LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. & FOSTER CITY, Calif.--Feb. 7, 2005-- Canon U.S.A., the nation's market share brand leader in black-and-white and color laser copier/printer solutions(1) and EFI (Nasdaq: EFII - News), the world leader in digital imaging and print management solutions for commercial and enterprise printing, today unveiled an expansive array of new digital color platform technologies and related software solutions - the new ColorPASS-Z7500/Z7100/Z6100 servers. Designed to dramatically expand the range of graphics document and color workflow tools, services and options for Canon CLC users, the new technology offerings further drive Canon and EFI's leadership position within the U.S. graphic arts and production markets. The new Canon-branded ColorPASS-Z7500/Z7100/Z6100 enable a wide variety of graphics-intensive environments to better maximize their print quality and engine performance for a workflow process consistent with those delivered by most high-end production systems. The ColorPASS-Z7500/Z7100/Z6100 brings a robust range of new productivity and color management features - including Variable Data Printing (VDP); security; job imposition; enhanced job management; mixed media management; scanning and new driver features. "As a growing number of environments engage in increasingly complex color production jobs, Canon has concurrently expanded its portfolio of solutions to meet an even greater variety of color management needs," stated Sam Yoshida, director and general manager of Product Marketing for Canon U.S.A.'s Imaging Systems Group. "With the introduction of three new ColorPASS print controllers, Canon is delivering a greater range of powerful and reliable color graphic printing solutions for users of Canon's CLC Series devices in multiple production environments. Across the board, we are driving the highest image quality in order to provide all graphic arts professionals the most powerful processing value." "Our ongoing Canon collaboration continually produces terrific results and the new ColorPASS is no exception," said Mehran Farimani, vice president of server products, EFI. "The new ColorPASS print controllers, based on a newly launched software platform, delivers the industry's leading solutions for workflow control, high quality color management and robust VDP support. As with all of EFI's solutions, they've been designed to help end customers capitalize on profit opportunities to unlimited potential." Highlights Across ColorPASS-Z7500/Z7100/Z6100 Include: The Graphic Arts Package, Premium Edition, standard on the ColorPASS Z7500 and optional on the Z7100/Z6100, enables the highest level of color quality utilizing the most advanced tools for color proofing and control. Though technologically sophisticated, the Graphic Arts Package, Premium Edition, addresses the market's need for short learning curves and reduced complexity in the workflow. New production tools, optional and standard, that enable the production of complex documents at unprecedented speed and accuracy, minimizing operator intervention and maximizing the full functionality of the printer finishing options. These new advanced tools for job management and submission drastically shorten turnaround times by eliminating bottlenecks and repetitive workflows. Enhancements include a more robust architecture, a single consistent workflow for all jobs and clear integration with other features. Fiery Impose Edition, a WYSIWYG server-based imposition application that enables entire documents to be edited and assembled quickly, before RIPping the files. Providing the unique ability to create an unlimited number of new custom imposition templates, this feature is independent of platform, application, and file format, and supports a wide variety of source documents, including most VDP languages. The award-winning Command WorkStation, renowned for its technologically sophisticated yet intuitive interface and centralized print job management functionality. Enhancements include a variety of tools to further accelerate productivity. The industry's leading Variable Data Printing solution, which is open, flexible, scaleable and provides the most comprehensive, proven range of VDP languages, including industry standard PPML. Its compatibility with legacy languages enable seamless integration into existing VDP workflows. The workflow is consistent regardless of whether the job is VDP or non-VDP, removing complexity and allowing the user to learn a workflow once. ColorPASS joins EFI Digital StoreFront for Canon, among other products, in the companies' portfolio of joint solutions for business, commercial and enterprise print operations. Digital StoreFront is a next-generation print job submission and procurement solution that employs an entirely new platform and architecture designed to facilitate installation and integration into a customer's commercial print environment, and provides a robust suite of print services to print centers and their customers via the web using a scalable architecture that allows print center to expand and offer enhanced services as they grow. Canon's ColorPASS-Z7500 for Canon CLC 5100 & CLC 4000 High-end production environments require the most powerful color server technology available. Built on the ColorPASS Enhanced Platform, the robust new ColorPASS-Z7500 color server has the power to excel in the most demanding graphic arts situations, and easily allows users to handle large, graphic-intensive files and variable data projects. The ColorPASS-Z7500 is driven by dual Intel Xeon(TM) 3.2GHz processors, and comes equipped with 1.5GB of RAM and two 160GB hard drives. It runs on a Windows XPe Platform and handles the most commonly used file formats in the production arena, including variable data formats such as PPML and VPS, and software such as Fiery FreeForm(TM), PrintShop Mail, and PageFlex Persona. ColorPASS-Z7500 also comes complete with an Advanced Controller Kit (including monitor, keyboard and mouse). The ColorPASS-Z7500 comes complete with Command WorkStation 4.2. With Command WorkStation, users can preview print files, scale images to fit various paper sizes, and quickly track, edit and merge any number of jobs from one location. Mac users also have access to many of these features via Command WorkStation LE 4.0. The ColorPASS-Z7500 is the only server that comes standard with the Production Package - an advanced production solution allowing customers to schedule, prioritize and move jobs to run at their most opportune time. Other features include Advanced Job Reorder, which allows users to prioritize print queues, Process Next/Print Next to move selected jobs to the top of the waiting list, Rush Printing to force selected jobs to print immediately, and Suspend On Mismatch to halt jobs where resources don't match operator settings. ColorPASS-Z7100 for Canon CLC 5100 & CLC 4000 The ColorPASS-Z7100 was designed on the ColorPASS Enhanced Platform to serve as a complete solution, providing exceptional color output and job management functionality. This powerful color server runs on a Windows XPe Platform, comes with a Pentium 4 3.06GHz processor, and is loaded with 512MB of RAM and a 160GB HD. The ColorPASS-Z7100 eases the process of managing multiple projects by utilizing its Command WorkStation enhanced graphical user-interface to simplify viewing properties and managing jobs. With this comprehensive software, users may operate advanced job logs, as well as preview PDF files, scale images to fit various paper sizes, and easily track, edit, and merge any number of jobs from one location. Schedule Printing allows users to run each job at its most opportune time. The ColorPASS-Z7100 includes Command WorkStation LE 4.0, allowing Mac users to also have access to many of these powerful features. The ColorPASS Enhanced Platform includes Mixed Media 1.3, allowing users simplex and duplex sheets in the same document, pull stocks from different paper sources, and output variable data projects. The ColorPASS-Z7100 offers production professionals a new level of control. Consider that it includes ImageShift, the feature that gives you greater control over front-to-back registration on duplex sheets. The ColorPASS-Z7100 also comes with Fiery Impose (formerly DocBuilder Pro(TM)), the imposition tool that sets up booklets, allows for "multiple ups," and supports variable data jobs. ColorPASS-Z6100 for Canon CLC 4000 With its new ColorPASS-Z6100, Canon has packed high-production features into an entry-level production solution. This powerful, user-friendly color server provides entry-level production environments a complete, yet affordable, color solution. The ColorPASS-Z6100 connects seamlessly to Canon's CLC 4000 production color devices to deliver the high performance and management functionality. Built on the ColorPASS Enhanced Platform, this versatile color server runs on a Windows XPE Platform, and comes equipped with a Pentium 4 2.4GHz processor, an 80GB HD, and 256MB of RAM. Designed with flexibility and versatility in mind, the ColorPASS-Z6100 comes with Mixed Media 1.3, allowing users to set up simplex and duplex sheets in the same document, pull stocks from different paper sources, and output variable data projects. The ColorPASS-Z6100 includes ImageShift to provide substantial control over front-to-back registration on duplex sheets, as well as Fiery Impose. Pricing and Availability: Canon ColorPASS-Z7500: Availability: February 2005 MSRP: $52,300.00 Canon ColorPASS-Z7100: Availability: February 2005 MSRP: $36,900.00 Canon ColorPASS-Z6100: Availability: February 2005 MSRP: $27,100.00