Medium-term Management Plan Vision75: Specific efforts

Today, with the increasing diversification of lifestyles and quest for greater convenience, convenience stores have become an essential part of daily life. Amid the wide range of services offered by convenience stores in response to changing times and customer needs, multi-use copy machines made by Fuji Xerox are being utilized at 11,000 Seven-Eleven stores in Japan.

The concept of adding new value to multifunction devices led to the incorporation of digital photo printing into these units. Key considerations for developing this product beyond the ability to print digital camera images included faster printer speed, image quality closely emulating that of silver halide photos, sheen and preservative quality.

This digital camera printing system combines Fuji Xerox's high-speed, superior image quality technology based on the Xerography printing process with the photographic color and image quality made possible by Fujifilm's material and image processing technologies. This combination led to the successful commercialization of the world's first photographic printing based on Xerography technology without impairing the functionality afforded by conventional copiers and printers.

These printers also benefit from our efforts to improve the size and color of lettering that appears on the operating display as well as advances in product safety design, and many customers are using them at Seven-Eleven stores nationwide.

In recent years, customers have been expressing a stronger need for such services as the ability to produce various types of direct mail and catalogues for different target audiences or to support self-publishing. On-demand printing meets these needs. Digital data is transmitted directly to the printers, bypassing output to reproduction films and plates, thereby enabling users to print small quantities of multiple products or print only what is required.

Fuji Xerox's on-demand printing system combines Image Intelligence™, Fujifilm's proprietary image-processing technology for image and color optimization, and the expertise gained by Fuji Xerox through the development of its Print Server series, together with the marketing solution strengths of FUJIFILM Graphic Systems Co., Ltd.

For example, photographic images for on-demand printing often use data from digital cameras for pictures that were not necessarily photographed under ideal conditions. By using the advanced Scene Analysis and Image Expression Algorithm technologies offered by Image Intelligence™, digital camera data that has been degraded by backlight or color overlap is transformed into optimal images.

Large numbers of photographs can be efficiently handled using the automatic setup, which produces a consistently high-definition finish.

The Fujifilm Group will maintain its efforts to establish a leading position in the digital printing market, where superior image quality and color reproduction are required.