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Canon U.S.A., Inc. - 4/29/2009
Canon Starts New Era of Large Format Printers for the Technical
Document and General Use Markets
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.
www.usa.canon.com
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