Canon’s 2015 Expo: Futuristic and Invitation-Only

This year’s Expo was an eye-opening reminder of how pervasive imaging technology has become: In medicine, the company hopes its tiny endoscopes will enable direct visualization of hard-to-see anatomies within the human body. And in space, Canon is developing optics for a pioneering telescope that will allow astronomers to see further into the galaxy than ever before.

Some technologies at the Expo may never come to market – that’s the idea. Yet, some breakthroughs will be used in yet-to-be imagined ways. For example, Canon’s 250-megapixel CMOS sensor. When installed in a camera, the sensor was able to capture images of the lettering on the side of an airplane flying about 11 miles away.

For printing business owners, the most important takeaway from Canon Expo is that ultra-high-resolution digital image capture can enhance the creative effects on physical prints. For example, Canon’s new material-appearance image-processing technology will enable surface characteristics such as gloss, plasticity, surface contours, and elevation to be captured with high-res cameras and replicated by the controlled deposition of UV-cure inks with Océ elevated printing technology.

Today, Canon’s material-appearance image-processing technology can create accurate replicas of gold leaf folding screens or the famous “Girl with a Pearl Earring” painting by Johannes Vermeer. Canon’s imaging pros even replicated the textured wallpaper from the museum wall on which Vermeer’s original painting is displayed.

In the Professional Printing zone, Canon demonstrated how surface textures and elevations could be creatively replicated on applications such as retail signage, interior décor materials, advertising graphics, portraits, and product packaging – bringing the futuristic show back to Earth.

Take a virtual tour of the 2015 Canon Expo.