I printed an old photo today. Pictured here, this is one of my underwater shots using an old Canon 350D, my very first DSLR from 2006, from my very first media job. It was an odd 2 years because everyone was walking around the city with a Canon 350D slung around their necks. An age before smartphone photography.
But I digress.
The highlight of the day was Canon’s new lineup of PIXMA and MAXIFY printers. The full showcase of ** checks notes ** 18 printers shows that there’s a printer for everyone. From low volume printing of less than 40 pages a month to a team of 50 in an office printer several hundred pages a day: these aren’t your average, out-of-the-box home printers. They’re clearly designed with SMEs in mind.
Canon slashed prices on their GI-71 inks (used in PIXMA models like the G1730, G2730, G3730, and G4770) by up to 16%. For the MAXIFY GX series, the GI-76 Black ink saw a massive 44% drop. That means print costs as low as ₱0.058 per page. As someone who spent years in publishing and regularly prints documents in bulk, that price tag is no joke as this can compound when you’re printing reviewers and schoolwork at home for the kids.
Jian Liu, Director for Consumer Information and Imaging at Canon Philippines, was on point when he said, “Our mission is to help Filipino businesses succeed through efficient, affordable printing solutions.” And you could feel that mission throughout the room. It’s not just about tech. It’s about enabling people to scale—without sacrificing quality or drowning in expenses.
One highlight that stuck with me was hearing from Cass Brion of Bibong Pinay, a community-driven venture that’s helped launch thousands of mom-led businesses across the country. She said that Canon printers weren’t just machines—they were lifelines that helped moms print packaging, marketing materials, and logistics forms without having to outsource anything. It really reminded me of the pandemic of having to ‘source everything yourself’ as much as possible and in some way this continues on today with the rising cost of raw materials and labor.
Canon also teased something that had the room buzzing: a trio of new MAXIFY MegaTank Business Printers—the GX7170, GX6170, and GX5170. With features like duplex printing, laser-quality sharpness, and up to 21,000 pages from a single full-color ink set, these machines are clearly gunning for serious workloads. Think scaling businesses, co-working spaces, and print-heavy operations.
It was also great to see Canon leaning into sustainability. With eco-conscious design baked into the product lifecycle and a two-year warranty backed by a wide-reaching service network, Canon’s not just pushing performance—they’re building trust.
As someone who’s been around long enough to see the ebb and flow of tech trends, what resonated with me the most wasn’t just the specs or savings. It was Canon’s Kyosei philosophy—living and working together for the common good. In a world chasing AI and cloud computing, it’s nice to see a brand quietly doing the work to help people on the ground.
