Canon hopes to shrug off its image as a photocopier firm and become a serious player in the graphic arts from the beginning of next year by challenging Xerox.


Its new focus on the commercial print market will be based around two new key products: the ImageRunner 110 - a version of Heidelberg's Digimaster 9110 110ppm monochrome printer; and the CLC 5000 - a new 50ppm colour machine, which is a direct challenge to Xerox's DocuColor 2000.


The CLC 5000 has already been launched in the US and is aggressively priced at 50,000 ($70,000) less than the comparable DocuColor, according to Canon.


"Canon has traditionally ignored commercial printers," said Kerry Button, marketing operations manager for graphic industries. "Not because it wanted to, but because it didn't have the products. The intention with the ImageRunner 110 and the CLC 5000 is to take on Xerox. Until now we've just been nibbling around the edges."


Button believes Canon is well placed to take on Xerox: "IBM and Danka aren't large enough to take them on - we plan to go head-to-head."


Story by Barney Cox