Four Companies Revise Digital Print Order Format.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

TOKYO & ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 2000

Canon Inc.; Eastman Kodak Company; Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.; and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), today announced that they have jointly developed a new version of the digital print order format (DPOF) for printing, transferring, and viewing photos from digital cameras. The revision is version 1.10.

Since the original launch of DPOF in October 1998, more than eighty companies have been licensed. Industries involved in digital imaging have supported the format, introducing a variety of DPOF-based products, such as digital cameras and printers. In addition, photofinishing services supporting the format have contributed to its popularity.

As digital cameras continue to improve in image quality and home printers yield better quality prints, digital photography continues to gain acceptance. And the number of photofinishing labs that accept the DPOF format is constantly increasing. Today images from digital cameras are regularly shared over the Internet, and many companies offer printing services online. Advances in the market have created the needs for a new level of support in digital cameras and other related equipment as well as photofinishing services. Version 1.10 responds to these needs.

Where version 1.00 defined the auto print format for directly printing images, version 1.10 further defines the format for auto transfer and auto play of the images stored in the removable media. The new version of DPOF offers a variety of new functions:

-- Multiple Image Print--so that multiple pictures can be printed on the same sheet

-- Specific Size Print--so that the user can select different sizes for their printed images

-- Automatic Transfer--so that image files can be electronically transmitted to selected e-mail addresses or fax numbers.

-- Automatic Play--so that the user can create "slide shows" of still pictures, audio files, and movie files that can be displayed using a digital camera, computer, or electronic display device.

-- Unicode--so that images can be annotated in many different languages (Note: this is a 2-byte character code that supports most of the world's languages).

Additional information is available at http://www.panasonic.co.jp/avc/video/dpof/dpof_110/

The DPOF version 1.10 specifications are available free to those who already hold a license. Licensing operations for version 1.10 will begin on July 18. The logo remains unchanged.

About the Four Companies

Canon (NASDAQ: CANNY), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading manufacturer of professional and consumer imaging equipment and information systems. Canon's extensive range of products includes copiers, Bubble Jet and laser printers, cameras, video equipment, and semiconductor-manufacturing equipment. Consolidated sales for fiscal 1999 (ending December 31, 1999) totaled $25.71 billion (estimate based on 102 yen per dollar). Visit Canon's website at http://www.canon.com/.

Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is the world leader in imaging, serving both consumers and imaging professionals. To meet the needs of these customers the company manufactures and sells a wide variety of products ranging from traditional cameras, films, papers and chemistry to digital cameras, thermal printers and media, and inkjet media. In addition, Kodak provides photographic processing and digital imaging services. Visit Kodak's website at http://www.kodak.com/.

Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., (NASDAQ: FUJIY) headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of imaging and information products. The company is Japan's largest producer of photosensitized materials. Fujifilm's products include consumer and professional films and cameras, photofinishing systems, color papers, digital cameras and printers, computer data storage products, graphic arts films, plates equipment and chemistry, audio and videotapes, instant cameras and films, motion-picture films and X-ray films and equipment. Fujifilm website: http://www.fujifilm.com/.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC), is a world leader in developing technologies and manufacturing digital electronics and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use. Best known for its Panasonic brand, the company employs more than 25,000 employees in North America and operates manufacturing facilities in 24 sites here. Worldwide it employs some 290,000 employees, and recorded sales of $68.86 billion in the last fiscal year. For more information, visit the Matsushita web site at http://www.panasonic.com/.