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CANON INTRODUCES ITS
LARGEST WIDE FORMAT PRINTER TO DATE AND
THREE NEW DYE-BASED WIDE FORMAT PRINTERS
MISSISSAUGA, ON, August 9, 2006
– Canon Canada, Inc., the leading provider
of digital imaging solutions, today unveiled
the company's first 60-inch large format
printer – the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9000*
– along with three other large format
models ideal for the corporate and Computer-Aided
Design (CAD) markets.
Canon's latest large format printers will
also include the 36-inch imagePROGRAF iPF700*,
the 24-inch imagePROGRAF iPF600, and the
17-inch imagePROGRAF iPF500. All three dye-based
models produce crisp clear prints and are
ideally suited for detailed line drawings
and general office use. Stealing the show
is Canon's new 12-colour pigment ink 60-inch
wide format printer, the imagePROGRAF iPF9000.
The iPF9000 printer boasts a wide color
gamut and archival quality prints with Canon
LUCIA™ pigment inks.
"Canon's reputation as a true digital
imaging solution provider from capture through
output is evident in the recent advancements
we have made in the large format space,"
said Ian Macfarlane, Vice President and
General Manager of the Consumer Imaging
Group at Canon Canada, Inc., a wholly owned
subsidiary of Canon U.S.A. Inc. "This
robust line-up of wide format products will
give our customers the flexibility to choose
the large format inkjet solution that best
suits their particular business needs."
Canon's First 60-inch Printer
The new flagship-model from Canon, imagePROGRAF
iPF9000 large format printer will be the
next evolution in the company's large format
portfolio. Expanding on the recently launched
17-inch imagePROGRAF iPF5000 model, the
iPF9000 60-inch printer will provide one
of the industry's largest colour gamuts
with a 12-color inkset of Canon's LUCIA
pigment inks allowing images to achieve
image permanence and longevity. The 12-color
LUCIA inkset includes Cyan, Photo Cyan,
Magenta, Photo Magenta, Yellow, Matte Black,
Regular Black, Red, Green, and Blue inks,
as well as two shades of gray ink that help
enable smooth colour gradation and helps
reduce metamerism when printing neutral
and monochrome images.
Engineered for speed and advanced image
quality, the iPF9000 model will employ Canon's
Large Format Printer Common Architecture
(L-COA) print controller and dual print
heads to lay down ink quickly and accurately
using the most nozzles per-colour in the
industry to date. Coupled with a suite of
innovative image processing software, the
iPF9000 printer is ideal for professional
photographers and digital artists looking
to make a big impression with their work.
The Canon iPF9000 printer's dual print
head design will feature the company's proprietary
FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle
Engineering) high-precision print head technology.
The two one-inch high-density print heads
together boast 30,720 individual ink nozzles
(2,560 for each colour) to produce a four
picoliter ink droplet size with dedicated
nozzles for each of the twelve colours.
The innovative print head design and microscopic
droplet size will help the iPF9000 printer
deliver best-in-classi image quality up
to 2,400 x 1,200 dots per inch (dpi).
The Canon iPF9000 large-format printer
will offer reliability and ease-of-use to
help meet the high-volume print needs of
graphic-arts industry professionals. The
printer will incorporate productivity enhancing
features such as a high-capacity ink tank
system that will afford users the choice
between 700 ml or 330 ml tanks, a subtank
ink system which will allow users to change
ink cartridges without stopping the carriage
while printing, a 40GB hard-disk drive to
spool and hold the print data, a standard
automatic take-up reel system, and a large
LCD operation panel to display illustrated
basic operations. The imagePROGRAF iPF9000
will come with Canon PosterArtist 2006 and
Digital Photo Print Pro as standard, as
well as print plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop.
EFI Colorproof XF for Canon, developed exclusively
for Canon, will be offered as an optional
Raster Image Processor (RIP).
"The imagePROGRAF iPF9000 printer
will be a major step for Canon as we will
be entering a new segment of the large format
market with a truly innovative device with
a number of best-in-class features, including
12-color inkset and the most nozzles per
colour. We believe this new printer will
serve to help position Canon as the premier
digital imaging solution provider from capture
through output," said Macfarlane, "We
feel the technological advancements of such
a large-scale printer is a prime example
of Canon's determination to be a leader
in the large format space."
Three New imagePROGRAF Models for Corporate
and CAD Markets
Canon's new iPF700*, iPF600 and iPF500 dye-based
large-format printers are ideally suited
for CAD (Computer Aided Design) and GIS
(Geographical Information System) applications
as well as architectural and engineering
schematics and blueprints. Accommodating
print media up to 36, 24, and 17 inches,
respectively, the three new iPF models will
produce a range of print sizes on various
Canon branded media.
These three new models also will include
Canon's high-speed L-COA image processor
and FINE print head technology for exceptional
image quality and high-speed output. These
new models also feature the company's new
five-colour dye-and-pigment reactive ink
system, consisting of Canon's newly developed
dye-based inks that feature fade resistance
in Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Canon's
Matte-Black pigment ink.
These new dye-based colour ink formulation
and Matte Black ink combined with Reactive
Ink Technology will produce black lines
and texts that have a resistance against
rubbing, moisture and bleeding. Also, the
printers switch the appropriate black ink
type according to the type of media and
type of image, producing rich dark black
on glossy media using dye-based black, while
matte black is used to print on matte surfaces,
including bond paper for crisp, detailed
line drawing with laser-like precision.
This results in sharp, thin lines and high-density
black for CAD line drawings, as well as
vivid colours and solid image consistency
with sharp text for superb signs and posters
and general office.
Featuring a high-density print head, Canon's
iPF700, iPF600 and iPF500 printer models
will produce microscopic four picoliter
ink droplets for images that are virtually
free from graininess for all ink, including
matte black. All three printers will use
a total of 15,360 ink nozzles (5,120 for
matte black and 2,560 for each other color)
arranged in two nozzle-arrays in 1.07-inch
printing swath, to achieve up to 1,200dpi
resolution at print colour speedsii of up
to 0.3 minutes per 16.14-inch x 20.18-inch
(size A2), 0.6 minutes per 22.83-inch x
28.54-inch (size A1), and 1.2 minutes per
33.11-inch x 46.81-inch (size A0) when printing
on plain paper in Draft Mode. Even at this
speed, the image density is maintained,
and the dual black inks allow for fast printing
speed with high black density. All three
models use 130 ml high-capacity ink tanks
and the iPF600 and iPF500 feature a four-way
paper feed system.
All three models can produce borderless
printingiii on media of various sizes. Each
new imagePROGRAF model is bundled with PosterArtist
2006, the latest version of easy-to-use
Canon template-based poster creation software,
which features vastly improved usability
and editing functions. Other software bundled
with the printers includes an HDI driver
to print AutoCAD® files accurately from
Windows for architectural and engineering
businesses. Also, a standard configuration
for iPF700 and optional for iPF600 and iPF500,
the PhotoPRINT Select for imagePROGRAF is
available, providing true Adobe PostScript
Level 3 printing with professional colour
control such as Pantone Color Library, as
well as HP-GL/2 emulation capability.
Other software enhancements include newly
added printer driver functions such as Free
Layout and Copy Enlargement. The Free Layout
feature, also know as nesting, facilitates
the creation and printing of nested layouts
combining various data created by such popular
software applications as Microsoft's Word
and Excel, and Adobe Illustrator. Copy Enlargement
allows users to enlarge and print documents
scanned with Canon brand image scanners
or Multifunction Products (MFPs). Other
features to help meet user demand for reliability
and operability include a standard high-performance
rotary cutter, a nozzle recovery system
and automatic print optimization.
The imagePROGRAF iPF9000 and imagePROGRAF
iPF700 printers are expected to be available
through authorized Canon Canada dealers
in late September,
with manufacturer suggested retail prices
of CDN $17,995
and CDN $4,795
respectively.
The imagePROGRAF iPF600, and imagePROGRAF
iPF500 printers will be available through
authorized Canon Canada dealers in late
September, with manufacturer
suggested retail prices of CDN
$2,755 and CDN
$1,795 respectively.
About Canon Canada, Inc.
Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the
company employs 1,500 people at its offices
nation-wide, servicing the Canadian market
from coast to coast. Innovation and cutting-edge
technology have been essential ingredients
in Canon's success. Canon's leadership in
imaging, optical and document management
technology and solutions is based in large
part on the thousands of patents the company
has secured throughout its history. Canon
Inc. is among the top three US patent recipients
over the past 14 years.
The company’s comprehensive product
line includes networked multifunction devices;
digital copiers (colour and black and white);
printers, scanners, image filing systems
and facsimile machines; calculators, digital
camcorders, digital and analogue cameras
and lenses; semiconductor, broadcast and
other specialized industrial products.
Canon supports programs that help preserve
and protect the environment. The company
instituted the Clean Earth Campaign in 1990,
which assists various environmental and
recycling initiatives. The Campaign has
also supported leading environmental organizations,
such as The Nature Conservancy of Canada,
World Wildlife Fund- Canada and the Canon
Envirothon.
For more information, visit www.canon.ca
*The iPF9000 and iPF700
devices have not been authorized as required
by the rules of the Federal Communications
Commission. These devices are not, and may
not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold
or leased, until such authorization is obtained.
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