CHICAGO, September 9, 2007 - Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of office imaging systems, inkjet technology and digital photography equipment, today announced two new large format printers - the imagePROGRAF iPF710 and imagePROGRAF iPF610 - for Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) applications as well as general office large format printing. The new imagePROGRAF iPF710 and iPF610 large format printers will be on display at the Graph Expo 2007 tradeshow in the Canon booth, # 2400.
The new Canon imagePROGRAF iPF710 and iPF610 printers feature the Company's five-color dye/pigment Reactive ink system, enabling them to produce black lines and texts that have a resistance against rubbing, moisture and bleeding of intersecting lines.  This results in sharp, lines as thin as 0.02mm* and high-density black for CAD line drawings, as well as vivid colors and solid image consistency with sharp text for superb signs and posters for the general office.
The new imagePROGRAF models also utilize Canon's L-COA image processor to instantly interpret advanced image-algorithms for incredible print speeds.  The combination of the L-COA image processor and Reactive ink technology help to rapidly produce crisp and clear text and precise, intricately detailed line drawing while retaining line accuracy at ±0.1%**. The new iPF610 is capable of creating an A1/D-sized print (23.4" × 33.1") in just 31 seconds on plain paper in fast mode while the iPF710 can produce A0/E-sized output (33.1" × 46.8") in only 55 seconds on plain paper in fast mode, all in full color.
Printing on 36- and 24-inch wide media, respectively, the iPF710 and iPF610 are geared for CAD and GIS applications and support widely available HP-GL/2 and HP-RTL page description languages to ensure compatibility with virtually any CAD and GIS applications.  The printers also come with the AutoCAD imagePROGRAF HDI Driver and imagePROGRAF Printer Driver 2007 compatible with Windows and Macintosh operating systems for easy operation. Free Layout for Windows (Auto Layout for Mac) feature within the printer driver enables nesting of several smaller drawings or documents on a larger sheet, saving paper and effort to lay them out manually. Other new features include quiet operation and a large illuminated LCD control panel with instruction illustrations.
"It is important that our printing technology be able to properly represent the intricate detail of today's Computer Aided Design software.  Our latest imagePROGRAF printers accurately depict the color and sharp lines for even the most detailed architectural, automotive, or product development design renderings, allowing engineers to proudly present and display their work," said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A.
The five-color dye/pigment Reactive ink system includes four highly colorfast dye inks and a pigment-based matte black ink for optimized print image quality on more than 25 types of Canon Genuine print media including plain bond paper, coated paper, glossy photo paper, and film. Canon's Reactive ink system consists of dye-based inks that feature fade resistance in Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and the Company's Matte-Black pigment ink.
Contributing to outstanding productivity and operating ease, the models come with individual 90ml ink tanks and can accommodate high-capacity 130 ml replacement ink tanks (total of up to 260ml for Matte Black) for extensive use. The iPF610 offers a unique four-way media feed system including a 250-sheet capacity cassette for cut-sheet paper up to A2/C (17"×23.4") size, a roll feed, single-sheet top loading and front-loading for thick media up to 1.5mm. Both the iPF710 and the iPF610 support roll media with 2- or 3-inch core, up to 150mm in roll media diameter, accommodating 300ft coated paper rolls.
The imagePROGRAF iPF710 and iPF610 feature Canon's proprietary FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) high-precision print head technology and come equipped with a total of 15,360 individual ink nozzles-5,120 ink nozzles for matte black ink, and 2,560 nozzles for each of the four other colors-producing ink droplets as small as 4 picoliters.
The two new Canon imagePROGRAF printers are bundled with Digital Photo Front-Access portal software, which contributes to greater workflow efficiency in digital photo-printing processes. Additionally, Canon PosterArtist 2007 (sold separately) poster-creation software, for Windows, is available to satisfy a diverse range of poster-production and photo-printing needs at different skill levels, from enlarged poster printing for educational institutions to point-of-purchase indoor signs.
The imagePROGRAF iPF710 and iPF610 printers are expected to be available through authorized Canon U.S.A. dealers later this year, with manufacturer suggested selling prices of $3,995 and $2,295 respectively.