LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--June 14, 2004-- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. and the nation's market share brand leader in black-and-white and color laser copier/printer solutions(1), today announced that several of its offerings have received BERTL's Best for Spring 2004 Awards. The products recognized as best-in-class are the new color-enabled imageRUNNER C3100 Series and C6800, the imageRUNNER Pro 150+ and the Canon NetSpot application suite. The BERTL's Best of Spring 2004 Awards that Canon received include: Best Low-End Workgroup Occasional Color MFP - - Canon imageRUNNER C3100 Series The Canon imageRUNNER C3100 Series, recognized by BERTL for delivering the most useful capabilities for low end, low-volume occasional color printing and copying, is targeted at smaller, budget-minded offices with the similar needs of an imageRUNNER C6800 user. The color-enabled imageRUNNER C3100 Series offers black-and-white output at 31 pages-per-minute and full color output at 7 ppm. Capable of handling the workload of several dedicated devices, the imageRUNNER C3100 Series offers advanced digital copying and Mail Box features, powerful fax functionality, network printing and scanning functions and the ability to distribute information - in color. Capable of growing with the organization, many of the advanced features for the imageRUNNER C3100 Series, such as Color Universal Send technology and SuperG3 faxing(3), are available as optional, add-on features. Best High-Speed Enterprise Business Color MFP - - Canon imageRUNNER C6800 Designed for high volume corporate departments, the color-enabled imageRUNNER C6800 offers the same proven quality, reliability and productivity as conventional black-and-white imageRUNNERs, with the ability to support occasional color requirements. BERTL recognized the product for delivering the most useful capabilities for departments that require occasional color printing and copying. A production powerhouse, the imageRUNNER C6800 operates at 68 ppm for black-and-white output and 16 ppm for full color output, as well as exceptionally fast scanning at speeds of up to 70 ppm (at 300 dpi) and 50 ppm (at 60 dpi). Incorporating Canon's Amorophorous Silicon (A-Si) drum technology, a first in color-engine design, the durable imageRUNNER C6800 can deliver exceptional performance and reliability over millions of impressions. Canon's monocomponent black toner delivers high-quality, cost-efficient operation for black-and-white applications, while third-generation color S-toners deliver eye-catching output with just a touch of gloss. As a result, black-and-white cost per page is comparable to conventional imageRUNNER products, while its low color costs per page make occasional color affordable for every user. Best High-End Monochrome Printshop Device -- Canon imageRUNNER Pro 150+ This is the second year in a row that BERTL has honored the imageRUNNER Pro 150+ as the best value for the money for users looking to invest in quality, high-volume monochrome output capability. BERTL also recognized the imageRUNNER Pro 150+, a 150 ppm digital black-and-white printer for high-volume Print on Demand, Central Reprographic Departments (CRDs) and transactional print environments, as delivering the widest range of capabilities for high-volume monochrome print shops and CRDs. The imageRUNNER Pro 150+ has a duty cycle of 3-5 million impressions per month, depending on customer's job stream and number of shifts. The imageRUNNER Pro 150+ comes complete with a six-drawer, 8,000-sheet paper supply, interactive operator touch screen interface, Sun controller system and a finisher, offering exceptional paper-handling and 600 dpi resolution. Best Cost Management/Job Account System -- Canon NetSpot Suite Canon's NetSpot Suite recognized by BERTL as delivering the most useful capabilities for managing and tracking device usage across a network. The software is a Web-based, server solution that addresses the needs of the customer wanting to decrease management costs while managing networked printing devices more effectively. It brings comprehensive analysis and reporting to both management and IT personnel providing detailed reports on costs and device usage patterns. For corporations seeking to uncover the hidden costs of the printing process so they can reduce expenses while boosting productivity and profitability, NetSpot Accountant delivers unparalleled integration with the Canon imageRUNNER line of multi-functional copiers. Additionally, Canon provides the NetSpot Suite of software utilities, designed to ease the administrative burdens associated with installing, monitoring, and managing Canon and third-party (monitoring only) print devices on corporate enterprise networks. "The BERTL's Best Awards recognize the leading offerings in a variety of digital imaging technology and innovation categories," said Carmel Rowley, chief executive officer, BERTL. "To select the winners, BERTL analysts review a host of corporate-level devices introduced into the market, taking into account end-user experience and feedback, overall value, design and build quality, and return-on-investment, among other factors. BERTL analysts then honor a small, but select, group of devices with the prestigious BERTL's Best Spring Awards." According to Dennis Amorosano, director and general manager, Integrated Solutions Group, Canon U.S.A., "The range of products which received these awards from BERTL is just a sampling of the quality office products that Canon has to offer. Canon is committed to creating office products, like these, that bridge today's hybrid paper-and-digital, monochrome-and-color information culture."