SAN FRANCISCO (01/25/2000) - Cannon's CanoScan FB 630Ui scanner and BJC-85 printerCanon Computer Systems Inc. (800/652-2666, http://www.ccsi.canon.com), which proclaimed its return to the Mac market at last July's Macworld Expo New York, has beefed up its product line with a host of new space-saving USB devices, including a three-megapixel digital camera, a compact flatbed scanner, and an ink-jet printer that could almost fit inside a tissue box.
The Canon PowerShot S20, the first of what will likely be a barrage of three-megapixel cameras, uses a 3.34-megapixel CCD in the same compact body as the PowerShot S10, a two-megapixel model introduced in 1999. Scheduled to ship in March for $799 to $899, the S20 includes a 2x optical zoom and a 16MB Type II CompactFlash card.
The scanner, the CanoScan FB 630Ui, is 1.5 inches thick, with a legal-size footprint. Weighing in at 3.3 pounds, it features a USB interface and a maximum resolution of 600 by 1,200 dpi. Canon will make the $149 scanner available with lids in all five iMac flavors. It's scheduled to ship in February.
Another pint-size peripheral, the $299 BJC-85, is a 360-dpi ink-jet printer that works with Palm OS-compatible devices in addition to USB-equipped Mac systems. Similar to the Windows-only BJC-80, introduced in 1997, the BJC-85 weighs a mere 3.1 pounds and is just 2.3 inches high. Maximum print speed is 5 ppm in black and 2 ppm in color. It's expected to ship in March.
For budget-minded users who don't mind setting aside some extra desk space, Canon's BJC-3000 color printer offers 720-by-1,440-dpi resolution and maximum print speeds of 6 ppm in black and 4 ppm in color. The $99 device is expected to ship in February.
Canon has also added to its multifunction peripheral line with the MultiPass C545, which combines print, fax, copy, and scan functions. Canon says the $349 USB device, scheduled to ship in March, can make the first copy in 45 seconds and subsequent copies in half that time.