Canon UK Press Release 31/08/04

PIXMA goes wireless

Canon announces the iP4000R

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, today announces the addition of built-in-wireless connectivity to its PIXMA range with the launch of the PIXMA iP4000R. Based on the 5-ink, 25 ppm iP4000 personal photo and document printer, the iP4000R integrates WiFi (IEEE802.11g) print server technology for wireless networking, ready to run on either Windows or Mac platforms.

Launched last month, Canon’s PIXMA sub-brand now includes fourteen new printers and multifunctionals. Each device in the range incorporates futuristic styling, and FINE (Full-Photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) technology, which delivers 2-picolitre droplet size and high-speed lab quality photo printing. “The introduction of the iP4000R coincides with a convergence of market factors, including the dramatic uptake of broadband and wireless in the home market, increased demand for photo printing in the home and office, lower prices, and the rapid growth of digital photography in the last 12 months” said Malcolm Hills, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging UK and Ireland. “Canon anticipates that the introduction of built-in wireless connectivity to the iP4000R will feed into the accelerating demand for photolab quality printers that integrate well in any environment.”

Beyond photolab quality
The iP4000R features 2-picolitre droplet performance from FINE technology print heads, capable of producing glossy, borderless, professional quality photo prints. Exceeding traditional photolab quality, the iP4000R achieves exceptionally crisp, high contrast photo prints with the use of ContrastPLUS technology ? a five tank ink system that includes an additional dye-based black ink for sharper contrast. The introduction of the extra ink will appeal to exacting users looking for the next level in printing lab-quality photographs, as well as users requiring crisp text documents from conventional pigment black ink. The printer will produce a 4? x 6? borderless photo in just 36 seconds, a full A4 colour document in only 26 seconds, and documents at 25 ppm (mono) / 17 ppm (colour).

Ultimate flexibility
As well as wireless printing, the iP4000R supports the vendor-independent PictBridge standard for direct cable connection photo printing with contemporary digital cameras and digital video cameras, without the need for a PC.

Print on Demand
Canon’s ‘Print on Demand’ facility is designed to allow multiple users to share the printer. The printer manages queued print jobs, eliminating the need for users to monitor the printer status before submitting print jobs. All users have access to the status monitor to see at a glance which job is printing and how many jobs are pending. Being Ethernet compliant, the printer can support both wireless and wired networks simultaneously. It runs at 54 Mbps (wireless) and 10/100 Mbps (wired), with a 50m (indoor) range. Security features include: WPA, WEP64/128 bit encryption, the capacity to block access via MAC address and password protection.

Easy to install
The introduction of a USB connection setup has allowed Canon to create a simple setup process. The set-up wizard included with the iP4000R requires just a few mouse clicks in order to establish communications with most existing network environments. PC network settings do not have to be altered and, unless network security is active, no manual input of network information or installation of other network hardware is required.

FINE technology
In a process called FINE, Canon has adapted its own silicon chip manufacturing technology to create print heads with tolerance and precision similar to that of integrated circuits. FINE print heads, now featured in all PIXMA printers, incorporate Micro-Nozzles that deliver microscopic droplets with unrivalled speed, consistency and accuracy, which cannot be achieved by traditional ink jet print heads that are assembled from multiple parts.

Versatile installation
PIXMA printers are the only devices on the market that include both the traditional auto sheet feeder and cassette, allowing the printer to be stored and operated on a shelf or in other areas where space is at a premium. Dual paper trays also permit the printers to be loaded with plain paper and photo print media simultaneously. Dual paper trays, auto duplex printing and CD-R/DVD printing functions are now completely integrated without compromising the printer?s clean lines.

Single Ink technology
The printer features Canon?s transparent single ink system, whereby each ink is stored in an individually replaceable tank. This economical feature minimises waste because only the ink that is exhausted needs to be replaced. Users are warned with a pop up window on their computer when a particular colour is running low and the printer will not start to print a page if there is insufficient ink to finish.

New photo media
Canon?s new media extends the creative and practical applications of the iP4000R:
? Double sided photo paper (Photo Paper Plus Double Sided PP-101D) in A4 and 5 x 7?sizes. As well as standard packs, this media is available as a kit (Photo Album Kit PAK-101) which includes a high quality hardback album cover to make photo albums, scrapbooks and personal books
? Credit card size glossy media (Glossy Photo Paper GP-401) - ideal for printing wallet photographs and name cards
? Photo stickers (Photo Stickers PS-101) ? sheets of 16 small photo stickers, for fun and practical purposes.

Easy photo and web printing
The printer comes bundled with the following software packages:
Easy-PhotoPrint ? provides three easy steps to printing photos. Assisting with options such as media selection and scaling, it includes Face Sharpening for out-of-focus face correction, Red Eye Correction and Digital Face Smoothing to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Easy-WebPrint ? sits on the Explorer toolbar and takes the frustration out of web page printing, saving time, ink and paper by correctly scaling output to print one-page-per-sheet, preventing the common problem of the right-hand side of web pages being cut off.
CD-LabelPrint ? allows for easy creation and printing on print ready CD or DVD media.

Standards and protocols
The TCP/IP based iP4000R is compliant with WiFi, TELEC, FCC, IC, ETSI and iDA. It supports Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, and Mac OSX v10.2.1 or later.

Pricing, availability and reader enquiries
The PIXMA iP4000R will be available from October 2004 for around ?199 inc. VAT / EUR 287.32 inc. VAT

Read the Specifications (PDF)