Canon to Introduce Portable Computer With Built-In Printer : Technology: An announcement is expected Monday from the Costa Mesa-based company.

Reaching a new level in electronic miniaturization, Canon Computer Systems Inc. is scheduled Monday to introduce a portable notebook computer with a built-in high-quality printer.

The machine is the first result of Canon’s strategy to integrate all current office technologies into a personal computer. The strategy inspired Canon to enter the crowded personal computer industry last year during a massive shakeout.

“It is a merging of our printer and our PC technology,” said Ron Okamoto, director of personal computer marketing for Costa Mesa-based Canon. “The goal is to integrate everything from the office onto the PC itself.”

The 7.7-pound NoteJet computer features Canon’s BubbleJet printer technology.

Notebook computers fit in a briefcase and usually weigh five to eight pounds. Canon’s BubbleJet printers feature small printer heads with dozens of nozzles that are thinner than a human hair. An electric current heats the nozzles, producing bubbles that release precise droplets of ink onto paper.

The two-in-one machine allows mobile professionals to print letter-quality images and text on plain typewriter paper. Up to 10 sheets can be fed in at one time.

Tokyo-based Canon Inc. decided to enter the computer business because it thought that it could set itself apart from standard computer makers, Okamoto said. The company makes a wide variety of office equipment including desktop computers, printers, copiers, scanners and cameras.

The NoteJet computer has a battery life of three to four hours and a black-and-white screen display. It has a 486 microprocessor, or main computing, unit with a speed of 25 megahertz. It will retail for $2,499 to $2,999, depending on the amount of storage.

In the next two years, Canon plans to introduce other combination features for its portable computers, including the integration of scanning capabilities and color printing, said Peter Burgard, Canon Computer vice president of marketing.

Okamoto said the combination of such technologies in a single machine would represent a serious competitive challenge to leading portable computer makers such as Toshiba Corp. and AST Research Inc. in Irvine.

Canon employs about 120 marketing, administrative and sales people in Costa Mesa. The machine is manufactured in Japan by Canon. In Japan, Canon and IBM Japan jointly launched a similar machine in January.