Krefeld/Germany, March 27, 2002 Best GmbH, a leading provider of printing and pre-press solutions and Canon Europe N.V. have signed a cooperation agreement to enable proofing capabilities for the Bubble Jet series. Best will be providing Canon with the software necessary to offer complete proofing solutions that support a variety of formats and workflow situations to the professional graphics and color proofing industry. Best solutions for Canon BJ-W9000 and BJC 8500 series Best will supply the software driver for Canon’s Bubble Jet printers in a future version (4.6.1) that will include all the profiles required to support a variety of proofing media. This will be introduced onto the market in February 2002. Canon’s BJ-W9000 and BJC-8500 series will be the first Canon devices to incorporate the driver which will enable Best’s proofing solutions – Best Colorproof XXL and Best Screenproof version 4.5.2 – to be downloaded. All future Canon Bubble Jet printers will also be able to access the proofing software through the driver. The BJ-W9000 is Canon's flagship model in the large format arena. The device’s features ensure exceptional print quality, productive speed and versatile media handling up to a width of 109.2cm (43"). The BJC-8500 is a color Bubble Jet printer that is designed with the graphics industry in mind. Best Colorproof is a professional proofing solution for inkjet and laser printers and incorporates the ICC color management standard. The software is able to simulate any printing process or device on an existing printer, helps overcome the difficulty of color communication between customer, agency and print shop and can produce an exact prediction of the subsequent print result at any time. Best Screenproof is a completely new technology which enables »color accurate« screen proofing. This software utilizes inkjet drop-on-demand printers and incorporates ICC standards. The presentation of the original raster is based on the utilization of the one-bit files which the workflow providers of CtP, CtF and digital print solutions create to drive their output systems. These are the result of RIP screening processes and contain the complete raster information for film, plate or digital print in the respective color separations. “Canon’s alliance with Best demonstrates its commitment to the proofing market,” said Toshiya Suzuki, Project Manager of Large Format Printers for Canon Europe. “With the introduction of Best Colorproof and Screenproof RIPS, we are confident that Canon’s BJ-W9000 will fulfill the demands and requirements of its customers in the professional color proofing and graphics industries.” “We are proud to work with Canon who are a market leader in inkjet technology,” said Jawdatt Mawassii, Director of Business Development at Best. “Best Colorproof will offer Canon’s customers the possibility to use the Canon technologies in the digital proofing market.”