Canon’s image Prograf Large Format Printers Honored By Bertl, Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of office imaging systems, inkjet technology and digital photography equipment, today announced its imagePROGRAF iPF710, iPF8000S and iPF9000S large format printers have been honored with BERTL’s BEST Awards for Spring 2008. In addition, the imagePROGRAF iPF6100 and iPF8000S received four star-ratings from BERTL, for their multiple assets, including high color fidelity and speed.

BERTL, an independent analyst firm and testing lab, reviews current product lines and new product introductions to identify the select group of devices and solutions that stand apart from the others. For the BERTL’s BEST Awards, BERTL analysts evaluated hundreds of devices in the digital imaging and document arena to determine the products that stand out in the marketplace as exceptional offerings. BERTL conducts intensive testing on the printers to ascertain how well devices meet criteria within 11 categories – Build Quality, Network Administration, Security, Workflow, Finish, Ease of Use, Media Handling, Printing, Image Quality, Features, and Price – and give them a rating. Both the imagePROGRAF iPF6100 and iPF8000S models received more than four stars in at least four of the categories, and more than three stars in all categories.

“Canon is proud to have its imagePROGRAF large format printer line recognized by an industry authority such as BERTL,” said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. “These awards and the high ratings from the BERTL analysts recognize the features and functionality of our imagePROGRAF models and the tremendous value that these solutions provide to users.”

The Canon imagePROGRAF iPF710 printer features the Company’s five-color dye/pigment Reactive Ink system, enabling them to produce black lines and texts that have a resistance against rubbing, moisture and bleeding of intersecting lines. This results in sharp lines as thin as 0.02mm* and high-density black for CAD line drawings, as well as vivid colors and solid image consistency with sharp text for superb signs and posters for general office use.

The imagePROGRAF iPF710 model also utilizes Canon’s L-COA image processor to instantly interpret advanced image-algorithms for incredible print speeds. The combination of the L-COA image processor and Reactive ink technology help to rapidly produce crisp and clear text and precise, intricately detailed line drawings while retaining line accuracy at ±0.1%**. The new iPF610 is capable of creating an A1/D-sized print (23.4“ x 33.1”) in just 31 seconds on plain paper in fast mode while the iPF710 can produce A0/E-sized output (33.1“ x 46.8”) in only 55 seconds on plain paper in fast mode, all in full color.

Canon introduced the imagePROGRAF iPF6100, iPF8000S and iPF9000S in 2007 to represent the next stage in large format printing. From applications for photography and in graphics-intensive environments to reproducing fine art and production printing, the iPF6100, iPF8000S and iPF9000S models added valuable new capabilities to Canon’s existing large format product families. To meet diverse needs across the graphic arts and production segments, the printers were designed with a selection of advanced features to increase productivity and ease of use.

All of the Canon’s graphic arts printers are equipped with Canon’s dual print head system, which utilizes more than 30,000 nozzles – reducing the number of times the device must pass over the paper to print images. This makes printing faster and more accurate, resulting in higher quality image output.

As part of a series of graphic arts and production printers introduced by Canon, the imagePROGRAF iPF8000S and iPF9000S models can print in draft mode at speeds of 350 square feet per hour – 40 percent faster than previously released models. The print resolution maximum is 2,400 x 1,200 dpi, which is optimum for large format graphic arts and production segments, as well as print-for-pay environments. The imagePROGRAF iPF6100, a 24-inch wide printer designed to deliver advanced image production, targets the professional photography, proofing, fine art, and graphic arts markets.

All imagePROGRAF models meet the ENERGY STAR® guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Canon is a long-time ENERGY STAR partner, and is a strong advocate of consumer education of energy-efficient products through its product labeling and environmental programs.