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CANON ANNOUNCES TWO NEW BUBBLE JETTM PRINTERS; FASTER PRINT SPEEDS AND PHOTO INK PRINTING ON PLAIN PAPER ARE HIGHLIGHTS OF BOTH MODELS BJC-5000 Uses Exclusive New Dual Cartridge System for Small Business Users; BJC-4400 is the Perfect Home Printer Solution

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (June 4, 1998) - Information Systems Product Group (ISPG) today announced two new Color Bubble Jet printers for the SOHOME (small office/home) customer. A new addition to the Canon desktop printer line-up, the BJC-5000 offers up to 7.5 pages-per-minute (ppm) print speed based on a new dual cartridge system and the BJC-4400, prints up to 30 percent faster than its predecessor. Both printers allow for Photo Ink printing on plain paper for the most photo-realistic output in their class.

BJC-5000 - The Ultimate Color Printing Machine

The new dual cartridge system is based on a sophisticated printhead design making the BJC-5000 a new Canon technology breakthrough that is the fastest Color Bubble Jet printer to date. The unique dual cartridge system includes two printheads which sit side-by-side and "shuttle" across only half the page instead of having to traverse the entire page to achieve full-page printing at dramatic new speeds. In addition, the dual cartridge design allows for greater flexibility in print cartridge options which offer the maximum cost-efficiency as well as increased speed for the printer. By using two new enhanced black ink cartridges (BC-23), the printer achieves 7.5 ppm in fast, laser-like monochrome printing. With two color cartridges (BC-21e) the BJC-5000 can print at speeds of 3.5 ppm and a color and Photo Ink cartridge together allows for 7-color photo-realistic printing.

The new printer design was developed by a team of Canon engineers working in Costa Mesa, Calif. Under the direction of the Bubble Jet Group in Tokyo, the new R&D team was charged with taking existing technology and creating innovative ways to enhance the printing performance. The first result of this U.S.-based product development effort is the BJC-5000 which uses two printheads in a unique side-by-side cartridge design.

"The BJC-5000 is a marvel of engineering ingenuity," says Stan Skorayko, ISPG’s vice president and general manager. "Canon has created a printer which is not only faster but gives users a variety of print cartridge combinations to optimize the printer's performance and output for maximum cost efficiency. We believe the BJC-5000 will be the printer of choice for the small office customer."

Building on the success of its Photo Ink technology, the BJC-5000 offers Canon's unique 7-color photo ink printing system, creating multi-level graduation, more than four times the levels of competitive printers. The new driver for 32-bit processing provides the ability to print photo-realistic images on plain paper with a resolution up to 720 x 720 dpi and up to 1440 x 720 dpi on specialty paper. The end result for users is the delivery of the most detailed, photo-realistic printing output available.

In addition, the BJC-5000 Color Bubble Jet offers customers the ability to print 100 percent coverage on 8.5 x 11-inch paper using Canon's exclusive edge-to-edge printing capability and Canon's LetterPlus Letterhead, an uncoated, perforated stock measuring 9 x 13.3 inches, giving users the ability to remove the margins once the printing of a document is complete. Small business users will appreciate the advanced paper handling features of the BJC-5000. In addition to being able to handle a variety of paper types such as glossy photo paper, transparencies, greeting card stock and banner paper, the BJC-5000 can also feed 11" x 17" paper as well as paper up to 146 lbs. through the manual feeder. The built-in sheet feeder can handle up to 130 sheets.

Pricing/Shipping

The BJC-5000 begins shipping in July at an MSRP of $536*. The printer ships with BC-23 (black) and BC-21e (color) cartridges, Canon Creative 3 software, and drivers for Windows 95. Canon Creative 3 is a collection of easy-to-use photo and software applications and content that allows consumers to quickly produce photo-quality results, whether for a small business, home office or family use. Canon Creative further enhances Canon's commitment to PhotoRealismä , through full support of photos and image content in all applications for excellent photo-quality results.

The BJC-4400 Color Bubble Jet Printer

The BJC-4400 is the next generation of Canon's award-winning BJC-4300 Bubble Jet printer named PC World magazine Best Buy - Top 10 Printers, (October 1997). The BJC-4400's improved printer driver allows users to print with Photo Ink on plain paper and offers more efficient paper handling as well as increased speed.

Providing high quality print performance, the BJC-4400 achieves 720 x 360 dpi resolution and a fast 6.5 ppm print speed in monochrome printing and 2.5 ppm in color printing. Print quality is optimized by Canon's exclusive Drop Modulation Technologyä , an advancement in Bubble Jet technology that allows the printhead to create both regular and half-size ink drops in the same scan line. This provides greater tonal expression and a smoother transition between colors for photo-realistic color output.

"The BJC-4400 continues to enhance the performance and value of our best-selling printer, the BJC-4300," says Stan Skorayko. "With increased print speeds, photo printing on plain paper, and our unique Color Image Scanner Cartridge option, the BJC-4400 is the perfect solution for any home office customer," adds Skorayko.

Price/Shipping

The BJC-4400 begins shipping in July with an MSRP of $349*. The printer ships with Canon Creative 3 and WebRecord software, BC-21e (color) cartridge, and drivers for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.

Canon's Unique Color Image Scanner Cartridge

As with the BJC-4300, the BJC-4400 can be used as a 360 dpi color sheetfed scanner with Canon's optional IS-22 Color Image Scanner cartridge for MSRP of $186.*.

Users simply remove the BJC-4400 printhead and replace it with the IS-22 scanner cartridge, a miracle of miniaturization no bigger than a matchbook. When the Color Image Scanner Cartridge is in place, the BJC-4400 becomes a color sheetfed scanner with 24-bit color, so users can scan, save and print photographs, graphics and documents measuring up to 8.2 x 11.45 inches. The scanner cartridge also allows the BJC-4400 to serve as a color copier. The BJC-5000 and BJC-4400 join Canon's current BJC-250, BJC-7000L Photo, and BJC-80 color portable printers. A new addition to the portable printer line, the BJC-50 was also announced today.

New Addition To Specialty Paper Line - Brilliant White Paper

In addition to its new printers, Canon is also introducing a new specialty paper, Brilliant White Paper. This new 8.5 x 11-inch, 24-lb. paper stock provides one of the industry's most dramatic radiant white papers. Offered in a 500-sheet package at an MSRP of $11.95*, Canon's Brilliant White Paper was developed to optimize the printed output of Canon's Color Bubble Jet printers. Colors appear more vibrant, text is more densely black and with Canon's new BJC-5000 and BJC-4400 printers, photo printing on uncoated Brilliant White Paper looks even more photo-realistic. The new paper will be available in July.

As a pioneer in specialty papers, Canon was the first company to introduce T-shirt Transfer paper, fabric sheets and water-resistant plain paper, among other innovations. The company continues to develop new papers that work in conjunction with its proprietary inks, and Bubble Jet technology to create printed output that achieves Canon's PhotoRealism standard.

Warranty and Customer Technical Support

Both the BJC-5000 and BJC-4400 offer a one-year limited warranty which includes the Exchange warranty program**.

Canon Canada Inc. offers a full range of customer technical support options including: 24-hour, 7-day-a-week, toll-free support for product troubleshooting issues on current products.

PhotoRealism -- The New Gold Standard

In 1997, Canon invented the drop-on-demand Bubble Jet technology, which is still used in printers today. Since then, Canon has earned more than 10,000 patents in Bubble Jet technology alone and currently employs more than 500 engineers developing new advances in this technology. Pioneering color ink jet printing on plain paper, Canon also was the first ink jet printer manufacturer to offer Photo Inks and a 7-color inkjet system, providing consumers a new level of output quality that continues to improve as technology advances. Whether a customer is printing monochrome text, color graphs or photographic images, Canon's PhotoRealism products offer a new level of quality by which all other printers are judged.

Canon ISPG, which was founded in April 1995, is a division of Canon Canada Inc. Canon ISPG specializes in providing products for the Small Office, Home consumer marketplace including printers, personal copiers, plain paper facsimiles, multi-function products and calculators.

Canon Canada Inc., headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario with branch offices in Montreal and Calgary, is an industry leader in professional and consumer imaging equipment and information systems. Canon’s extensive product line enables businesses and consumers worldwide to capture, store and distribute visual information. Canon products include black and white as well as full-color copiers; laser printers; color Bubble Jet printers, facsimile machines; calculators; video camcorders; cameras and lenses; semiconductor; broadcast, and optical equipment and other specialized industrial products.

Contact: Peter Witt
Senior Manager
Corporate Communications Department
Tel: (905) 795-2073

* Prices are estimates only. Prices are subject to change at any time. Actual prices aredetermined by individual dealers and may vary.
** Exchange warranty program is subject to certain restrictions and limitations. See warrantycard for full details.
*** Canon, BJC, and Bubble Jet are registered trademarks and BJ, PhotoRealism and DropModulation Technology are trademarks of Canon Inc. All other products and brand namesare registered trademarks of their respective companies.