Boston, March 4, 2008 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of office imaging systems, inkjet technology and digital photography equipment, today announced a new large format printer ideally suited for multi-user workgroups - the imagePROGRAF iPF720 large format printer. This new addition to Canon's imagePROGRAF printer line-up is designed for printing Computer-Aided Design (CAD), GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) applications as well as any other technical document market. The Company will display the new imagePROGRAF iPF720 large format printer at the AIM/On Demand tradeshow in the Canon booth #1416.

Printing at 36 inches wide and built on the successful and proven-reliable iPF710 platform, the new Canon imagePROGRAF iPF720 printer is positioned as the flagship model in the Company's five-color large format printer family. Specifically targeting the large format technical document market, the new iPF720 printer incorporates a built-in 80GB hard drive ideal for medium to large workgroup users who need to print large files or sets of files from multiple workstations.

The addition of the large-capacity hard drive gives multiple users the ability to share a printer efficiently, allowing plots to be queued at the printer freeing up the host computer memory. The iPF720 printer not only accommodates multiple users who are accustomed to using hard-disk equipped workgroup printers, but also provides next-generation technology with blazingly fast printing speed at less than one minute (55 seconds*) to print an A0-sized full-density color plot (33.1 x 46.8 inches), 1200dpi high resolution printing with 0.02mm minimum line width**, precise ±0.1% line accuracy***, and a large printing area with only 3mm of margins all around with roll feed paper.

"Large format printing and plotting requires specific tools, and compatibility to ideally sync with existing workflows, all while keeping print costs to a minimum and still producing stunning and accurate prints. It is with these customer interests in mind that we are proud to introduce the imagePROGRAF iPF720 large format printer," said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A.

In addition, its small footprint (less than 60 inches wide) allows the user to replace the existing 36-inch wide printer without rearranging the office layout. Designed specifically with CAD, GIS and AEC users in mind, the iPF720 printer supports HP-GL/2 and HP-RTL page description languages to ensure compatibility with virtually any technical document applications. The printer comes with the AutoCAD imagePROGRAF HDI Driver (Windows only) and imagePROGRAF Printer Driver compatible with both Windows and Macintosh. The printer driver includes such innovative features as Free Layout which enables nesting of several smaller drawings or documents on a larger sheet. This feature saves both paper and the effort to lay them out manually.

After selecting "Print," the software's Real Preview feature provides the ability to modify print settings for last-minute adjustments or to correct potential layout errors through a real-time preview window. Additionally, the imageRUNNER Enlargement Copy feature lets users create a hot folder on their desktop to enlarge and print single- and multiple-page PDF documents created by Color imageRUNNER devices directly to the imagePROGRAF printer. This feature also works by dragging and dropping PDF files into the designated hot folder for enlarged printing.

As with the iPF710, the iPF720 printer includes an Economy Print Mode to produce draft prints on select media while significantly reducing the total ink consumption. This mode is ideal for producing quick check plots while minimizing the cost per print. The Economy Print Mode, Enlargement Copy and Real Preview features are all supported on both Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

PosterArtist Lite
The iPF720 printer comes bundled with Canon's new PosterArtist Lite - an easy to use poster creation software. PosterArtist Lite gives users the ability to quickly and easily create professional large format prints without a complicated poster-making process. Users simply follow the program's four easy steps to create professional looking posters for in-house announcements, presentations, signs or banners. The PosterArtist QuickCopy feature transforms a user's CanoScan desktop scanner into an enlargement copier, allowing letter-sized flyers and documents to be quickly printed to full-size posters with a touch of a button. A built-in weblink feature connects PosterArtist Lite users directly to the PosterArtist website at www.usa.canon.com/posterartist for useful hints and tips, as well as free content downloads. For those with more demanding poster creation needs, Canon offers PosterArtist 2007 as an option, with more advanced features including more poster templates and royalty-free photos and clip art, Auto Design, Variable Data Printing, and advanced image editing features.

The five-color dye/pigment Reactive ink system includes four highly colorfast dye ink cartridges each containing 130ml**** and two 130ml cartridges of pigment-based matte black for longer uninterrupted print operation. Canon's ink formulation is designed for optimized print image quality on more than 20 types of Canon Genuine print media including bond paper such as Universal Bond, High Resolution Coated Bond for razor sharp line drawing and vivid graphic rendering, photo paper such as Glossy and Satin Photographic Paper in variety of weights for posters and presentations, and film such as Double Matte Film and Clear Film.

The imagePROGRAF iPF720 printer will be available through authorized Canon U.S.A. dealers in late April 2008, with a manufacturer suggested selling price of $5,395.