Australia, Melbourne 11^th of November 2025 – Canon today announces the launch of HeightIQ, a new software application driven by artificial intelligence (AI), to simplify the conversion of a 2D image into a detailed height map. HeightIQ uses advanced image recognition to analyse light, contrast and shapes to automatically and accurately translate height differences into grayscale values. The grayscale image can then be used in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to finetune the final job, enabling elevated printing up to 4mm high on Canon Arizona flatbed printers using PRISMAelevate XL.

 

The free software application simplifies the enhancement of 2D designs with 3D textures, embossing and dynamic surface effects to deliver greater value for designers, artists and print service providers.

HeightIQ significantly decreases job preparation time. To create a similar file in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, the process can take an experienced designer up to 10 hours. Due to the AI integration in HeightIQ, this time is reduced to less than 30 minutes on average. As HeightIQ is suitable for users of all skill levels, there is no requirement for specialised knowledge or lengthy onboarding, making HeightIQ even more accessible. Further enhancing productivity, users can easily drag and drop and create up to 20 different images at the same time, enabling them to bring elevation to a wider audience.

To enhance the quality of the height map, HeightIQ features a tiling setting, which uses a graphical technique to divide a bigger image into multiple sub-images (tiles) and ensures that more details are visible in the final print.

Steven Badger, Head of Sales & Professional Services at Canon Production Printing Australia commented: “At Canon, we have a clear commitment to innovation and providing our customers with accessible solutions that further enhance their output, increase productivity and simplify their day-to-day operations. The launch of HeightIQ and the integration of AI is a clear example of this innovation and how we’re evolving to deliver more intelligent, time-efficient solutions for our large format graphics customers.”

“Elevated printing enables our Arizona customers to add creative value to their output but the complexity and time required to create a height map is often a roadblock for many print providers looking to add it to their offering. At FESPA 2025 we showed a technology study and, based on the very positive customer feedback, we decided to productise it into HeightIQ.”

HeightIQ is a freeware, on-premise software application that can be easily installed onto any MS Windows or MacOS device. The tool is available immediately for download from Canon’s graphiPLAZA platform: https://graphiplaza.cpp.canon/software/heightiq

For more information about HeightIQ and the Arizona series visit: https://anz.cpp.canon/products/arizona-series/#technologies