Canon hails drupa 2008 as its most successful show to date

More than 160 colour imagePRESS machines were sold at the show, far exceeding expectations and reinforcing the popularity of the Canon brand.

Sales were strong across the full range of production presses, from the imagePRESS C1 proofer, all the way up to the flagship Canon imagePRESS C7000VP.

Large format press sales also fared well, with particular interest in the CAD printers, including an early viewing of the new imagePROGRAF iPF810 and iPF820 range, sitting alongside the high quality graphics range - including the award-winning Canon imagePROGRAF 6100.

Mr. Bertil Widmark, Managing Director, Canon Middle East commented:

"drupa 2008 was an outstanding success for Canon which achieved record breaking technology sales. Canon secured deals for more than 200 imagePRESS colour and B&W devices for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region and achieved both its revenue and sales target for presses by the 10th day of the exhibition. In terms of the Middle East, Canon has closed four imagePRESS iPC7000VP presses and a number of imagePRESS iP-C1 devices. Attendance and interest from the region was massive."

"In addition to the attention shown to the imagePRESS colour presses, there was significant interest in the soon to be released imagePROGRAF iPF820 and iPF810 44, large format printers and the imagePRESS iP1135 black and white press. However the imagePRESS C1+ with its revolutionary 'clear toner' was a clear favourite among our visitors from the Middle East. With a release date scheduled for October 2008, this device is sure to prove highly successful in the region and will help to set new standards in digital presses for the graphic arts, print-for-pay and proofing markets."

Canon's hardware sales at drupa were strengthened by its complete solutions offering and interactive product demonstrations on stand.

This included a series of modular training and consultation exercises designed to take the professional printer through all aspects of digital print, from simple print tasks to using variable data sets and multimedia techniques.

Approximately 391,000 visitors from 138 countries travelled to Düsseldorf to gather information on the latest innovation and developments within the printing industry.

"Canon's participation and success at the world's foremost printing and media fair further reinforces its position as the world-leading innovator of imaging products and solutions," concluded Mr. Bertil Widmark.