Canon 2008 Annual Report Download - page 38

36
3
5.5
%
PRODUCT GROUPS
K
atsuichi
S
himiz
u
C
hie
f
Executive, Ink
j
et Products Operation
s
“ Canon is dedicated to producing products that are
superior in terms o
f
image quality, speed, design and
ease o
f
use.”
CO
MPUTER PERIPHERAL
S
Pi
g
ment inks and clear ink react
af
ter pi
g
ment inks are placed
.
Cl
ear in
k
is a
ppl
ie
d
to t
h
e
p
a
p
er.
P
igment in
k
s are ejecte
d.
Saturation, bri
g
htness and ink
fi
xation have improved.
1
3
2
4
C
anon has rewritten the rules of ink
j
et printin
g
with its revolutionar
y
n
ew PgR tec
h
no
l
ogy. T
h
is innovative in
k
system e
l
iminates t
h
e
p
roblems sometimes associated with ink
j
et printin
g
—print-throu
g
h,
p
rint curlin
g
, ink bleedin
g
—allowin
g
hi
g
h-defi nition text,
g
raphics
an
d
p
h
otograp
h
s to
b
e printe
d
on p
l
ain paper.
P
g
R works b
y
appl
y
in
g
clear ink onto the paper when printin
g
b
e
g
ins. Pi
g
ment inks are e
j
ected on the clear ink coatin
g
, reactin
g
with the clear ink to improve saturation, brightness and ink
fi
xation.
Pg
R also ensures that the fi nal product will be lon
g
-lastin
g
and
w
ate
r-f
ast.
I
n the latter hal
f
o
f
2008, the
g
lobal
e
conomic downturn severel
y
a
ff
ected
th
e in
kj
et printer mar
k
et. However, unit
s
ales of Canon ink
j
et printers increased
y
ear on year
d
espite a
d
rop in sa
l
es on a
v
alue basis due to the im
p
act of the
a
ppreciation of the yen
.
Against the backdrop of economic
r
ecession, customers are extremely
c
autious when selectin
g
products,
l
imitin
g
their choices to
g
oods superior in
t
erms o
f
per
f
ormance and value. To meet
c
ustomer nee
d
s, Canon
h
as returne
d
to
its
r
oots
as
a
m
a
n
u
f
actu
r
e
r
a
n
d
de
v
e
l
-
op
e
d
an
d
re
l
ease
d
to t
h
e mar
k
et “au
-
t
hentic”
p
roducts that demonstrate an
u
ndying commitment to image quality,
s
peed, design and ease o
f
use—ele-
m
ents that de
fi
ne an
y
g
ood printer. In
reco
g
nition o
f
these e
ff
orts, in 2008
Canon’s products swept the top three
spots in the all-in-one printer cate
g
or
y
o
f
a well-known American ma
g
azine for
t
h
e secon
d
consecutive year.
In 2008, we
b
ooste
d
unit sa
l
es
b
y
introducing powerful new printers and
strengthening product lineups. The
Company carried out re
f
orms to core
technolo
g
ies, includin
g
proprietar
y
FINE
(Full-photolitho
g
raph
y
Ink
j
et Nozzle
En
g
ineerin
g
) technolo
gy
f
or hi
g
h-speed
h
i
gh
-reso
l
ution printin
g
an
d
t
h
e C
h
roma
-
Lif
e
10
0
+ system for creating beautiful,
l
ong-
l
asting prints. In 2008, we
d
eve
l
-
o
p
ed new inks and
p
hoto
p
a
p
er and
expanded the range of color reproduction.
Targeting SOHOs, we released the PIXMA
MX7600 ink
j
et printer, that
f
eatures
P
i
g
ment Reaction (P
g
R) technolo
gy.
Pursuin
g
automation as a wa
y
to
i
mprove pro
d
uctivit
y
an
d
ensure pro
d
uct
q
ua
l
it
y
, in 2008 Canon inau
g
urate
d
a
n
ew in
k
jet printer cartri
d
ge pro
d
uction
pl
ant at Oita Canon Materia
l
s in Ja
p
an
a
nd began introducing automated
m
achinery in the assembly cell sections
a
t its plant in Thailand.
In 2009, we expect a severe
g
lobal
e
conomic environment. To reduce the
i
mpact o
f
declinin
g
printer prices and
s
tren
g
t
h
en Canon’s presence in t
h
e
g
lobal market, we will further strengthen
o
ur sa
l
es structure. Moreover, we wi
ll
f
urther differentiate our products by
e
nhancing image quality and speed
t
hrough FINE technology as well as by
i
mprovin
g
operabilit
y
and desi
g
n.
Innovative Pro
d
ucts an
d
Tec
h
no
l
ogies—Pigment Reaction
(
PgR
)
Technolog
y