PALO ALTO, Calif. & TOKYO--Dec. 2, 2002--Canon, Inc., Fuji Photo Film Company, Ltd., HP, Olympus Optical Company, Ltd., Seiko Epson Corporation and Sony Corporation today announced a proposal for an industry standard that enables consumers to easily print photos by directly connecting their digital still cameras to their printers -- no PC required. Until now, each company had its own proprietary solution for direct printing -- without a computer -- between their own branded digital still cameras and printers. This situation has proven to be limiting to consumers, as they are unable to achieve the same convenience and ease of use when using a combination of products of different brands. The unified specification, tentatively named "DPS," ensures compatibility across digital cameras and printers, regardless of brand, giving consumers the flexibility and simplicity to create high-quality photos. The specification was originally developed by Canon, HP, Seiko Epson and Sony. Fuji and Olympus later joined discussions and collectively the specification was finalized. Together, these six companies, all leaders in digital imaging, will continue to advocate industry adoption of this new standard, which is expected to spur the growth of digital photography.