EPSON forges new frontier in CAD and business color printing; 720 x 720 dpi ink jet printer supports C-sized paper and tractor-fed paper simultaneously

Business Wire, Feb 20, 1996

TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 1996--EPSON, the creator of high-quality, award-winning imaging products, Tuesday announced the EPSON Stylus 1500 -- a wide-carriage, ``Photo Quality,'' color ink jet printer for CAD/CAE and business use.

The EPSON Stylus 1500 is uniquely designed to print 13.6 inch x 21.78 inch on C-sized cut sheet papers and various sized tractor-fed paper simultaneously. The printer serves a variety of business needs including CAD/CAE check plots, spreadsheets, single sheet business forms, signage, business graphics and presentations, banners and photographic images.

The EPSON Stylus 1500 comes standard with EPSON's proprietary piezoelectric 720 x 720 dpi resolution at an estimated street price of $995. EPSON's exclusive ``Photo Quality'' color ink jet kit comes installed at no additional cost. The EPSON Stylus 1500 sells alongside the EPSON Stylus 1000, a monochrome wide-carriage ink jet printer introduced by EPSON in 1994.

Mark Radogna, printer product manager, EPSON, stated that the EPSON Stylus 1500 complements the EPSON Stylus 1000 and EPSON's family of four Stylus color ink jet printers, filling a very different niche than the other EPSON printers.

Radogna added: ``The Stylus 1500 is primarily a multi-user CAD/CAE check plot device. The extremely low price point and C-size paper support will dramatically drive down costs in any CAD/CAE environment.''

Radogna further commented on the enthusiastic response to the Stylus 1500 by the financial sector. ``Printing spreadsheets quietly with a bit of color really struck a cord with accountants. Text output on the Stylus 1500 is extremely sharp and the added color makes spreadsheets and charts very easy to read.''

The EPSON Stylus 1500 contains an extra-large black ink cartridge that more than doubles the print life of an average-sized ink cartridge. The printer supports Windows for Workgroups, Windows 3.1 and AutoCAD for DOS. Drivers for Windows NT and OS/2 are available from third-party companies. An optional LocalTalk or EtherTalk board provides Macintosh compatibility.

The Stylus 1500 is also EPA Energy Star qualified and is available now through EPSON's nationwide VAR distribution channel. EPSON's complete color printer line is supported by a wide variety of coated and glossy papers, including transparencies.

For more information on EPSON and its products please call 800/BUY-EPSON, extension 3000, or stop by EPSON's corporate Web site on the Internet at http://www.epson.com.

EPSON offers an extensive array of technology products, including ink jet, laser and dot matrix printers, scanners, portable and desktop computers, and for the OEM market, a variety of component and electronic devices.

Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is an affiliate of Seiko Epson Corp., a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America has headquarters in Torrance. -0-

Note to Editors: Brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

CONTACT: EPSON, Torrance

Susie Mitchell, 310/782-5174; 310/782-5179 (fax)

or

Manning, Selvage & Lee

John Fitzsimmons/Susan Bugler, 213/782-6600