The new Canon corrPRESS iB17 produces offset-like quality onto corrugated board at up to 8,000 m2 per hour with water-based inks and primer for indirect food contact.
Canon announced its new digital corrPRESS iB17 for industrial-scale corrugated packaging printing at the FEPCO seminar in Rome
Canon lined up the announcement of the new press with the FEFCO (European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers) 2025 Technical Seminar, taking place in Rome this week. The highly automated new press purports to deliver ‘offset-like quality directly onto corrugated boards up to 1.7m wide with water-based inks and primer for indirect food contact’.
Building on Canon's proven expertise and experience in commercial digital printing, the Canon corrPRESS iB17 has been designed to specifically address the evolving needs of corrugated converters, who face increasing pressure to deliver shorter runs with more variants, faster turnaround times and premium quality: all without compromising cost efficiency.
The 8,000 m2 per hour press speed allows converters to achieve cost-efficient production for runs up to 20,000 m2, extending digital printing viability well beyond traditional short-runs. Supported by automated printhead cleaning and quality control systems, the system’s design also reduces waste through efficient print on demand and eliminates the use of printing plates and chemicals. Unlike conventional technologies, the corrPRESS iB17 does not produce contaminated water, which then has to be filtered or released into the wastewater system.
The offset quality is achieved through the press’s proprietary, high-performance 1200 dpi piezo printheads and specially formulated water-based pigment inks and primer, which provide an extended colour gamut with CMYK and later OVG. This combination also eliminates the need for a lamination step, maintaining vibrant, accurate and consistent colours, sharp text and precise detail on both coated and uncoated topliners at rated speeds. The system also uses an advanced spot primer that ensures optimal ink adhesion and colour reproduction across the full range of corrugated materials. The ink is jetted onto the board immediately after the primer application without any drying in between, minimising the impact of drying on the board and contributing to a highly reliable production process.
The new press also features sophisticated Canon drying technology, optimised to minimise corrugated board stress and energy consumption and to increase production efficiency.
Craig Nethercott, Managing Director, Canon Production Printing Oceania, says: "The corrPRESS iB17 is a game-changer for the Oceania market. It brings high-speed, offset-quality digital printing to corrugated packaging, helping converters meet growing demand for fast, flexible and sustainable production."
Covering approximately 80% of retail packaging applications, the corrPRESS iB17 supports coated and uncoated boards up to 1.7m wide and 1.3m long, and ranging from 1mm to 8mm thick, at a linear speed of 80m per minute. Unusually for a digital corrugated press, Canon owns all the key components in the printing process – printheads, inks and drying – enabling them to optimise the system’s performance more easily.
Peter Wolff, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Canon Production Printing, adds: “By combining proven proprietary inkjet technology with an industrial board transport system, we’ve developed an innovative press that delivers offset-quality prints with outstanding productivity and digital flexibility, all developed for indirect food contact applications.”
Canon Production Printing Australia & New Zealand
