Versatile Flatbed Printing with Exceptional Image Quality
The Canon Arizona 480 GT is a UV flatbed printer built for print businesses that need more than standard CMYK output. With eight independent ink channels, white ink capability, and optional varnish, this system opens up applications that most mid-range flatbed printers cannot touch. If your clients are asking for backlit graphics, layered printing on dark substrates, or tactile varnish effects and your current equipment cannot deliver, the 480 GT fills that gap.
Built on Canon’s award-winning Arizona platform, the 480 GT combines production-level speed with near-photographic image quality. It sits between the Canon Océ Arizona 460 GT and the Canon 6170 XTS in our range, offering the strongest balance of print quality, versatility, and throughput for businesses serving demanding creative markets.
Most flatbed printers in this class run four or six ink channels. The Arizona 480 GT runs eight. Alongside standard CMYK, the system supports light cyan and light magenta for smoother gradients and finer detail in photographic and skin tone reproduction. White ink and optional varnish round out the configuration.
This matters commercially. White ink lets you print on transparent acrylic for backlit signage, on dark or coloured substrates where CMYK alone would not be visible, and in layered sequences for spot effects and creative graphics. Varnish adds tactile finishes, gloss highlights, and protective coatings directly on the flatbed without a separate finishing process.
These are the kind of capabilities that let you say yes to jobs your competitors turn down.
The 480 GT uses Canon’s VariaDot print technology, which varies ink droplet size to produce smoother tonal transitions, sharper text, and finer detail. Text remains legible down to 2-point size. Gradients render without visible banding. Photographic images reproduce with the accuracy that retail, exhibition, and interior graphics clients expect.
For businesses producing work where print quality directly affects client perception (point-of-sale graphics, exhibition stands, showroom displays, architectural panels), the VariaDot output on the 480 GT consistently delivers.
The Canon Arizona 480 GT uses a true flatbed design with multiple vacuum zones that hold rigid substrates securely in place during printing. There is no need for masking or taping. Materials stay perfectly flat and registered, producing consistent results across the full 8ft x 4ft print area.
Compatible substrates include foamex, foam board, acrylic, aluminium composite panels, wood, MDF, corrugated board, PVC, and other rigid materials commonly used in sign and display production. An optional roll media kit extends the 480 GT’s capability to flexible vinyl, banner, and canvas materials.
The 480 GT offers multiple print modes that let operators balance speed and quality depending on the job. High-speed modes handle large-volume signage runs efficiently. Quality modes deliver the finest detail for photographic and premium display work. This flexibility means one machine covers a wider range of job types without compromising on either end.
If you currently run a Canon Océ Arizona 460 GT or similar entry-level flatbed and find yourself unable to fulfil creative briefs from clients, the 480 GT is the natural upgrade. If your volumes demand industrial capacity, consider the Canon 6170 XTS instead.
At Let’s Print Now, we are Canon Arizona specialists. We can advise on whether the 480 GT is the right fit for your production requirements, walk you through the ink configuration options, and help you understand what this machine would add to your service offering.
Call 01695 280740 or complete the enquiry form. We respond to every enquiry within 24 hours.
The 480 GT has eight independent ink channels compared to the 460 GT’s six. This gives it white ink and optional varnish capabilities that the 460 GT does not offer as standard, plus light cyan and light magenta for better photographic reproduction. The 480 GT is positioned for businesses that need creative versatility alongside standard rigid media production.
Yes. The 480 GT supports white ink for printing on dark, coloured, or transparent substrates, and optional varnish for tactile finishes, gloss highlights, and protective coatings. These capabilities are applied directly on the flatbed during the print process, with no separate finishing step required.
The 480 GT prints on a wide range of rigid substrates, including foamex, foam board, acrylic, aluminium composite panels, wood, MDF, corrugated board, PVC, and glass. An optional roll media kit allows printing on flexible materials like vinyl, banner, and canvas.
Yes. The combination of eight ink channels, VariaDot imaging technology, and light cyan/light magenta inks produces near-photographic output with smooth gradients, accurate skin tones, and fine detail. The 480 GT is widely used for exhibition graphics, retail displays, and premium signage where image quality is critical.
The best flatbed printer will depend on the products you manufacture, the substrates you print onto, and your production goals. Our flatbed printer buying guide explains the key factors to consider before investing.
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