Canon U.S.A Starts New Era of Large Format Printers for the Technical Document and General Use Markets

Rapidly Growing imagePROGRAF Line Also Secures Number-Two Overall Market Share
Position For Canon
PITTSBURGH--(Business Wire)--
With the popularity and use of its award-winning large format printer line
continuing to grow, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging and office
solutions, today unveiled four new large format printers - the 36-inch
imagePROGRAF iPF755 and iPF750, and the 24-inch imagePROGRAF iPF655 and iPF650 -
at the International Reprographic Association (IRgA) Convention and Trade show
(Booth # 825).

Specially designed to meet the demands of the Geographical Information System
(GIS); Computer-Aided Design (CAD); Architecture, Engineering, and Construction
(AEC); Reprographics; and other Technical Document markets, these new,
space-saving printers produce a diverse range of outputs from complex technical
documents to spectacular full-color posters, faster and easier than ever before.

"The introduction of these new models extends Canon`s ability to offer an
effective, efficiently designed, top-tier, large format printing solution, while
helping to increase productivity with many new, user-friendly features," said
Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon
U.S.A. "By offering versatile, compact models which maintain our highest image
quality, we`re continuing to expand this highly successful and rapidly growing
product line."

imagePROGRAF Captures #2 Market Share

Canon began offering innovative large format models in 2006 with the rollout of
the imagePROGRAF iPF line. Since then, Canon has built its lineup of
imagePROGRAF printers to include more than 20 versatile models that address the
various large format printing needs of engineers, graphic art designers,
photographers, and professional printing services. Canon has quickly established
itself as a major player in the large format market, capturing the number-two
market share position in the wide format aqueous inkjet market above 24-inches
wide, in 2008, according to InfoTrends, a leading worldwide market research and
strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions
industry.

"Capturing the number-two overall market share position is a testament to
Canon`s commitment in the large format printing market," said Tim Greene,
director, Wide Format & Jetting Technologies, InfoTrends. "With its dedication
to large format printing, Canon has developed some of the most advanced large
format devices available."

New Model Features

The new, ENERGY STAR-certified models were developed to maximize productivity
with limited user intervention by incorporating features such as media loading
and ink replacement from the front of the machine, a new sub-ink tank system
which ensures uninterrupted printing, and a new stackable media catch basketI
that enables users to print continuously without removing each output as they
finish. Combined with the new space-saving design, the capability to load media
from the top of the device enables flush wall installation in almost any type of
working environment.

Prior to this release, Canon U.S.A. provided Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting
Engineers, LLC with one of the new imagePROGRAF models to test and sample the
many new features included on the new devices. "The new imagePROGRAF models
definitely raise the bar in terms of a well designed, user-friendly plotter,"
said Rajen Patel, IS/CADD manager, Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers,
LLC. "The new compact design and fast print speeds make them an ideal upgrade
for most large format printing environments."

Recognizing image-quality and productivity are always among the highest
concerns, the new, five-color imagePROGRAF iPF755, iPF750, iPF655, and iPF650
feature a new magenta ink for brighter reds and blues and utilize a new,
super-high-density print head with redesigned nozzles that eject 4 picoliter
droplets of ink, consistently producing up to 2400 x 1200 dots-per-inch (dpi)
output with precise lines that are accurate to ±0.10%II and as fine as 0.02
mmIII. All new models are capable of printing a D/A1 color line drawing in
approximately 28 secondsIV, thanks in part to a standard gigabit network
interface and a new, independently-driven, dual-blade cutter. The imagePROGRAF
iPF755 and the iPF655 also ship with a built in 80GB hard drive to streamline
workflow for a medium-sized networked environment or for those printing larger
sized files with complex images.

In addition to several new features that improve productivity and maximize
space, the new models come bundled with enhanced accounting functions that
collect printer job log information such as client ID, ink and media
consumption, media type and output size. Users will now be able to obtain
estimated printing costs from this technology as an easy way to track in-house
usage or for billing customers. A Print Plug-in for Microsoft Office also ships
with all new models, enabling users of any skill level to create large format
printouts of documents, images or illustrations that were created by Microsoft
Word, Excel or PowerPoint programs. Also included with the new imagePROGRAF
iPF755, iPF750, iPF655 and iPF650 is a new version of the popular PosterArtist
Lite, a simple poster creation software program. In addition to the features on
the current version of PosterArtist Lite, the new version offers additional
choices for basic design layout and WYSIWYG text editing that allows you see
text at the correct size and font as you type.

Canon is also very focused on providing complete workflow solutions for the
imagePROGRAF line. With this concept in mind, the imagePROGRAF Alliance Partner
Program was designed to join forces with leading digital imaging and printing
software developers to create workflows that enhance the capabilities of the
imagePROGRAF devices and provide end-users more control. With the introduction
of the new models, the following Alliance Partners have already completed
software development and are compatible with the new devices:

* Onyx
* EFI
* RATIO
* SA International
* SCP
* Sepialine
* PLP Digital Systems
* Wasatch

These new printers represent a new era in large format printing. Now a typical
workgroup environment can install a large format printer on their network
without concern over space or technical knowledge of printing to one of these
devices. They offer the compact design and ease of use that allows any type of
user to produce beautiful and quality outputs at a fast speed.

The new Canon imagePROGRAF models will be available immediately through
Authorized Canon dealers and will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price
(MSRP) of $4,995 for the iPF755, $4,495 for the iPF750, $3,195 for the iPF655,
and $2,495 for the iPF650. A full version of PosterArtist is also available for
$795.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and
industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ),
a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†,
with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number seven in the
computer industry on Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies 2008
list, and is on the 2008 BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." At Canon, we
care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a
corporate philosophy of Kyosei - "all people, regardless of race, religion or
culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future" - Canon
U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs,
including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about
these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the
latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by
visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

I Capacity up to 20 sheets

II Line accuracy after user adjustment and user the same environmental
conditions. Applies to media for line drawing only.

III Theoretical value based on data resolution.

IV When printing in Draft Mode and on Plain Paper, including cutting time.
Mechanical print time, does not include processing and file transfer time.

† Based on weekly patent counts issued by the United States Patent and Trademark
Office

Prices, specifications and availability subject to change without notice. Actual
prices set by individual dealers and may vary.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their
respective owners.

Canon U.S.A. Web Site:
http://www.usa.canon.com
For sales info./customer support:
1-800-OK-CANON
or
Editorial:
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Mike DeMeo, 516-328-4928
mdemeo@cusa.canon.com
or
Christopher Smith, 516-328-5184
chsmith@cusa.canon.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009