra trays for more paper.

Who do you think the Canon press is right for?
It’s the right choice for people producing good print volume for mixed jobs.

Under what circumstances would you recommend it to others?
We have been using Canon from last seven years and our experience with the machine and after-sales service is ecellent. So, the Canon C8000VP is an absolute recommendation from us for printers who want perfect print quality with variety of jobs.