Electronics for Imaging Brings Renowned Fiery Color Server To Wide Format InkJet Market; Fiery XJ-W to Provide Network Connectivity, Adobe PostScript, High Quality Color for ENCAD NovaJet Pro and HP DesignJet 750C Printers

Business Wire, Sept 11, 1996

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 11, 1996--Electronics for Imaging, Inc. (NASDAQ:EFII), the pioneer and leading supplier of technologies for digital color printing, today announced its first entry into the wide format color output market. The new Fiery XJ-W for wide format color inkjet devices, part of the Fiery XJ Color Server family, offers an unparalleled combination of performance and features at a price comparable to much less capable raster image processors (RIPs).

"We think the Fiery XJ-W will transform the market for wide format color output," said Dan Avida, EFI's president and CEO. "Until now, the wide format market hasn't experienced the caliber of performance and ease-of-use that has made Fiery the standard for digital color printing. Fiery technology will make printing high-quality oversize color images much faster and much easier."

The Fiery XJ-W will initially support the ENCAD NovaJet Pro family of inkjet devices and the HP DesignJet 750C printer from Hewlett- Packard Co., providing technologies and performance that set new benchmarks in the wide format market. With built-in Adobe PostScript Level 2 and advanced features to speed throughput - such as EFI's patented Continuous Print and Rip-While-Print technologies - the Fiery XJ-W offers the highest image quality and fastest document processing times in the wide format market.

"The wide format color printing market will benefit from the leadership that EFI can provide," said David Purcell, Chairman and CEO, ENCAD, Inc. "The tens of thousands of users already familiar with the Fiery Color Server in the connected copier and desktop printer markets can now make an easy transition to wide format printing on the ENCAD NovaJet Pro family. Existing NovaJet Pro users will also benefit from the improvements in speed, quality and ease-of-use that a Fiery Color Server brings to an already exceptional product."

"We welcome EFI to the wide format color output market," said James B. Smith, Large Format Printing Market Development Manager for HP's North American DesignJet Marketing Center. "The Fiery Color Server is known in the industry to be a very high-quality, reliable product. The combination of the new Fiery XJ-W and our Hewlett-Packard DesignJet 750C printer will make an excellent solution for our customers."

Like other members of the Fiery Color Server family, the Fiery XJ-W utilizes a fast MIPS RISC CPU and EFI's XJ RipChips (custom-designed ASICs which speed printing by offloading data movement tasks from the CPU) to produce high quality output at the full 300 dpi resolution of the output device. The Fiery XJ-W incorporates Custom Error Diffusion screening technology to product brilliant color. The Fiery XJ-W's 850 MB hard drive provides local storage for processed files and fonts.

The Fiery XJ-W allows users to print from Macintosh, Windows or UNIX desktops and simultaneously supports Novell IPX, TCP/IP and EtherTalk network protocols. The Fiery XJ-W also ships with EFI's advanced suite of desktop tools for remote administration of document printing, color management and calibration.

Digital ink jet printers in the ENCAD NovaJet Pro family are capable of printing graphics and photographic images up to 50 inches wide and 150 feet long at resolutions of 300 dots per inch (dpi). The HP DesignJet 750C is capable of printing on sheets up to 36 inches wide and 150 feet long at resolutions of 300 dpi. The Fiery XJ-W will drive both devices at their maximum rated speed and full resolution.

Availability and Pricing

EFI is in the process of negotiating distribution agreements for North America and other geographic markets which will be announced when finalized. EFI has concluded a distribution agreement with Showa Joho Kiki, Inc., a distributor of digital products, to sell the Fiery XJ-W in Japan with the ENCAD NovaJet III.

Pricing for the Fiery XJ-W has not yet been set, but the street price is expected to be in the $8000 range. EFI will begin shipping the Fiery XJ-W in the fourth quarter of 1996.

About Electronics for Imaging

Electronics for Imaging, Inc. is the industry pioneer and market leader in products that enable high-quality color printing in short production runs. Fiery Color Servers incorporate hardware and software technologies that transform digital color copiers from all leading copier manufacturers into fast, high-quality networked color printers. Fiery XJe Controllers leverage these same technologies to increase the output speed and improve the print quality of Fiery Driven desktop color laser printers.

Fiery Color Servers are installed around the world in leading corporations, advertising agencies, graphic design studios and print-for-pay businesses. Founded in 1989, the company has its headquarters in San Mateo, Calif. EFI employs approximately 300 people and has 22 worldwide sales offices. Its stock is traded on the NASDAQ national market system under the symbol EFII.

Additional information regarding Electronics for Imaging may be obtained by calling the company directly at (415) 286-8600, or through public sources, including the company's SEC filings. Electronics for Imaging may also be reached on the World Wide Web at http://www.efi.com.