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September 19, 2005 
Canon announced the imagePRESS series at the Canon Expo 2005 show in New York. Touted as a market and technological breakthrough, Canon has finally taken a step into the production colour market. Two prototypes were shown at the show, but relatively little else was revealed. We spoke with Martin Sutherland, Director of Product Marketing in the IMage Systems Group of Canon Canada about the imagePRESS line.
Tell us a little about the imagePRESS line.
It is something that has been worked on at Canon for a long time. We’ve put a lot of resources into it, a lot of money, a lot of labour into coming up with this product. It’s been the result of a lot of feedback from customers and it is something that we need. This product was designed in Japan. I’ve actually been able to meet the engineers and see the product put together. It’s been built from the ground up. It’s all brand new technology. Brand new engine. There’s nothing borrowed from anything else and we’ve spent a lot of time on it. I think it’ll be a terrific product.
Where does this fit into the print market?
It’s a high-end production unit. Some of the people that work with me, they consider themselves to be experts on colour and when they looked at some of the output, they were just amazed, they were shocked at the level of quality. When I was in Japan, they showed me the output side-by-side with the offset. The image quality that they’re able to get out of this product is phenomenal. It’ll be a high-end production unit definitely. It was designed and engineered in Japan, but with feedback from all over though. Canon Europa, Canon USA, everybody has been in on this one.
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| Canon's imagePRESS X prototype is said to have a 70ppm run speed, the ability to handle a variety of stock, and includes a full range of in-line finishing options. |
What distinguishes this product from others like it?
I think Canon is known for reliability and top quality, and that’s something they’re trying to really push on this product. We think they’ve nailed it on the output and on the reliability side, if you look at other Canon products, especially on the colour-side, reliability has always been good. I think that’s what will set us apart.
Why has Canon waited until now to release it?
I think Canon is an organization that has always tried to get it right. I’ve been with the company over 20 years now and they will delay their process until they get it right. So they will make sure, especially in the [North American] market, if you don’t get it right, you lose the opportunity. It’s a high-end product in a bit of a niche market, so they’ve invested a lot of resources and time: they want to make sure it’s right. That’s why it’s taken a little longer than we had thought, but it will be a good product. As far as the time, I know that it has taken a couple of years of research and development, testing certain technologies and going back to the drawing board. We looked at our CLC5100, which is, right now is our high-end colour product, and seeing what our customers wanted. They wanted more quality and it has to be faster, so those were the things we were working with. We think the output speaks for itself.
Do you have specs for the new imagePRESS line?
Not at this time. I was just in Japan to try to get some of that, but they’re keeping it pretty close to their chest right now. We’re looking at Canada, or North America, probably the second half of next year for release. As for pricing, we’re still a long way away from that. As for other specs which I know you’re asking for, I asked them today and they said it’s still not finalized, so they’re not willing to tell me. They’ll be finalized in a couple of months, I’d say.
Does Canon have the experience in the production market to make imagePRESS a success?
Actually, we do have a lot of experience on the market: Canon is a leader in colour technology. This product may take us to a different level, but I think if customers look at and are happy with what Canon has done with colour over the years, then this product should be accepted by the marketplace. The reliability and the quality that we’ve had with the CLC100, which is our first product, right through to the 5100, they’ll get that in this product and more.
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