Canon and Heidelberg have announced a global sales and service cooperation in inkjet printing, aiming to support commercial print businesses transitioning to hybrid offset/digital production. Heidelberg will expand its portfolio with its own inkjet product family based on Canon’s B2 and B3 sheetfed inkjet presses, integrated into the Heidelberg Prinect workflow. Both companies see this collaboration as a way to accelerate the adoption of blended offset/digital production, offering transformative innovation to offset print businesses worldwide.
Akira Yoshida, President & CEO of Canon Production Printing Holding B.V, stated, “Canon has invested significantly in inkjet technology to give commercial printing customers a clear vision of their future. Heidelberg, with its extensive customer base and knowledge, is an ideal partner to accelerate the move to offset/digital production.”
Dr. David Schmedding, Head of Sales at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, commented, “We aim to offer print shops operating offset and digital presses an attractive and integrated service and product portfolio. We are excited to offer our customers innovative industrial inkjet presses integrated into our Prinect workflow for flexible and cost-effective autonomous production.”
The new Canon B2 sheetfed press promises high digital productivity, quality, and media versatility, complementing the successful adoption of over 650 Canon B3 sheetfed presses worldwide. Heidelberg’s new inkjet portfolio, showcased at drupa 2024, includes the Jetfire family with the Jetfire 50 in B3 format available from Q1 2025 and the Jetfire 75 in B2 format expected in early 2026. These solutions aim to establish inkjet technology in industrial production, providing an integrated approach to offset and digital printing, enhancing flexibility, and reducing costs for print shops.
Additionally, Heidelberg is introducing the Prinect Touch Free software, offering fully automated, hybrid workflow using AI to make production decisions, supporting both offset and digital machines. Heidelberg also showcases its autonomous pressroom at drupa 2024, emphasizing the Speedmaster XL 106’s capabilities in commercial, packaging, and label printing, reducing manual interventions by 98% and boosting productivity.
Heidelberg plans to extend its Boardmaster applications to the flexible paper packaging market, responding to the global demand for sustainable packaging solutions. The Boardmaster, available for customer demonstrations at Heidelberg’s Wiesloch-Walldorf site, is designed to address cost pressures, quality, sustainability, and operational reliability, offering an innovative solution for the printing industry. “The global increase in demand for sustainably produced, budget-friendly, and recyclable or compostable packaging makes flexible paper an attractive growth market for us,” says Christian Steinmassl, who is in charge of the Packaging segment at Heidelberg.