DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS

Canon Introduces New 24-Inch S-Series Large Format Printer

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--  Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of office imaging systems, inkjet technology and digital photography equipment, today announced the release of the imagePROGRAF iPF6000S, a 24-inch wide large format printer using eight colors of LUCIA pigment ink, specifically targeted for graphic art professionals and print-for-pay (PFP) establishments.

The iPF6000S is a new addition to Canon’s award-winning, speedy, eight-color large format printer line, the S-Series. The new iPF6000S can print up to 24-inches wide, both on roll and cut sheet while maintaining a speed that is more than 30 percent faster than its 12-color sibling, the iPF6100*. The iPF6000S can finish an A1 (23.6 inches x 33.1 inches)-sized print on glossy photographic paper at 2400 x 1200 dots-per-inch (dpi) in the high-quality print mode within 4 minutes**. Using LUCIA pigment ink and microscopic four picoliter droplets, the iPF6000S produces high-quality, vivid photographic images at notably high speeds.

“In an attempt to meet all the demands of print professionals, Canon has made it a top priority to maintain the highest levels of quality at increased production speeds,” said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. “The imagePROGRAF S-Series, including the new iPF6000S, further extends our ability to offer clients and consumers an effective, top-tier solution to meet all their printing needs.”

The new iPF6000S LUCIA pigment ink includes Cyan, Photo Cyan, Magenta, Photo Magenta, Yellow, Black, Matte Black and Gray ink. The printer employs two high-density print heads, totaling 30,720 nozzles, with 5,120 nozzles per color to produce frame-worthy quality prints with pin-point color accuracy at high speeds. Boasting a built-in color calibration feature, the new imagePROGRAF iPF6000S enables precise color reproduction and consistency.

To assist in streamlining production workflows, the imagePROGRAF iPF6000S is equipped with an internal 80GB hard drive, allowing the reprinting of jobs directly from the hard drive, and password protected inboxes that can be used to store, archive, and later re-print existing jobs. The content of the hard drive can be accessed remotely via a built-in Web server using a browser, or through a dedicated print monitor utility for quick and easy job retrieval.

The iPF6000S is the first printer to ship with a set of Canon’s newly reformulated internal color and ICC profiles, improving color rendition and fidelity compared to the previous set of profiles. The quality of the new profiles provides much improved gradations to show shadow details and highlights, as well as better color saturation. When combined with the built-in calibration, end users are no longer required to create a custom profile to attain the best color possible for their imagePROGRAF printer in conjunction with Canon branded media. The new color profiles will be subsequently available for all other current imagePROGRAF printers that use LUCIA ink set, including the iPF5100, iPF6100, iPF8100, iPF9100, iPF8000S and iPF9000S, later this year.

The printer driver for the iPF6000S features an “Economy Color Mode,” which minimizes the use of light-density inks such as Photo Cyan and Photo Magenta, reducing the overall ink usage while retaining the color density. By reducing the use of light-density inks and replacing them with a fewer number of full-density color dots, prints using Economy Color Mode yield the exact same color appearance as normal printing from a distance, and only upon closer examination do they reveal coarser dots. This mode is ideal when the overall cost-per-copy takes priority without wanting to visibly lower color density. Utilizing Canon’s advanced Kyuanos color management technology, the iPF6000S features a new “Monitor Matching” mode, which enables prints to match calibrated sRGB or Adobe RGB monitors under nearly any lighting condition.

Another new Canon innovation included with the iPF6000S is the Print Plug-in for Microsoft® Office, which provides the ability to add a large format printing menu to the Microsoft Office suite toolbar. This wizard-based extension simplifies large format printing from Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to the iPF6000S.*** For example, a large, continuous Excel spreadsheet table can be printed in its entirety or only specific sections using the new iPF6000S. The wizard will automatically fit the table onto roll paper or a specific sheet size, without ever having to struggle with Excel’s complicated page setup menu. The iPF6000S also comes with the Print Plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop®, for easier and color-managed printing of photographic images.

In addition to the host of new software applications that make large format printing easier, the iPF6000S comes with PosterArtist 2008 Lite, an easy-to-use poster creation program that comes with a large variety of professionally designed poster templates and hundreds of clipart and stock images. With a few simple clicks, existing templates or new posters can be created right out of the box. For more advanced features, there is an option for the full version of PosterArtist 2008, which includes more robust functionality, including an automated design feature, image correction, variable data printing and more. To learn more about PosterArtist 2008 please visit: www.usa.canon.com/posterartist

The Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6000S printer is available through authorized Canon U.S.A. dealers immediately with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $3,295, including a stand and a basket. PosterArtist 2008 is an additional option, available at an MSRP of $799.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2007†, with global revenues of $39.3 billion, is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2007 BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." 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/pressroom.

^†IFI Patent Intelligence, January 2008

* Print times for an identical A-1 sized image on photographic glossy paper in high quality print mode are 6 minutes for an iPF6100 and 4 minutes for the iPF6000S.

** Mechanical print time from the start of the carriage to the end of cutting, does not include data processing, and transfer time

*** Initially, Microsoft Word will be supported by the iPF6000S. Downloads for Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint will be available in November.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Prices, availability and specifications subject to change without notice. Actual prices set by individual dealers and may vary.