New York - Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced its new flagship color production presses, the Canon imagePRESS C7010VP, C6010VP and C6010 digital presses. Built upon the revolutionary imagePRESS platform, the new devices were developed in direct response to customer feedback to help grow their businesses. Based on the ten areas of excellence that are most important to their business, the new models offer commercial printers, print-service providers and Inplant/CRDs the ability to work with an expanded array of media types as well as new features designed to enhance output quality, productivity and versatility.

"Following the successful launch of the imagePRESS line in 2007, Canon has invested three years of product research and development, incorporating significant customer input and feedback to improve the platform and deliver greater performance across a range of categories"

"Following the successful launch of the imagePRESS line in 2007, Canon has invested three years of product research and development, incorporating significant customer input and feedback to improve the platform and deliver greater performance across a range of categories," said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "With an increasing demand for high-quality print performance and a greater return on capital investments, the imagePRESS has established itself as the preferred choice of commercial printers and print-for-pay providers across the country."

Enhanced Productivity and Output Quality
To enhance performance and deliver print quality and consistency rivaling offset in the most demanding environments, the new Canon imagePRESS C7010VP, C6010VP and C6010 provide improved image quality through:

New sensor technology that enables better humidity controls resulting in more accurate toner distribution.

Enhanced airflow unit and toner density stabilization providing improved color consistency and halftone smoothness throughout the print run.

Canon's high-performance, oil-free V Toner with a smaller particle size (5.5 microns) than competing systems, allowing for outstanding prints on a broad array of media including textured stocks, extending the range of applications users can handle.

The imagePRESS C7010VP and C6010VP presses are equipped to handle an expanded range of media types from 16 lb. bond to 120 lb. cover weight while delivering rated print speeds of up to 70 letter-sized pages per minute (ppm) and 60 ppm respectively in color and black and white, regardless of paper weight1. For larger, tabloid-sized sheets, the new models enhance hourly output productivity on most media types.

To maximize productivity, the color imagePRESS series was developed to give operators an improved level of control over how they manage the device.

From registration adjustments to a three stage auto eject feature that addresses paper jams and simplifies error recovery, the imagePRESS C7010VP series delivers increased uptime in demanding production environments

Further expanding the capabilities of the new imagePRESS models is a new Saddle Press finisher accessory that increases the maximum sheet count by 25 percent. The increased capacity allows stitching of up to 25 sheets of 13 x 19.2-inch paper for creation of 100-page booklets, dramatically broadening the scope of documents that can be produced. Stitching and folding pressure can be adjusted to accommodate different paper stocks and help booklets lie flatter.

In addition to the available embedded Canon Printer Kit controller, the new imagePRESS models offer end-users a wide range of controller solutions including the EFI Fiery Central and Creo CR Server A7500 Color Server, which allow production and graphic arts printers to meet the most demanding job requirements through increased processing capabilities, support for additional finishing options and a wider media range.

Market Leadership
Upon its launch, the imagePRESS line of digital presses marked Canon's commitment to addressing the challenging needs of the production printing marketplace by delivering high-quality, versatile products and extraordinary value. Since its inception, the imagePRESS line has transformed the digital press market experiencing significant growth and achieving the number one market share position in its category in less than three years2.

Driving market adoption of the imagePRESS line is Canon's commitment to providing customers with the tools to achieve the maximum return on their capital investment. To proactively manage each imagePRESS device, Canon offers the award-winning imageWARE Remote software, activated by a customer's service provider, to generate immediate notification of errors, jams and alerts by e-mail. By addressing potential problems proactively, service providers can deal with issues as they arise to keep customers up and running.

To ensure that imagePRESS customers can adapt to the unique needs of their market, Canon's imagePRESS Workflow Solutions features Essential Business Builder (EBB), a suite of tools that complements their imagePRESS device. Canon developed the EBB program to equip graphic communications professionals with robust development tools and an expert mentoring plan tailored to specific business environments. Offering a blend of business building tools and practical advice addressing how to competitively position and market their business, the EBB program further distinguishes the imagePRESS line from its competition.

Sustainability
From its initial R&D to design and manufacturing, Canon strove to minimize the impact the new imagePRESS products have on the environment. By following energy-efficient manufacturing processes, utilizing recycled materials, eliminating hazardous substances and working to maximize energy-efficiency, imagePRESS products allow businesses to operate in a more sustainable manner. Key areas of focus include:

Power consumption - The Canon imagePRESS C7010VP series offers reduced operational power consumption and Sleep/Low Power modes that together lower Total Electricity Consumption.

Recycled Media - Many recycled paper stocks can be printed on the imagePRESS digital press, making it easy to find a stock that will meet customer requirements for both printing and sustainability. This is increasingly important as companies implement sustainability policies for printed materials.

Media Recycling and deinkability - Independent tests from INGEDE give the color imagePRESS Series a deinkability score of 98, indicating an excellent ability to remove the toner from printed pages, proving that imagePRESS output does not cause issues for deinking and paper recycling.

Consumables - Consumables don't include any VOCs or other harmful or toxic substances. All toner and waste toner bottles are recyclable and recycling programs are available for customers who do not have appropriate local facilities.

The new imagePRESS models are expected to be available for customer delivery in the fourth quarter of 2010 through Canon Authorized Dealers and Canon Business Solutions.