MELVILLE, N.Y., October 21, 2015 — Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 Professional Inkjet Printer, a 17-inch, large format solution packed with significant technological advancements, such as a new print head, new ink set and a new image processing engine, resulting in stunning image quality designed for photographers who are “equally obsessed" with the printed image.

This is the first in a new series of imagePROGRAF printers that are marked by the distinctive Canon red line across the body of the printer, echoing the same red line on Canon’s EF L-Series lenses. This feature rich professional printer complements Canon’s professional line of DSLR cameras and lenses for an ideal pairing that can produce high-detail, high-quality images when printed on a variety of media, creating images that look as accurate printed as when they were captured.

“We designed a printer to give our customers incredible large-format image reproduction in a size that fits almost any home, studio, design and production departments, or in a classroom of photography students,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc.  “Knowing how important fine details and precise colors are to professional users, this printer is designed so that the final output is exactly what they envisioned. The launch of the first printer in the new imagePROGRAF PRO Series of printers further illustrates the commitment Canon has to providing the imaging community with solutions that help deliver superb output true to a photographer’s obsession.”

New Print Head
Improving upon the specifications of the Canon PIXMA PRO-1 printer, the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer features a 50 percent larger print head, which also expands the total number of nozzles to 18,432 for each of the 12 channels. The increased size of the print head helps produce faster print speeds¹ while still maintaining high resolution prints. This new print head design utilizes a sophisticated real time ink ejection system which helps to maintain a consistent print head temperature allowing for consistent ink droplets to help limit clogs and reduce cleaning cycles and wasted ink. The new print head helps to further reduce the amount of wasted ink through anti-clogging technologies where ink ejection conditions are precisely checked with sensors, and if a clog is detected, another nozzle automatically provides backup.

New Inks
The new LUCIA PRO 11-color plus Chroma Optimizer ink system was designed specifically to meet the demands of the most critical photographer. An optimized resin-coating of each pigment allows for denser droplets to be applied to the media, resulting in an increased color gamut of up to 19% over the PIXMA PRO-1 printer². This dense ink-configuration also brings gloss uniformity for viewing conditions and image clarity that helps achieve anti-bronzing.  The LUCIA PRO ink system also introduces an improved level of black density not only achieving deep, rich blacks but also helping to bring out incredibly fine shadow detail in the darker areas, creating works of art on fine art media. The imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer is designed to work seamlessly when changing media types, Photo Black and Matte Black inks have their own dedicated nozzles so no switching is necessary.  Users can print on glossy media then fine art media with no worries, no changes, and no waste. The new ink system includes matte black, photo black, gray, photo gray, red, blue, magenta, photo magenta, cyan, photo cyan, yellow and Chroma Optimizer. The size of the ink tanks is now 80ml per tank, allowing for less frequent refills and reduced cost per print.

New Processing Engine & Printer Architecture
Demonstrating a rich understanding of optimum balance stemming from its expertise in camera technology, Canon offers precise placement of ink droplets ideal for vivid print results. The new processing engine, L-COA PRO, controls the balance of inks and the precise placement of ink droplets, carefully calculating best results for each print mode and media using various factors including color reproduction, tonal gradations, black density, graininess, glossiness, anti-bronzing and elimination of metamerism, all of which contribute to creating an amazing printed image. L-COA PRO, combined with an internal 1GB of memory, enables high-speed processing of massive volumes of image data for demanding workflows. To bring further accuracy to ink ejection and limitation of color unevenness, the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer offers an Air Feeding System, which keeps media flat and even, helping with accuracy of ink ejection. The imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer also has a built-in calibration function to help prevent variability of color output by aging changes or printer differences. This feature allows for a consistency in colors from PRO-1000 to PRO-1000 of under a Delta E of 2^3.  Reliability and quality are further maintained by the enhanced rigidity in the printer chassis allowing for even more improved dot placement, helping to produce sharper prints, including stunning borderless images.

New Software*
Enhancing the user experience with imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer is the intuitive software solution of Print Studio Pro v 2.0. With a focus on quality and ease of use, Print Studio Pro is a plugin for Adobe® Photoshop®, Adobe Photoshop Elements®, Adobe Lightroom® and Canon Digital Photo Professional software that easily exports files directly to the printer.⁴ With 16-bit processing capabilities, fine details are dramatically improved, gradations are smooth and a highly accurate reproduction of the original captured image can be reproduced. Also set to be included is the Media Configuration Tool (MCT)⁵, enabling customization of the media in both the driver and printer. Additionally, MCT can make adjustments such as print head height for each media, offering the flexibility needed in order to help achieve optimal quality across a broad range of media options. Accounting Manager⁵ is set to be included for those looking to keep track of consumable costs such as ink and media, allowing users to manually enter in their costs in order to help determine their overall printing expenses. Whether it is an individual printing in their studio, or an administrator looking to centrally manage a number of users in a multi-unit networked environment, this tool can help you keep track of printing expenses.  Device Management Console⁵ is an administrative tool which provides users with the means to manage multiple PRO-1000 printers by helping users monitor activity such as error messages and printer information such as the execution status of calibrations.

Availability and Pricing
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is scheduled to be available end of October, 2015 for a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $1,299.95. MSRP of each color ink is $59.99 and Chroma Optimizer is $54.99.⁶

For more information visit http://www.usa.canon.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2014† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2015. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED® Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. For media inquiries, please contact pr@cusa.canon.com.

† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

¹ Photo print speeds are based on the standard mode driver setting using photo test pattern(s) and select Canon Photo Paper. Print speed is 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.

²When printed on Canon Photo Paper Pro Premium Matte.

³ The following measurement conditions and procedures are used. The average color difference ΔE00 varies depending on the details of print jobs, the environment of use, and other factors.

Under identical conditions of temperature and humidity(15-30 degrees centigrade, 50±10%), and using the same type of paper and genuine Canon ink.

Two printers of the same model were used.

After calibrating the two printers, color calibration charts of 729 patches were printed on those printers by using the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer driver.

After sufficient drying, colors of both printed color calibration charts were measured using the same spectrophotometer.

⁴ Adobe® Photoshop®, Adobe Photoshop Elements®, Adobe Lightroom® and Canon Digital Photo Professional software must be purchased separately.

⁵ Certain software and utilities to be released post launch: Device Management Console for PC estimated to be available December 2015, for MAC 3rd Quarter 2016, Media Configuration Tool for MAC estimated to be available 1st quarter 2016 and Accounting Manager for MAC and PC estimated to be available for 1st Quarter of 2016.

⁶Availability, specifications and pricing are subject to change without notice. Actual prices are set by individual dealers and may vary.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 in an office setting