Breakthrough in copying

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34152, 13 May 1976, Page 14

Breakthrough in copying

A successful business venture is always the object of a very important question: what is its secret of success? Canon’s New Process NP) copiers — at their five year mark—are a case in point of a wellplanned, well-executed business enterprise. Enjoying remarkable success since Canon’s 1970 introduction of the first NP--1100 machine in the Japanese market, NP sales in every part of the globe are steadily rising. Breakthrough technology is tne first and underlying reason for the NP’s solid sales record. Knowing that even the best in marketing techniques cannot compensate fqr poorly designed machinery, Canon’s copier division researchers set out in the early 1960 s to develop a superior copying system. With 40 years of precision engineering history behind it, each Canon product displays fine workmanship, careful attention to details and well-researched design. Keeping in mind that good copy quality is essential to a successful copier, Canon’s team hit on the substance CdS (Cadmium Sulphide) for the NP’s photosensitive drum. Used in the central copying operation, photosensitive drums are the hearts of copy machines. Many times more light-sensitive than other widely-used materials, CdS itself is central to NP’s crisp, clear and highly-resolved copies. Contributing equally to NP arum performance is Canon’s remarkable threelayer drum system. Photosensitive drums are made of round metal drum bodies covered with either two or three layers, the “active” part of the drum. Layering usually begins with a thin aluminium plate, which serves as a base for the following layer. The second layer consists of a photosensitive substance, which electrically creates the latent image of the original to be copied. These two layers plus the body, form the drums used by most copiers. Canon experts discovered

that, by adding a layer of polyester film over the CdS and base layers, however, the photosensitive material is protected and thus the drum’s life is lengthened. Because the electrical characteristics of the threelayer drum are quite different from those of previous systems — which use only two-layer drums — the NP researchers also developed a more complex, exacting exposure process. This is Canon’s New Process. Plain-paper copying is another valuable NP asset. Using even the thinnest untreated paper, NP’s permanent copies are lightweight enough for longterm filing. Dry enough to write on immediately, NP’s plain paper copies have no unpleasant chemical odour. Incorporating the newfound NP system, Canon’s copiers deliver plain paper copies with perfect reproduction of halftones, 'black areas and even blue originals. MARKETING Comparing NP test l copies with competing copies, Canon sales people win many accounts solely on the basis of superior copying ability. Providing complete coverage of service needs for five, years after purchase, the total guarantee system allows an office to plan its copy budget in advance. The total guarantee programme cost is included in a per-copy charge, eliminating unexpected repair bills. Hig h 1 y-trained technicians, who are capable of any repair jobs, service the NP copiers. A very important prong of Canon’s copier merchandising programme is wellplanned pricing. NP copiers are sold, not rented, as are other copiers. A wholly-purchased copier becomes part of an office’s capital — an important point in many tax systems. And depreciation, figured yearly, is less of a burden in the current inflationary world economy than is a system of steadily increasing rental charges. Neither is the initial financial outlay overpowering: NP machines are moderately priced to fit even smaller office budgets.