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LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., May 26, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, has received a five-star "Exceptional" rating for its new 44-inch imagePROGRAF iPF8300, 24-inch imagePROGRAF iPF6350 and the iPF6300 large format printers, from industry analysts BERTL Inc. Launched in March 2010, the new imagePROGRAF models received the highest possible rating from BERTL by delivering outstanding quality across its 11 rating categories including five-star ratings in image quality, price and security.
"The five-star rating from BERTL, Inc., recognizes the significant investment Canon has made in developing technologies that make the new imagePROGRAF models an ideal solution for the photography, graphic arts and photography markets," said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manger, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "The new imagePROGRAF iPF8300, iPF6350 and iPF6300 large-format printers have demonstrated the image quality, value and functionality that customers require to advance their businesses and meet the most exacting customer standards."
To deliver improved overall image quality, the new Canon imagePROGRAF models feature a revolutionary 12-Color LUCIA EX pigment ink set increasing the achievable color gamut by approximately 20 percent from the previous imagePROGRAF ink set. Additionally, to better meet the needs of the professional print market, the new models feature a reinforced mechanical structure to enable precise ink placement for improved text and line accuracy, making the new devices a powerful proofing solution.
To fully capitalize on the dynamic color range of the new LUCIA EX ink set, each new imagePROGRAF model employs two advanced one-inch print heads, each featuring 2,560 nozzles per color and outputting a super-fine four picoliter (pl) droplet at a full 2400x1200 dots-per-inch resolution (dpi) to reproduce details with extraordinary accuracy and clarity. Paired with enhanced plug-ins and new, High-Precision Printing Modes, the new imagePROGRAF models provide an extremely high level of photographic and proofing-quality prints.
The new imagePROGRAF iPF8300, iPF6350 and iPF6300 are compliant with U.S. ENERGY STAR energy-saving standards and RoHS compliance standards. To learn more about Canon's full line of ENERGY-STAR qualified and certified products and other environmental initiatives, please visit www.usa.canon.com.
BERTL, an independent analyst firm and testing lab, reviews current product lines and new product introductions bestowing the five-star rating to devices that deliver extraordinary performance throughout the testing process. BERTL's testing criteria addresses 11 categories: Build Quality, Network Administration, Security, Workflow, Finish, Ease of Use, Media Handling, Printing, Image Quality, Features, and Price.
X-Rite Introduces Next Generation Color Profiling Solution for Pre-press, Publishing, Digital Printing and Photo Markets at IPEX 2010
New i1Profiler and PANTONE Link offer unprecedented color quality for up to 8 color printing workflows, iterative profiling, ease of use, peer-level workflow exchange, QA validation and verification against ISO, color bridging tools and spot color accuracy
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 14 2010– X-Rite, Incorporated (NASDAQ: XRIT), the world leader in color management, measurement and communication technologies, today announced i1Profiler, the company’s next generation color profiling software and PANTONE® Link, a new color swatch bridging software. Both new solutions are integral components of X-Rite’s widely anticipated next generation color profiling solutions. i1Profiler and PANTONE Link offer unprecedented color quality for up to 8 color printing workflows, iterative profiling, ease of use for both advanced and novice users, peer-level workflow exchange, QA validation and verification against ISO, simplified color space selection, and spot color accuracy. The new solutions will be unveiled to the public for the first time at the X-Rite Booth (Hall 10 Stand D260) during the IPEX trade show (May 18-25, NEC, Birmingham, UK).
Accommodating a broad range of proficiencies and expertise, i1Profiler lets pre-press, publishing, digital printing and photo professionals create custom profiles for their RGB and CMYK printers, monitors and digital projectors. i1Profiler features a number of unique color management capabilities, giving users complete power and control to create professional quality profiles. Using one convenient software tool, users can optimize their profiles and share them with their peers, rebuild profiles with ambient light measurements, compensate for optical brighteners in their papers, and use advanced controls for black generation and separation.
At the core of i1Profiler is X-Rite’s i1Prism engine, whose unique iterative profiling technology lets users build highly accurate printer profiles for up to 8-color printing workflows (RGB, CMYK and CMYK plus any other 4 colors). This reliable iterative technology -- first introduced in X-Rite’s ColorMunki portfolio and now already adopted by numerous X-Rite OEM partners -- is extremely robust, allowing for further profile optimization based on any combination of images, spot colors or captured colors. Users can select from any of the included PANTONE color libraries, including PANTONE FASHION + HOME, the new PMS+. This in turn results in the best possible image quality and color accuracy.
"X-Rite has long had a reputation for having some of the industry’s most powerful color profile engines. With our new i1Profiler, we have developed a next generation toolset that combines the best of our i1Match, ProfileMaker and MonacoPROFILER solutions,” said Iris Mangelschots, X-Rite’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “X-Rite has then taken it one step further with new algorithms for truly unmatched color results. Initial tests show marked tolerance improvements using this new iterative profiling technology compared to legacy X-Rite profiling software packages."
i1Prolifer includes the PANTONE Link software – a brand new color picker solution that incorporates the best features from previous color pickers (including i1Share and ProfileMaker solutions). The tight integration of i1Profiler with the PANTONE Link color swatch bridging software gives pre-press and design professionals integrated access to all the PANTONE color libraries for precise spot color matching and reproduction. PANTONE Link makes it easy for users to select spot colors and translate them into their production method of choice – PANTONE to HTML or CMYK, for example. Commercial photographers will also benefit when shooting corporate brand identities that demand specified color match.
PANTONE Link also includes a style guide wizard that assists designers and corporate marketing professionals to create color definitions for brand style guides including color data, and output profile data to ensure that brand colors are reproduced faithfully across applications, devices and geographies. With i1Profiler’s capabilities to optimize printer profiles for specific colors, the designer can be sure to print out the colors in the brand style guide in the most accurate way.
i1Profiler together with PANTONE Link, introduce new UI concepts that offers an unprecedented level of flexibility to address the specific needs of users at all levels. i1Profiler combines the ease of use of the wizard-driven interface found in i1Match and MonacoPROFILER and the flexibility of the menu-driven user interface found in ProfileMaker.
i1Profiler adapts itself perfectly to the skill set of the user, while maintaining its ability to produce outstanding profile quality results in either mode. With i1Profiler, X-Rite also introduces a new concept that provides the user with the flexibility to save and reuse assets and preferred settings via drag and drop technology. This enables peer-level workflow exchange, allowing users to create future profiles more efficiently and share those profile creation workflows with others. Teams can share their entire workflow data in addition to palette information and other color data using X-Rite’s Color Exchange Format (CxF) for unambiguous color data exchange.
i1Profiler is designed to give creative professionals high confidence in their results thanks to advanced visual and measurement-based quality assurance validation and verification functions. The new solution includes QA tools for soft-proofing and print-simulations to check the quality of the representation of PANTONE colors in a print production process, and according to ISO (G7, SWOP, PSO, Japan Color) on a display or printer. The high flexibility of the QA process allows individual definition of patches and QA criteria as well as the use of ISO 12647-7 wedges such as the Fogra or the IDEAlliance media wedges.
For print separation, imaging professionals know that the quality of the prints is heavily dependent on the quality of the generation of blacks. i1Profiler offers intuitive yet highly-advanced controls for black generation and separation settings, providing the highest degree of control and flexibility and color quality for custom CMYK (or CMYK+) profiles.
Traditionally ICC profiles are built so that the output will be viewed on D50 illumination, which is not always representative of the viewing environment of a finished print. i1Profiler is designed to optimize ICC profiles for different viewing conditions including daylight, tungsten, fluorescent lighting, and specific captured ambient light. Now photographers and other professionals who are concerned about the look of their image when hanging in a gallery, studio or any retail location can be assured their color is being viewed accurately for virtually any ambient condition.
In addition, users are no longer restricted by a limited set of paper sizes. i1Profiler provides users the flexibility to create their own printer test target, choosing from a broad range of paper sizes ranging from smaller photographic papers to large charts for large format printers or presses.
i1Profiler also includes X-Rite’s groundbreaking Optical Brightener Correction technology (OBC), that when connected to an i1iSis, can effectively and precisely compensate for color shifts in ICC output profiles typically caused by optical brightening agents (OBAs) in papers and other printing substrates. This results in prints with an improved visual match and reduces undesirable colorcasts caused by the brightening agents. Moreover, once users have set their OBC parameters, they can easily re-apply them to other profiles.
Upgrades, Promotion and Availability
i1Profiler will soon be undergoing beta testing and is scheduled for release in Q4 2010. Anyone purchasing an i1XTreme, MonacoPROFILER or ProfileMaker solution between April 1, 2010 and the shipment date of the new i1Profiler and PANTONE® Link software will receive a free software upgrade. X-Rite is also offering a $/€ 400 savings off the current ProfileMaker 5 and MonacoPROFILER solutions PLUS an additional $/€ 400 savings voucher for future X-Rite or PANTONE® products. For more information, please visit www.xrite.com/i1Profileror www.XritePhoto.com/i1Profiler.
About X-Rite
(NASDAQ: XRIT) X-Rite is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes design industry color leader Pantone, Inc., develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite’s expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com.
X-Rite and Pantone Launch ColorMunki Family of Breakthrough Color Products for Photo and Design Markets
ColorMunki Photo, ColorMunki Design and ColorMunki Create Empower Users to Create and Control Color from Inspiration to Final Output
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 17, 2008 ââ¬â X-Rite, Incorporated(NASDAQ: XRIT), the world leader in color management and measurement technologies, along with recently acquired Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today introduced ColorMunkiââ¢, a breakthrough in both price and performance.
Based on X-Rite and Pantoneââ¬â¢s deep understanding of the photo and design communities, ColorMunki solutions are the industryââ¬â¢s first easy-to-use, convergent technologies developed specifically to feed the artistic imagination of creative professionals ââ¬â at an affordable price. Designed to meet the requirements of creatives working in a digital environment across industries, the revolutionary ColorMunki family ensures accurate color from inspiration to final output in ways never before possible. (Meet Colormunki)
ââ¬ÅOur all-new ColorMunki portfolio reflects a deepened commitment to customers. We've developed solutions for distinct segments of the creative community facilitating an unprecedented digital workflow that seamlessly incorporates color. The exceptional ease-of-use has extended the appeal of our solutions. Finally, color excellence can be integrated effortlessly into anyone's creative vision, setting a new industry standard," states X-Rite Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing Iris Mangelschots.
Meet ColorMunki
ColorMunki solutions provide photographers and designers new technological advances that ââ¬â for the first time ââ¬â address core issues of color creation, control and communication in easy-to-use, integrated solutions. The ColorMunki portfolioincludes ColorMunki Photo, ColorMunki Designand ColorMunki Create, all supported by www.colormunki.com. The products are a combination of software and hardware that give creatives freedom and flexibility to create and produce with color confidence.
The ColorMunki Portfolio Includes:
- ColorMunki Photo
Designed for the digital workflow of social, wedding and portrait photographers ââ¬â or anyone passionate about photography ââ¬â ColorMunki Photo delivers an easy, quick and affordable solution for matching colors from display to print.
Developed with professional photographer input, ColorMunki Photo is a completely integrated, versatile solution that calibrates displays, projectors and printers, measures ambient light and captures spot colors. The new AppSetâ⢠automatically sets the printer profile for the user. ColorMunki Photo also includes new, exciting color creation and communication tools, such as automatically extracting colors from images and transporting images with DigitalPouchâ⢠to ensure ViewSafeâ⢠environments. ColorMunki Photo gives photographers ultimate color control for their images.
- ColorMunki Design
Developed for graphic professionals from freelancers to corporate in-house designers, ColorMunki Design provides the freedom and simplicity to select, specify and store color palettes in a calibrated environment, assuring precise color viewing and reproduction. Palettes can then be seamlessly imported into popular design applications including Adobeî Photoshopî, InDesignî and QuarkXPressî, as well as other industry-standard applications. Colors can be selected from multiple sources including PANTONE Color Libraries, system-level color pickers, inspirational images, color harmonies and key word searches. ColorMunki Design allows users to quickly and accurately capture colors from any surface, easily calibrate monitors, projectors and printers for accurate display-to-print matching, and verify spot colors for process-safe reproduction in any medium.
- ColorMunki Create
ColorMunki Create is an affordable, simple starting point for designers whose primary requirement is color palette creation. ColorMunki Create offers spectral color selection from system-level color pickers, inspirational images, color harmonies and key word searches, with the ability to snap-to PANTONE Goe Colors for repurposing into usable palettes. In addition to software, ColorMunki Create offers a simplified approach to on-screen color control to let designers realize their creative vision. ColorMunki Create is easily upgraded to ColorMunki Design using the discount voucher included in the box.
For Feature & Pricing Chart:
- Feature Chart & US Pricing
- Feature Chart & EU Pricing
All three solutions are supported by
www.colormunki.com, an online portal where designers and photographers can experience key ColorMunki software capabilities such as create, share and view color palettes with peers, search and select colors from images provided by the
www.photoshelter.com community, and test their color-viewing ability with an online test. Creatives will also be able to purchase any of the ColorMunki solutions directly through the Web site.
Pricing, Availability and System RequirementsColorMunki Photo and ColorMunki Design will be available in late March 2008. ColorMunki Create will be available in June 2008. The ColorMunki family of products is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 or higher and Windows XP and higher. Pricing and more information at: www.colormunki.com.
About X-Rite (NASDAQ: XRIT) X-Rite is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes color industry leader Pantone, Inc., develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Riteââ¬â¢s expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical,
