Canon Announces Support of Exif: A New Industry Standard in Digital Photo Printing.

Business & Technology Editors

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2002

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), today announced its comprehensive support of the new Exif Print (Exif 2.2) standard for its digital camera and Bubble Jet printer product lines.

Exif Print, the latest development of Exif, is an open image file standard defined and controlled by the JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technologies Industries Association) organization.

Exif (2.1) has been the industry standard for image files generated from digital cameras for several years. The Exif file format allows data relevant to the conditions of shooting, such as white balance, to be stored with each photograph. Exif Print adds new types of data such as exposure mode, which are specifically important to the digital print process. By utilizing this information at the print stage, the quality of the photos are significantly improved.

"Canon is committed to this important new standard, which further improves both the quality and consistency of printed digital photos," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, vice president and general manager, Photographic Products Group, Canon U.S.A. "Because photo printing is a key desire of consumers, Canon fully expects other key imaging product manufacturers to follow its lead in support of Exif Print."

The communication between digital camera and printer, facilitated by Exif Print, allows higher quality results without the need for additional image manipulation by the user. As the quality of digital camera and printer devices has improved, high quality photo printing has become a reality for the consumer as well as the professional.

Canon recognizes that the ability to produce consistently high quality prints has become a key area of interest for consumers. Exif Print achieves this by allowing greater synergy between products, regardless of the manufacturer, without requiring detailed technical knowledge from users.

All new Canon digital cameras and Bubble Jet printers introduced at this year's PMA trade show will support Exif Print including the new PowerShot A30, A40, A100, G2 (black body) and EOS D60 digital cameras. Many current products will also be supported: the PowerShot S30, S40, and G2 will be Exif Print compatible via a firmware upgrade(1), available to users a s a Web download.

A wide selection of new Bubble Jet printers (S520/750/820/820D/900/9000) will support Exif Print, along with current printer models including the S200, S300, S500, S630, S800 and BJC-8200. Support for printers is provided via a new photo printing application from Canon called Easy-PhotoPrint(2), which will also be available as a Web download to existing Canon customers. Easy-PhotoPrint allows users to quickly select and print photos, automatically scaling them for perfect printed results. Easy-photoPrint utilizes Exif Print data in each individual shot stored in the file header.

How Does Exif Print Work?

Exif Print works simply by storing information important to the print process, such as camera settings, exposure time and white balance, with the image file as each photo is taken. This information can then be used at the printing stage to ensure the printed result matches the original shot as closely as possible.

For example, when shooting a nighttime cityscape, the image will have large areas of darkness and shadows. Typically, the digital print process may slightly alter the balance of dark areas from the original. With Exif Print, the camera recognizes that Night Scene mode was used within the image file and the printing application can correctly balance the output, ensuring prints match the original scene.

Benefits

The key benefit of Exif Print is that it individually tailors the printing of each image to match the photographer's intended result when the image was taken. This is similar to the way in which traditional silver halide photographs are developed at the professional level, with expertise being applied to the development process of each exposure in order to achieve the desired "look" intended by the photographer. This makes the Exif Print standard highly suited to both the professional and consumer.

(1) Available 2nd Quarter, 2002

(2) PC Only. Available at the end of March

Compatibility

Exif print is an "open" standard and can therefore be adopted by any manufacturer of digital imaging devices. Previous attempts to match printed output to original image have not been open, resulting in limited acceptance by manufacturers and limited device support.

Canon and Exif

As a key member of the JEITA organization, Canon is ideally positioned to take maximum advantage of the Exif Print standard. Canon is a world leader in digital imaging and is in a unique position as a manufacturer with core technology in both areas of digital camera and photo printers. This expertise will allow Canon to maximize the benefit of Exif Print to its customers.

Canon intends to broaden support for Exif print across its imaging product ranges to include devices such as Digital Video, Multi-Functional products and others in the future.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. is an industry leader in professional and consumer imaging solutions and, through its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), is a top patent-holder of imaging technologies. The company's comprehensive product line includes networked multifunction devices; digital and analog copiers (color and black and white); printers, scanners, image filing systems, and facsimile machines; camcorders, cameras and lenses; and semiconductor, broadcast and medical equipment. Canon employs 12,000 people at more than 30 facilities throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

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