Wide Format Imaging

Canon USA Inc. has announced a new wide-format printer suited for multi-user workgroups—the imagePROGRAF iPF720 wide-format printer. This new addition to Canon's imagePROGRAF printer line-up is designed for printing Computer-Aided Design (CAD), GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) applications as well as any other technical document market.

Printing at 36 inches wide and built on the successful and proven-reliable iPF710 platform, the new Canon imagePROGRAF iPF720 printer is positioned as the flagship model in the Company's five-color large format printer family. Specifically targeting the large format technical document market, the new iPF720 printer incorporates a built-in 80GB hard drive ideal for medium to large workgroup users who need to print large files or sets of files from multiple workstations.

The addition of the large-capacity hard drive gives multiple users the ability to share a printer efficiently, allowing plots to be queued at the printer freeing up the host computer memory. The iPF720 printer not only accommodates multiple users who are accustomed to using hard-disk equipped workgroup printers, but also provides next-generation technology with blazingly fast printing speed at less than one minute (55 seconds) to print an A0-sized full-density color plot (33.1 x 46.8 inches), 1200dpi high resolution printing with 0.02mm minimum line width, precise +/-0.1% line accuracy, and a large printing area with only 3mm of margins all around with roll feed paper.

"Large format printing and plotting requires specific tools, and compatibility to ideally sync with existing workflows, all while keeping print costs to a minimum and still producing stunning and accurate prints. It is with these customer interests in mind that we are proud to introduce the imagePROGRAF iPF720 large format printer," said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon USA.

In addition, its small footprint (less than 60 inches wide) allows the user to replace the existing 36-inch wide printer without rearranging the office layout. Designed specifically with CAD, GIS and AEC users in mind, the iPF720 printer supports HP-GL/2 and HP-RTL page description languages to ensure compatibility with virtually any technical document applications. The printer comes with the AutoCAD imagePROGRAF HDI Driver (Windows only) and imagePROGRAF Printer Driver compatible with both Windows and Macintosh. The printer driver includes such innovative features as Free Layout which enables nesting of several smaller drawings or documents on a larger sheet. This feature saves both paper and the effort to lay them out manually.