Wild Onions, an annual literary publication from the Department of Humanities at Penn State College of Medicine, has a noble goal: to raise awareness for mental and physical wellness, treatment, and caregiving through creativity.

With contributions of fiction, poetry, and art from community healthcare professionals and students, the magazine releases a themed issue every spring to highlight how narrative, verse, and visual art can provide powerful depictions of those struggling with health and wellness while also showcasing the healing and restorative powers of these art forms.

A beloved fixture of the Penn State College of Medicine, the magazine also attracts national talent in both the literary and visual arts.

However, the plot thickens with the printing technology Wild Onions had used in the past to print their yearly installment.

Prior to the most recent issue, Penn State Health used a toner ink platform to produce the magazine. The lack of workflow flexibility with toner printing resulted in five or six rounds of press proofs per issue with more than eight hours of actual press time. The prolonged back-and-forth and long lead time for printing resulted in unnecessary work for the Wild Onions editorial and production staff, but also yielded a finished product that did not do justice to the unique, compelling stories and vibrant artwork.

Canon’s varioPRINT iX-series helped the magazine staff streamline the production and printing process. The 2021 issue — printed on Verso Blazer silk text cover and then saddle-stitched with a square edge using a Duplo DC-600i collator — was completed with just one press proof and a final run lasting a little more than three hours.

The Canon varioPRINT iX-series uses digital connections and end-to-end automated workflows to cut the complexity of detailed, high-level print projects. In addition, superior ink quality and drying innovation creates vivid, immersive imagery with razor-sharp detail and stunning color clarity.

Along with increased speed and an enhanced final product, the Canon varioPRINT iX-series also reduced printing costs by more than $800, which is crucial for literary publications like Wild Onions that often rely on grants or endowments to continue operation.

Canon’s dedication to revolutionizing inkjet printing was a primary character in the Wild Onions story. Canon’s unparalleled quality, process optimization, and cost reduction helped this much loved magazine take its storytelling to another level in service of health and wellness.

Have you recently completed a project that sets your organization apart or demonstrates an interesting application using a Canon product or solution? If so, we’d love to tell your story on the Print Innovation Wall at Canon’s Customer Innovation Center in Boca Raton, Florida. To submit your project, contact Cindy Cummings ccumings@thinkforum.com.