Canon unveils a range of imaging & printing products

In order to keep its hold on the imaging market, as well as to strengthen

itself in the printing arena, Canon launched a whole new range of digital

imaging and printing products at the Canon Expo 2002, held at Beijing, China

between from September 9 to 12.

These products form a part of Canon's continuing emphasis on R&D. Fujio

Mitarai, President and CEO, Canon Inc, said that he aims to guide Canon to the

number one position worldwide in all core business areas, to build on R&D

and to further strengthen its financial position.

The new products unveiled at the expo are slated to be launched in India in

late October. They include three printers that can print directly from a Canon

digital camera, without needing a PC in between. Of these, two--the S530D and

the S830D--are bubble jet printers, while the CP-100 is a portable direct

printer.

Canon believes in the potential of personal digital photo labs. According to

the company, more and more people will go for the convenience of printing

digital photos at home, as an alternative to getting film developed and printed

by photo labs.

Canon also introduced a new stylish bubble jet printer, the i320 or XNU for

homes and small offices. The other digital imaging products launched at the expo

include two scanners--LiDE 20 and LiDE 30. These slim USB 2.0 scanners scan at

600x1200 and 1200x2400 dpi respectively and can scan multiple photos at once.

Two new laser printers--LBP 1210 and LBP 1120--were also launched.

As and when they are launched in India, these products will be used by Canon

to increase its presence in the Indian market. In the last year and a half,

Canon has increased its inkjet printer market share from just three percent to

almost 15 percent, with HP holding a whopping 70 percent of the pie. Canon hopes

to adjust the printer space in India so that it can be at 35 percent by 2005.

The fact that this expo took place in China is indicative of the keenness

with which manufacturers are eyeing the Chinese market. Mitarai, in his keynote

address at the expo, said that in Asia, the entry of China into the WTO opened a

new door to regional growth, and that Canon is working to establish both sales

and production units as soon as possible. In fact, the Asian business

headquarters of Canon will now move from Hong Kong to Beijing.

Nupur Chaturvedi