Division Also Earns Staples Partnership Award

COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, December 20, 2000 -- Canon Software Publishing (CSP), a division of Canon U.S.A., Inc., which is a subsidiary of Canon, Inc. (NYSE: CAJ), earned two top spots in PC Data’s software categories for the month of November 2000. Canon Video Home Edition was the best selling title in the "Personal Productivity: Video Editing" category and OfficeReady Family Essentials achieved the top spot in the "Personal Productivity: Home Office" category for the month.

Canon Video Home Edition is a $49.95* video editing software program for Windows and Macintosh users that provides entry-level movie making capability using existing video clips, audio files, image files, text and transitions. OfficeReady Family Essentials complements Microsoft Office by providing users with professionally-designed, ready-to-use templates and added functionality for Word and Excel for $29.95*.

"We are pleased to begin taking our place as a premier brand of computer software for a wide range of consumers," said Dave Derse, director of sales, CSP. "We look forward to building on our success by bringing additional popular titles to market in the coming year."

CSP recently received a Partnership Award from Staples Inc. at a Staples/Ingram Micro symposium in Florida. The award honors CSP for its exceptional level of partnership with the software department at Staples.

"As a three-year-old publisher of software products, accolades from a top tier retailer are a huge compliment," said Derse.

Over the past year, CSP has achieved solid sales by implementing a number of successful programs with Staples. CSP effectively promoted its software products through special offers with Microsoft Office, Windows Millennium Edition and computer hardware purchases.

Due in part to promotional programs with Staples, CSP is quickly becoming a recognized publisher of quality software. In addition to the dominant sales of Canon Video Home Edition and OfficeReady Family Essentials in November, Canon Photo Home Edition was one of the top ten sellers in PC Data’s "Personal Productivity: Photo Editing" category and OfficeReady Business Plans achieved top ten sales in the "Business: Small Business" category for the month.

Canon Software Publishing (CSP) is a division of Canon U.S.A. Inc. (Lake Success, NY) which is a subsidiary of Canon, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan). The division, headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., was founded in 1998 to develop, publish and distribute computer software primarily in North and South America. CSP publishes titles from both independent third-party developers and associated Canon companies. Canon is recognized as the world’s leading imaging technology company, a leader in printer technology and a top worldwide patent holder. As a global technology leader, Canon achieved $25 billion in worldwide sales in 1999. More information about CSP is available at http://www.software.canon.com.

PC Data is the leading provider of high tech sales intelligence in the United States. Its PC Data Online division has become a primary source of web measurement through its panel of over 120,000 U.S. home Internet users. It also conducts rapidly deployed surveys over the Internet. In addition to the U.S., PC Data collects online data in the Pacific Rim, Australia, Italy and Canada. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.pcdata.com.

Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) is a $9 billion retailer of office supplies, furniture, technology and services to consumers and businesses, from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal. Headquartered outside Boston, Staples invented the office superstore concept and today is the largest operator of office superstores in the world. The company has over 50,000 employees serving customers through more than 1,200 office superstores, mail order catalogs, e-commerce and a contract business. More information about the company is available at http://www.staples.com.

*Prices are estimates only. Dealer prices may vary and are subject to change at any time. Product specifications and features subject to change without notice.
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