MELVILLE, N.Y. - Printer manufacturer Canon U.S.A. says received UL Greenguard Gold certification for its range of UV curable inks for the Océ Arizona family of flatbed printers, including its recently launched UVgel ink.

Greenguard Certification for low chemical emissions for use indoors matters primarily for building materials, finishes, interior furnishings, furniture, cleaning products and electronic equipment. The diversification of Océ Arizona customers into wood-based panel printing for furniture and cabinetry applications has underlined the importance of having independent validation of the chemical emissions of its inks, providing customers and end-users with high confidence of their suitability.

"UL encourages companies to test new technologies for health attributes and this is especially important in sensitive environments such as hospitals, schools and other public places," said Alberto Uggetti, vice president and general manager, UL Environment. "For this reason, we congratulate Canon on its technologies that achieve sustainability certifications."

At the heart of the recently launched Océ Colorado 1640 printer is Canon's UVgel technology. Recognized throughout the industry as a high-end, high-productivity printer, the Océ Colorado 1640 was designed to excel at a wide and ever-increasing range of indoor and outdoor applications for use in many different environments. As such, safety certification is essential to its sustained success and impact for customers around the globe.

"We are proud to make this announcement as the UL Greenguard certification demonstrates the commitment of Canon to provide products customers can feel confident about," said Toyotsugu Kuwamura, executive vice president and general manager, Business Imaging Solutions Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc.  "It is important for our large format customers to know that we work persistently, both internally and with partners, to have these inks tested and recognized for their low emissions."

UL Greenguard certified products are independently tested to prove they meet rigorous third-party chemical emissions standards. Océ UV inks for its Arizona wide-format inkjet printers are low odor, low emission inks that produce vibrant, high-quality imagery and provide high adhesion to a large variety of media types.

Breakthrough Technology
Leading the way in Canon's large format offerings, the new UVgel technology is what supports the Océ Colorado 1640's next-generation productivity and separates the company as a leader in graphic arts solutions. The unique gel ink has an excellent color gamut, outstanding color depth and detail, and a smooth, beautiful finish that makes its prints suitable for high-quality indoor settings. Because of the quick LED curing process and durable, scratch-resistant finish, UVgel prints can be used fresh from the printer.

Greenguard Gold Certification indicates that the UVgel and Océ Arizona inks live up to UL Environment's most stringent criteria and safety considerations for chemical emissions. This places Canon's technology in an elite group of companies and products that have earned the same mark.

Recognizing the importance of the accolade,  Kuwamura added, "We are confident our low emission inks will continue to attain independent validation and enhance our customers' performance as they pursue a variety of new print applications."