Canon Goes Live with its 500th Oce ColorStream

Canon Europe announced that Cambridge Assessment, the organization responsible for operating and managing Cambridge University’s three exam boards, has invested in two Océ ColorStream 3700 high-speed, continuous feed, inkjet printers.
 
This marks Canon’s 500th installation of the Océ ColorStream worldwide. It also marks the beginning of Cambridge Assessment’s transition to inkjet as it looks to future proof the business, achieve optimal productivity and cater for ever increasing print volumes.
 
“We print examination materials for educational institutions around the world that carry the Cambridge University hallmark, therefore quality is something we cannot afford to compromise on,” said Kate Barnett, group director of operations, Cambridge Assessment. “For us inkjet is the future, so when we look at which technology will offer our business longevity and flexibility, while allowing for the exceptional quality and consistency that our customers expect, the Océ ColorStream from Canon ticks boxes all round.
 
“When you consider that a simple speck of ink out of place on an exam paper could be misconstrued as a decimal point – potentially affecting a candidate’s response to a question – the importance of quality and consistency becomes abundantly clear; there is no margin for error in our area of business,” said Barnett.
 
Although Cambridge Assessment will initially run the ColorStream 3700 machines in monochrome only, an integral part of the decision to purchase the technology was the flexibility to upgrade to a full color capability in the future if required.
 
“Traditionally, exam papers have been printed in black and white, and elements such as color maps and diagrams are included as separate documents and inserted. Should there be a critical mass in future for color elements to adopt a similar specification to the exam paper, we have the ability to cater for this demand easily,” added Barnett.
 
Both machines commenced operations in January 2015.
Cambridge Assessment currently operates three Océ ColorStream 9000 toner based printers, which it anticipates phasing out as the new machines take up the print volumes.