Canon PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer Announced

PIXMA mini320 Photo Printer Brings 5″x 7″ Printing Capabilities to the Canon Compact Line-up

Canon U.S.A., Inc. has announced an addition to its high-quality compact photo printer line-up — the PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer. This compact photo printer will allow consumers to bring to life those images captured at important moments, such as a wedding or a child’s first day of school, in an easy-to-use and affordable fashion.

The Canon PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer is the first in the Canon compact photo printer line-up to be able to print photo lab-quality images up to 5 inches x 7 inches, which will make finding a frame for those unforgettable memories that much easier. Equipped with a bright, high-definition 2.5″ LCD screen with wide viewing angles, and the Easy-Scroll Wheel interface, the PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer enables consumers to navigate through menus and images in a snap. An optional battery (LK-61 model, estimated selling price $79.99¹) is available for portable printing from almost any location, enabling parents to print out an image of their child’s tee-ball game while sitting in the bleachers.

“With the demand for high-quality, affordable compact photo printers on the rise, Canon is committed to ensuring that the needs and wants of consumers are met,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “The addition of this new printer to our renowned line-up provides consumers with a high-quality, feature-rich compact photo printer that can produce exceptional 5″ x 7″ photo prints.”

CANON PIXMA mini320 COMPACT PHOTO PRINTER
The inkjet-based PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer has a maximum resolution of 9600 x 2400 color dpi² for vibrant color printouts of a borderless 4″ x 6″ photo lab-quality print in approximately 40 seconds and a borderless 5″ x 7″ photo in approximately 52 seconds³. Consumers can print photos from compatible memory cards⁴, digital cameras or camcorders, Bluetooth devices⁵ or even a compatible camera phone.⁶ With the optional battery, vivid action shots from a child’s soccer game can be shared with other parents right from the sidelines. The retractable handle, and fold-up design, makes it easy to tote the PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer to any room in the house to make a photo print at the location of the user’s choice.

Having to endure a long wait for a printer to start up is now a thing of the past. The PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer features the new Canon Quick Start technology which starts up the user interface in just a matter of seconds, enabling the user to start viewing and printing their photos quicker than ever before. To provide the optimum image quality in a simplified manner, the new Auto Image Fix technology has been engineered. This new technology analyzes images to make sure each scene is optimized when compared with similar scene types such as Portrait, Snapshot, Night Snapshot, etc. For the parent who wants to produce a memorable scrapbook, the Auto Image Fix technology helps to create beautiful images without the hassle of manually editing each individual photo. The estimated selling price of the PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer is $179.99.¹

Advanced Easy-Scroll Wheel
The Easy-Scroll Wheel user interface will be familiar with consumers who have popular portable digital music players, helping them immediately understand the operations that the wheel controls, including editing and printing. With the improved “NAVI” function, it not only displays the machine’s on-screen guide, but it even navigates the user to the function they desire.

ChromaLife100 System
The PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer employs Canon’s ChromaLife100 system, along with FINE print head technology for long-lasting photo prints. When using select genuine Canon photo papers and dye inks, prints can resist fading for up to 100 years when stored in an archival quality photo album. The 100-year-lifespan rivals that of many traditional film-based photos, long considered by consumers to be the benchmark for image permanence. Prints produced on Canon Photo Paper Pro with ChromaLife100 have up to a ten-year gas fastness when exposed to open air, and up to a 30-year lightfastness when displayed under glass.⁷

Creative Park/Easy-PhotoPrint EX
More than ever consumers are diving into digital scrapbooking, photo albums, calendars and crafting projects. Canon’s Creative Park Web site at www.canon.com/c-park offers 3-D paper craft projects, scrapbooking templates, novel greeting cards, educational materials, and the opportunity to learn more about digital photography. Easy-PhotoPrint EX photo printing software is included with the PIXMA mini320 Compact Photo Printer and makes printing multiple size prints on a variety of Canon papers a snap. Other features such as cropping, increasing saturation and correcting red eye are also included to allow the user to make corrections to images without having to use additional software.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2006 BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), is a top patent holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2006ⁱ, with global revenues of $34.9 billion.

¹ Pricing subject to change at any time. Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary
² Resolutions may vary based on printer driver settings. Color ink droplets can be placed with a horizontal pitch of 1/9600 inch at minimum.
³ Photo print speeds are based on the default mode driver setting using photo test pattern(s) and select Canon Photo Paper. Print speed measured as soon as first page begins to feed into printer and will vary depending on system configuration, interface, software, document complexity, print mode, types of paper used and page coverage. See www.usa.canon.com/printspeed for additional information.
⁴ Compatible memory cards include CompactFlash, Microdrive , Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, SD Card and Multimedia card, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo and MiniSD cards require an additional adaptor, which must be purchased separately. SDHC Card, RS-MMC, and microSD Card are also supported.
⁵ Requires mobile phone (or other device) equipped with Bluetooth technology v1.2 optional Canon Bluetooth unit BU-20. Bluetooth operation depends on the devices and software version used. Operating distance is approximately 10 meters but may vary due to obstacles, radio signals, locations where radio interference occurs, magnetic fields from microwave ovens, device sensitivity and/or antenna performance.
⁶ JPEG files 3mb or smaller only.
Requires mobile phone with IrDA port and support for IrMC version 1.1 protocol, with phone positioned no more than 7.9 inches from printer.
⁷ Based on accelerated testing by Canon under controlled temperature, humidity, and gas conditions. For the 100-year figure, Canon simulated storage in an album with plastic sleeves. For the 30-year lightfastness figure, Canon simulated display of a photo in a glass frame in an indoor location without direct sunlight or other high-intensity light. The 10-year gas fastness figure is based on a testing ratio of gases typical to an indoor air composition (O3: NOx:SOx=3:19:1) with 100 times concentration in order to accelerate color fading. Canon cannot guarantee the longevity of prints; results may vary depending on printed image, drying time, display/storage conditions and environmental factors. See www.consumer.usa.canon.com/ChromaLife100 for additional details.
ⁱ IFI Patent Intelligence Press Release