MEAP (Multifunctional Embedded Application Platform) is an application platform incorporated into Canon network digital MFPs. MFPs equipped with MEAP can be controlled using applications developed in the Java language (Java ME). Featuring outstanding portability, Java enjoys wide use in various devices, including mobile phones. MEAP provides network digital MFPs with dramatically enhanced potential as IT terminals and broader interaction with external devices and software.

The MEAP architecture consists of three main components: the MEAP platform, MEAP system services, and MEAP applications. The MEAP applications allow users to issue and control printing, scanning and copying jobs in accordance with desired workflows. An innovative concept that involves providing an application platform on the MFP lets users exploit the power of Java applications.

As of October 2006, more than 40 MEAP applications have been released. These applications include the imageWARE Workflow Portal, designed to allow users to distill individual processing patterns into routine buttons, and Smart Card Authentication for MEAP, which adds authentication features in combination with smart card readers to meet a wide range of workplace needs.

MEAP Lite, a printer-version MEAP platform, was developed for LBPs operating in server-less printer systems.

Overview of Smart Card Authentication for MEAP