Two New Large-Format Printers Handle CAD and GIS Applications

By DE Editors

September 12, 2007—Canon U.S.A., Inc. (Lake Success, NY) announced on Monday two new large format printers — the imagePROGRAF iPF710 and imagePROGRAF iPF610 — for CAD (computer-aided design) and GIS (geographic information systems) applications.

Canon’s imagePROGRAF iPF610

The new Canon imagePROGRAF iPF710 and iPF610 printers feature the company’s five-color dye/pigment Reactive ink system, enabling them to produce black lines and texts that have a resistance against rubbing, moisture, and bleeding of intersecting lines. This results in sharp, lines as thin as 0.02mm (which is the theoretical value based on data resolution) and high-density black for CAD line drawings, as well as vivid colors and solid image consistency with sharp text.

The new imagePROGRAF models also use Canon’s L-COA image processor to instantly interpret advanced image-algorithms for incredible print speeds. The combination of the L-COA image processor and Reactive ink technology help to rapidly produce crisp text and precisely detailed line drawing while retaining line accuracy at ±0.1% (which is after user adjustment, and under the same environmental conditions, but applies to media for line drawing only.)

The new iPF610 is capable of creating an A1/D-sized print (23.4-in. by 33.1-in.) in just 31 seconds on plain paper in fast mode while the iPF710 can produce A0/E-sized output (33.1-in. by 46.8-in.) in only 55 seconds on plain paper in fast mode, all in full color.

Printing on 36- and 24-inch wide media, respectively, the iPF710 and iPF610 are geared for CAD and GIS applications and support widely available HP-GL/2 and HP-RTL page description languages to ensure compatibility with virtually any CAD and GIS applications.

The printers come with the AutoCAD imagePROGRAF HDI Driver and imagePROGRAF Printer Driver 2007 compatible with Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Free Layout for Windows (Auto Layout for Mac) feature within the printer driver enables nesting of several smaller drawings or documents on a larger sheet, saving paper and the effort to lay them out manually. Other new features include quiet operation and a large illuminated LCD control panel with instruction illustrations.

The five-color dye/pigment Reactive ink system includes four highly colorfast dye inks and a pigment-based matte black ink for optimized print image quality on more than 25 types of Canon Genuine print media including plain bond paper, coated paper, glossy photo paper, and film. Canon’s Reactive ink system consists of dye-based inks that feature fade resistance in Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and the Company’s Matte-Black pigment ink.

The models come with individual 90ml ink tanks and can accommodate high-capacity 130 ml replacement ink tanks (total of up to 260ml for Matte Black) for extensive use. The iPF610 offers a four-way media feed system including a 250-sheet capacity cassette for cut-sheet paper up to A2/C (17-in. by 23.4-in.) size, a roll feed, single-sheet top loading, and front-loading for thick media up to 1.5mm. Both the iPF710 and the iPF610 support roll media with 2- or 3-inch core, up to 150mm in roll media diameter, accommodating 300-ft. coated paper rolls.

Canon’s imagePROGRAF iPF710

The imagePROGRAF iPF710 and iPF610 feature Canon’s proprietary FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) high-precision print head technology and come equipped with 15,360 individual ink nozzles — 5,120 ink nozzles for matte black ink, and 2,560 nozzles for each of the four other colors — producing ink droplets as small as 4 picoliters.

The two new Canon imagePROGRAF printers are bundled with Digital Photo Front-Access portal software, which contributes to workflow efficiency in digital photo-printing processes. Plus, Canon PosterArtist 2007 (sold separately) poster-creation software, for Windows, is available.

“Our latest imagePROGRAF printers accurately depict the color and sharp lines for even the most detailed architectural, automotive, or product development design renderings,” said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A.

The imagePROGRAF iPF710 and iPF610 printers are expected to be available through authorized Canon U.S.A. dealers later this year, with manufacturer suggested selling prices of $3,995 and $2,295,respectively.

For further details, visit Canon U.S.A., Inc.

For Canon’s full press release, please visit Canon’s website.