Canon aims to be the best with new Pixma printers

In an industry that considers a tiny ink droplet size of one picoliter as a big breakthrough, Canon is introducing more advanced features to its new Pixma line as it attempts to beat all other inkjet printer brands this year.

In Tokyo last month, Canon introduced seven new Pixma All-in-Ones (AIO) or multi-function printers (MFP), three Pixma single-function printers (SFP), and three scanners designed to meet the specific imaging needs of home and office users, a market segment Canon will closely attend to this year.

The new range of Pixma printers and scanners carry key features such as wireless connectivity and security, longer lifespan of prints, improved monochrome photo printing performance, and automatic print/scan enhancements.

Now available locally, the new Pixma printers, Canon executives say, are engineered for high-performance printing, resolution and speed. The four new premium AIOs (MP988, MP638, MP628 and MP545) feature maximum print resolutions of 9600 x 2400 dpi, ink droplet size of one picoliter and print speeds of up to 26 ppm (page per minute) for monochrome, 21 ppm for color and 20 seconds for a 4 x 6” color photo (MP638). The MP638 features automatic duplex printing as well as CD/DVD label printing.

Canon also introduced affordable AIOs (MP486, MP245 and MP198) that offer 4800 x 1200 dpi print resolution and print speeds of up to 20 ppm (monochrome), 16 ppm (color), and 45 secs for a 4 x 6” color photo. Scanning resolution starts at 600 x 1200dpi (MP198) and reaches 2400 x 4800 dpi (MP486).

Completing the new Pixma lineup are three dedicated SFP (iP4680, iP3680 and iP1980) with print resolutions from 4800 x 1200 dpi to 9800 x 2400 dpi and print speeds of up to 26 ppm (monochrome), 21 ppm (color) and 20 secs for a 4 x 6” color photo (iP4680). Both the iP4680 and iP3680 provide high-resolution printing with minimum one picoliter technology and five individual ink tanks.

Fine gray area

For the first time, Canon is introducing a sixth tank exclusively for gray ink. The new gray ink will be available in the Pixma MP988 model and is meant for professional monochrome photo prints to reduce graininess and to achieve a stable gray tone even across multiple print copies.

“This year we are undertaking a renewal of all our key products’ engineering and design and also our consummables,” said Takao Hada, Canon’s general manager for the inkjet marketing center in Japan. “The introduction of gray ink for our flagship products fit in our (renewal) efforts.”

Hada explained that gray ink actually costs less than monochrome and, until today, is a gray market area.

“But the gray color constitutes a lot in printing, even for color. With that point of view, we are introducing gray ink starting with the high-end MP988,” Hada added.

Meanwhile, Canon continues to go full steam with its FINE technology. Short for Full-photolitographic inkjet nozzle engineering, FINE is “the heart of Pixma,” said Katsuichi Shimizu, managing director, member of the board and chief executive at Canon’s Inkjet products operations.

Canon executives explain that with FINE they are able to achieve the one-picoliter ink droplet considered as a high-microscopic pixel that is the smallest in the world.

“Canon developed FINE to get laser-quality text, photographic quality image and high-speed printing. We need to have small but multiple high-density nozzles,” explained Mineo Kaneko, general manager of the inkjet component development center.

More enhancements

Canon also introduced in its new line of printers the ChromaLife100+ which triples the life of prints compared to previous technology. A new dye-based ink system, ChromaLife100+ ensures that prints stay vibrant in photo albums for up to 300 years when used in conjunction with selected genuine Canon photo paper. Chroma-Life100+ also protects prints from fading due to humidity, light and air. It will be present in all 2008 new FINE cartridge and industry cartridge models, Canon said.

Then there’s the new Canon Auto Photo Fix technology that will be in all the new printers, with the exception of the MP198. This feature recognizes the type of scene and the subject’s face and automatically adopts the best color correction for optimal skin tone and brightness. It also corrects red eye automatically and is accessed directly off the hardware, or through the bundled Easy-PhotoPrint EX software.

The flagship Pixma MP988 and Pixma MP628 have gone wireless printing, too. Both models use the WEP/WPA wireless security standard and the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) for easy one-touch secured setup within a network. They can also be configured as a shared printer/scanner for multiple computers or small workgroups through LAN.

Canon’s new product lineup also sports a new user interface that automates many functions intelligently. The Canon AIOs also feature “Quick Start,” allowing operations to begin in four seconds after powering on.

In addition, Canon presets its select printers to automatic duplex printing as the default standard to help users reduce paper consumption. Canon also takes a shot at being environment-friendly in manufacturing the new Pixma series by using recycled plastic for the main printer units and supports the International Energy Star Program that makes the printers consume low levels of energy when in operation.

Better design

The new Canon range is designed with rounded corners, clean side lines and finishes of high-gloss and matte in black and silver. The new printers have user-friendly controls, intuitive user interface and hidden card/access slots.

“Our design goal is for people to tell or know it’s a Canon printer at a glance or from 10 meters away. We have a 3D icon, a symbolic design element that’s obvious from 10 meters away,” said Yoshinori Inukai, assistant general manager of Canon’s Design Center in Japan.

Inukai explained that their design process usually involves many steps from the drawing work, concretizing the drawing by making computer graphics of the model, creating mock-ups of the 3D models for trial, engineering which include working with other departments like mechanical and production teams, the manufacturing phase, to mass production.

“Conceptualization could take up to four months and another six months to one year before a product could be launched,” said Inukai.

Most Canon printers are built by individuals and it doesn’t mean a production line of different people doing different parts. Canon takes pride of its so-called “Meister” and “Super Meister,” individuals who can assemble printers all by themselves following at least 600 processes. A Super Meister is one who has mastered all the processes.

Sales’ fine prints

Worldwide, Canon projects over 30 percent market share for printers this year, and in Asia, a market share of 36 percent. 

“We’ve been in the mainstream (printer) market for long, but this year we are focusing also on the SOHO market. We aim to be the next No. 1 inkjet brand in the world. Our inkjet sales in the region for Pixma in the last two years have been growing. For the first half of the year, Canon captured 20 percent of the inkjet market, making us No. 2 in most countries,” said Shimizu.

In India and the Philippines, Canon still plays second to HP unlike in several other Asian countries where it’s the opposite. Citing IDC’s first quarter-2008 market share report for the region, Melvyn Ho, vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging and Information Division at Canon Singapore, said they have a very slight one-percent lead over HP.

“Our mission is to sustain our dominance in the SFP market and be No. 1 in multi-function printer. In the Philippines, our target for first quarter-2008 is 25 percent to 28 percent for SFP. The MFP growth in the Philippines based on our sales estimates is growing at 191 percent, which is double that of last year’s sales results,” said Ho.

The company is hoping more consumers would appreciate the fact that Canon is both strong in the input and output areas of imaging. Executives say Canon has a good grip on the photo printing business be it for digital cameras or printers.

“Canon is the only brand with offerings for input (digital cameras) and output (printers). We want to make users see the benefit of using Canon-to-Canon systems. We understand photographers and can meet their needs better,” said Ho.

Furthermore, Canon plans to increase its customer touch points in every country it’s in to improve its customer service centers’ repair turnaround time and be mindful of repair costs and help minimize them when possible. The company also launched an online product/warranty registration to complement its services.