Canon Color Laser Copiers Receive Editor's Choice and Worth Watching Awards From Better Buys for Business; CLC 3100 and CLC 5000 Production Color Copier/Printers Receive Top Honors

Business Wire, Jan 17, 2001

Business and Technology Editors

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2001

Canon U.S.A. Inc., the U.S. market share leader in color laser copiers and subsidiary of Japan-based Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), announced today that the CLC 3100 has been awarded the highly regarded "Editor's Choice" award in the annual Better Buys for Business Color Copier Guide, with the CLC 5000 receiving a "Worth Watching" designation, the top honors from the publication.

The CLC 3100, which replaces the highly-regarded workhorse CLC 1000, is a full-color laser copier/printer that operates at 31 pages-per-minute. With exceptional image quality driven by a durable four-drum engine, the device was recognized for its outstanding price/performance value in the high-volume segment. According to Jon Bees, editor of the Better Buys for Business Color Copier Guide, "The CLC 3100 provides a lot of speed for the money. It also offers outstanding image quality that will not disappoint users who have chosen Canon for this reason before. We have decided to give our Editor's Choice rating to the CLC 3100 based on its superior value."

With best-in-class document feeder and paper input capacity, Better Buys for Business continued their praise of the CLC 3100's value, described by Bees as "...one of the finest high-volume color copiers on the market. The machine's $63,100 list price is over $17,000 less than that of the CLC 1000, changing the competitive position of the company significantly."

The CLC 5000, which will begin delivery in the first quarter of 2001, is Canon's fastest color laser copier/printer ever offered, with 50 page-per-minute operation. With a suggested base retail price of $89,500, the device has been heralded by Better Buys as an "exciting new production color model," one that "sets a new benchmark for the production level of the color copier market."

"We are very pleased to receive the highest ratings possible from Better Buys for Business for our new production color copier/printers," said Mason Olds, director and general manager, Canon Graphic Systems Division. "Both the CLC 3100 and CLC 5000 promise to deliver the same highest standard of image quality, reliability, innovation, and value that the Canon CLC brand is famous for."

Also recognized in the current Color Copier Guide are Canon's CLC 900 and CLC 1100 Series, which offer full color laser output at 7 pages-per-minute and 11 pages-per-minute, respectively. The CLC 900 was acknowledged by Better Buys as a "versatile color model with a solid track record, producing some of the most vibrant color images in the market.....among the best available." The CLC 1100 Series were noted as "solid, full-featured midrange models with excellent image quality."

About Better Buys for Business

As an independent publisher of buyer guides to office equipment, Better Buys for Business reports on a wide range of document imaging devices, including copiers, printers, fax machines, multifunctional equipment, color imaging devices, duplicators and electronic filing systems. To order a copy of The Color Copier Guide, call (800) 247-2185 or visit www.betterbuys.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. is an industry leader in professional and consumer imaging solutions and, through its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), is a top patent-holder of imaging technologies. The company's comprehensive product line includes networked multifunction devices; digital and analog copiers (color and black and white); printers, scanners, image filing systems, and facsimile machines; camcorders, cameras and lenses; and semiconductor, broadcast and medical equipment. Canon employs 12,000 people at more than 30 facilities throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

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