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Canon Announces Late Summer Printer Releases

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August 20, 2007 – In a major blitz of products, Canon released three new photo multi-function inkjet printers today, the MP520, MP610, and the MP970, which will sell for $149, $199, and $299, respectively. New features on these models include Quick Start, which reduces warm-up time to just a few seconds, Auto Image Fix, and improved Easy Scroll-Wheel functions.  Canon responded to consumer approval of their Easy Scroll-Wheel on the photo multifunction printers with an improved design that both gives information on specific functions and now takes the user to the specific function selected. All three models—the MP520, MP610, and MP970—incorporate this new functionality. Like past models in the MP series, these new printers all provide print, copy, and scan function. Canon also improved warm-up times, with nearly instant start-up (2 to 5 seconds, as opposed to up to 60 seconds on previous models). New image correction technologies grace these printers as well. Auto Image Fix features tools to adjust image quality. It analyzes the type of image, compares it with a database of images, and selects the algorithm that creates the best looking image by adjusting the brightness and color. This works on landscapes, portraits (using face detection), or any type of scenery. Auto Image Fix is available on the MP610 and MP970 via camera connection and memory card slots, and on the MP520 through software. All three models feature PictBridge and memory card compatibility.  At the high end of the MP series is the MP970, which sells for $299. This replaces previous top-of the-line model, the MP960, which sold for $399. A large, 3.5-inch LCD screen allows bright, easily viewed image and menu viewing. This all-in-one inkjet printer features seven individual color cartridges (pigment black, black, cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, and photo magenta). It can achieve 9600-dpi resolution using one-picoliter droplets. Documents print at the rate of 30 ppm for black text, 22 ppm for color documents, and 35 seconds for 4-by-6-inch photos.   The MP970 utilizes a CCD in its scanner, and it’s the first Canon all-in-one printer to utilize White LED technology, which virtually eliminates the scanner’s warm-up time. Advanced Copy Technology allows users to modify copies right from the LCD screen. Copy images can be trimmed or portions of the page can be whited-out. The MP970 also features standard Ethernet networking and a film adapter for both slides and negatives. The Pixma MP610 has the same, 9600 dpi print resolution and one-picoliter droplet size as the MP970, but this unit has five individual ink tanks (pigment black, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow), and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. Document speeds are equivalent, but photo printing times are reduced to 21 seconds. Like the MP970, the MP610 also features Advanced Copy Technology, Auto Image Fix, and duplexing. The scanners on this model and the MP520 utilize a CIS sensor.  The low-end model, the Pixma MP520, features a two-inch LCD screen for menu access and image preview. It can produce up to 4800-dpi prints via two-picoliter droplets from four individual color ink tanks (pigment black, cyan, magenta, and yellow). Black text prints at 30 pages per minute (ppm), color text at 19 ppm, and 4-by-6-inch photos print in 46 seconds. Scanning resolution maxes out at 2400 dpi.  All three models are available now through retailers.

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