Canon Announces New ’Print Masters’ Program

From Capture to Output — Canon Extends Legacy of Photographic Innovation and Education to Create a Pilot Expert Image and Printing Panel

NEW YORK, October 19, 2005 — Once again paving the way to inspire and mentor future generations of creative photographers and graphic artists, Canon U.S.A. today introduced the beginnings of a new education and expert forum — the Canon “Print Masters” program. Introduced as a pilot program to leverage Canon’s print technologies, Canon Print Masters will work to educate and broaden the awareness of digital print technology. Through the collective experience of the world’s most distinguished imaging, photography and graphic arts professionals, this new program provides Canon Print Masters with imaging equipment, accessories and consumables from Canon’s award-wining imagePROGRAF line of large format printers.

Canon also announced the first photographic artists to participate in the pilot program — premier photographer and photo impressionists Bruce Hamilton Dorn and Maura Dutra, the husband-and-wife team of iDC Photography, as well as portraitist and renowned Canon Explorer of Light, Eddie Tapp.

The Canon Print Masters program was conceived — as a forum to develop and promote artistic expression through print expertise — to complement Canon’s highly successful Explorers of Light program, which since 1995 has educated and broadened the awareness of Canon’s digital photographic technology. As a natural partner to the Canon Explorers of Light program, Canon’s new Print Masters program aspires to help promote complete end-to-end, capture-to-output seminars, workshops, gallery showings, and photo presentations that represent specialties and styles spanning a broad range of photographic, artistic and graphic arts disciplines such as photojournalism, wedding photography, portraiture and illustration.

“The Canon Print Masters concept is, in essence, a natural extension of the Company’s long-established Explorers of Light program; a means of sharing hard-earned image creation, knowledge and expertise and of actually shedding light on the intricacies of translating vision onto paper,” stated Tracie Sokol, director and general manager, Graphic Arts Systems for Canon U.S.A., Inc. “The Canon print masters program is intended to become a groundbreaking forum for experts in the field of capturing, perfecting and presenting images — whether as a photograph, illustration or combination of the two — to teach and inspire other professionals and amateurs alike.”

Canon’s pioneering new program has been made possible by the rapid expansion and recent technological breakthroughs of its imagePROGRAF large format printer portfolio, the most significant being the launch of the imagePROGRAF W8400 (44“) and imagePROGRAF W6400 (24”) pigment printers in May 2005.

The combination of Canon’s print speeds, precision droplet size and easy-to-use design, plus enhanced archival inks and industry-unique out-of-the-box software, has greatly expanded the outstanding engine functionality and color control to better position these — and future large format printers — within the high-performance, professional photographic market.

Most notable is Canon’s high-performance, one-inch wide print head, which features 7,680 nozzles to achieve up to 2400 x 1200 dpi with precise four picoliter ink droplets for crisp image clarity and detail at superior speeds. In addition, Canon’s recently enhanced ink formulation, including a new matte black and high-intensity yellow ink, make possible a wider color range and increased intensity for the production of brighter photos and vivid, eye-catching images.

“One of Canon’s strongest advantages in the photography, illustrative and graphic arts space is that we are always pursuing and developing technologies designed to improve image quality and unify color reproduction across all of our product lines,” continued Ms. Sokol. “By developing products using Canon-specific color measurement and assessment standards, we are able to ensure image consistency across our entire line of digital imaging technology to create the best quality output.”

“By approaching the issue of color output from the standpoint of both image capture and processing, today’s large format printer output offers improved color depth and translucence, to create color reproduction comparable to that of photo film.”

According to Bruce Hamilton Dorn, iDC Photography, "This may be the most compelling and convenient capture-to-output professional education and inspiration program ever developed for the photographic and arts industry. Whether an artist’s goal is to create the best exhibit-quality color prints possible or world-class photography and illustrative art prints, their only limitations will be talent and imagination.

“Ultimately, Canon’s Print Masters program is an opportunity to truly benefit from the technological synergy across a single company’s entire range of imaging products,” continued Dorn. “With this program, Canon graciously provides us with a platform and an opportunity to share our vision, our passion and our perspective, all the way from capture — to print.”

Canon’s Explorer’s of Light lecture series was established in 1995 and has featured the world’s best-known and respected photographers, including Harry Benson, Monty Zucker, Arnold Newman, Robert Farber and Eric Meola. As part of its continued support of photographers and the photographic industry, all costs associated with the lecture series are underwritten by Canon. The opportunity to host “Explorers of Light” lectures are offered to industry organizations such as ASMP, Advertising Photographers of America (APA), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Advertising Photographers of New York (APNY), and colleges and universities nationwide.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America and is rated #35 on the BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2004, with global revenues of $33.3 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.

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