Canon Expo New York: Finding the Future of Imaging

In early September at the Jacob Javits Center, Canon kicked off Canon Expo 2010 New York, an invitation-only quinquennial event showcasing the company’s advanced imaging technologies. Featuring the theme, “We Speak Image,” the event highlighted Canon technologies in print production as well as consumer imaging products, office equipment, broadcast and communications, healthcare technologies, and security solutions.

“Canon Expo 2010 New York is an extraordinary demonstration of how Canon is uniquely positioned to say, ‘We Speak Image,’” says Joe Adachi, president and CEO, Canon USA. “The ground-breaking products and solutions on display…are transforming the way businesses operate and how people across the globe share their experiences, reflecting our commitment to responsible innovation and our corporate culture.”

The 15,000-square-foot event floor carried a spoke-and-wheel design, with the central hub as a networking area that branched off into nearly a dozen specific halls comprising vertical market demonstrations. Of chief interest here were three specific halls:
• “The Power of Synergy” section: This area highlighted the combined technologies of Canon and Océ (Canon agreed to acquire Océ about a year ago). The section housed an Océ Arizona 550XT flatbed (introduced earlier this summer) as well as a ProCut cutting table and existing Canon machines, and also featured two prototype printers carrying the Canon badge: the imageProGraf X and imageProGraf Y. Both machines are pigment-based printers with a heating element. The X, as configured, is a 6-color 60-inch printer (CMYK+pm+pc) and is aimed squarely at the graphics space, while the Y is a 4-color 44-inch printer (CMYK) geared toward the CAD/AEC space. Any/all of specs may change if and when these prototypes would come to market, Canon was quick to point out.

• “Journey of the Image” hall: Adjacent to the Synergy section, this area featured Canon Explorer of Light photographers such as Seth Resnick (www.sethresnick.com) shooting a staged fashion show, as well as a design studio and working print-production studio. Images that were shot then traveled to high-resolution monitors and output options around the hall, including wide- and narrow-format machines, for various applications. A prototype of a new 12-color Pixma photo printer with a new inkset of pigment inks was on display (under glass), geared toward photographers and designers; the printer will be at Canon’s high end when it comes to market in 2011.

• “Advancing Business” section: Showcased Canon imageRunner Advance printers as well as other products, including the company’s Creative Workplace Solution.

Other intriguing areas included the Canon Gallery, which featured the company’s Tsuzuri Project (see our October issue, page 8), The New York Experience, which allowed for shooting live ice skating with Canon digital SLRs, and Imaging for Tomorrow, with mixed-reality innovations and previews of Canon’s vision for the future of imaging.

Canon announced several new presses during the event, including: the imagePress C7010VP, C6010VP, and C6010 digital presses; imageRunner Advance C2030/C2020 multifunction printers; and four new imageClass MFPs for small businesses/home offices.

And, in the week following the event, Canon launched its new Lucia EX Print Sample Request Program, a service giving users the opportunity to receive 8.5 x 11-inch sample photographs printed on its Canon imagePrograf iPF8300/6350/6300 large-format printers prior to purchasing the device. Through the program, customers receive three printed images captured by Canon Explorer of Light photographers, aimed at demonstrating the printing capabilities of the imagePrograf 12-color series and new Lucia EX inkset. To participate: usa.canon.com/ipfprintsample.