Canon U.S.A. Announces NetSpot Accountant Pricing and Availability; Software Tracks Office Equipment Workload and Operating Cost for Greater Efficiency.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 2002

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), and a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced pricing on Canon NetSpot Accountant software, which helps track and manage the operating cost of office equipment.

Targeted to corporate workgroups and departments, NetSpot Accountant tracks print, copy and fax output pages from Canon devices, and print output from third-party engines. The base suggested retail price of the application is $3,350.00, and it is available today through authorized Canon U.S.A. dealers and Canon Business Solutions locations.

"With the launch of NetSpot Accountant, Canon is delivering software that provides immediate value and return on investment in allocating workload and managing the cost of office equipment," said Dennis Amorosano, director and assistant general manager, Canon U.S.A. Copier and Networked Office Systems Division. "Our customers have voiced their increasing need for this capability, particularly in the current economic environment where cost management and efficiency are critical."

NetSpot Accountant is capable of running on all versions of Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems as a server-based application. Included with the software package is a NetSpot Accountant Client Module that, when installed, provides the ability to track locally attached printers, mandate the entry of billing codes for client billing purposes and enforce pre-set usage limits for users.

Enhanced value features of NetSpot Accountant include:

-- Track by Paper Type: Users can specify and track output by paper type and size for accuracy in relation to paper cost.

-- Track by Individual, Group, or Department: Allows users to segment how they account for output to understand who in the organization is driving device use.

-- Single or Double-Sided Output: By performing page accounting for single and double sided output, NetSpot Accountant permits the capture of all physical and logical pages.

-- Billing Code: A must for any legal application, billing code enables end-users to assign specific output costs to a particular internal or external account.

-- Device Access Restriction: Administrators can restrict, or preset output limits for individuals, groups, or departments to ensure devices are properly utilized. Color print restriction prevents costly printing on color devices and frees administrators from monitoring and checking for possible color printing abuse.

-- Easy Registration: One-click automatic registration of devices and users reduces the burden on the administrator.

-- Enterprise Wide Capability: By collecting data from multiple NetSpot Accountant servers, the Central Server allows you to &#x 1; centralize viewing of all data on a single computer. Organizations having multiple locations or sites greatly benefit from this feature.

As a component of Canon's NetSpot Suite, NetSpot Accountant leverages many of the capabilities associated with device discovery and setup. As a result, NetSpot Accountant delivers key benefits to administrators by automatically populating the application with network attached devices, simplifying device integration and setup, and delivering enhanced system reporting tools.

NetSpot Accountant is licensed on a server-basis including the ability to load the NetSpot Accountant Client Module on a designated number of clients as per the package purchased. Additional server and client licenses are available. Suggested retail pricing is as follows:

NetSpot Accountant                                   $3,350
NetSpot Account Site License                         $7,200
NetSpot Accountant Site License Upgrade              $4,300

Additional 1 Server                                  $800
50 Additional Users Registration                     $650
100 Additional Users Registration                    $850

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. In 2001, the Company was listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America, and was ranked #41 on the 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 2001, with global revenues of $26 billion. Canon U.S.A. employs approximately 11,000 people at over 30 locations. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.

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