London, 19th May 2003 – Canon today announces a unique partnership with America’s largest provider of document distribution technology, eCopy, Inc., to provide organisations with a simple, easy to use solution which turns any paper document into a digital file - an "eCopy" - that can be e-mailed, stored or manipulated just like any other PC-based document. Leveraging an existing Canon networked digital multifunctional device (MFD), the eCopy Suite of software products is the first convenient, low-cost, departmental, and enterprise solution which creates and distributes e-versions of paper documents. This is achieved at virtually no cost via e-mail, fax, and secure internet, providing employees with instant access to scanned documents. Organisations will immediately start to see an improvement in business productivity as employees are able to weave paper-based documents instantly into business processes, manage larger numbers of documents more efficiently, and are granted multiple and instant access to information. The Canon/eCopy solution also offers enhanced security of confidential paper-based information that is distributed within seconds as an encrypted file. The Canon/eCopy suite reduces expenditure on fax and courier costs as well as the purchase of a single Canon multifunctional device, eliminating the need for standalone fax machines, copiers, scanners, and printers. The solution integrates effortlessly into the existing network infrastructure and allows organisations to maximise investment by coupling the high-speed scanning capabilities of a Canon MFD with eCopy’s suite of products. This convergence of technology provides customers with an array of distribution options including scan to mail, scan to desktop, scan to printer, scan to fax, and scan to file. This allows companies to instantly integrate critical paper-based information such as customer files, invoices, and archival information into their digital workflow. Chas Moloney, Canon UK’s Strategic Marketing Manager comments: “Canon is committed to forging new partnerships to deliver new products and services that drive efficiency while making the most of existing investments. The Canon/eCopy solution will allow companies to implement a complete digital workflow within their existing infrastructure, reduce costs and enable them to keep up with today’s faster pace of business.” Mark Kirby, Network Manager at BMP DDB, said: “We are always looking for ways to improve our working practices and eCopy is a unique solution that enables us to turn our copiers into time and money saving machines. There is a lot of paper wastage in our industry but now we can work with virtual documents that can be easily and efficiently shared within the team and with our clients” eCopy’s distribution software extends the use of Canon’s imageRUNNER range by enabling the distribution of paper-based documents into existing mail systems such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, and into network-based document management applications such as ADOS, iManage, IW Doc Manager, and Domino.Doc.