Epson Reduces Price, Adds New Software to the Expression 636 Business and Graphics Scanner; 10 Percent Savings and New Software Bundles Create Exceptional Value

Business Wire, June 1, 1998

TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 1998--Epson, the creator of high quality, award-winning imaging products, Monday announced new software bundles and lower prices for its EPSON Expression 636 color flatbed scanner with the ColorTrue Imaging System.

Effective June 1, prices have been reduced as much as 10 percent on the Artist and Professional configurations. In addition to lower prices, software bundles have been enhanced with Visioneer PaperPort and MetaCreations Painter 5.0. Two bundles also include a full version of LaserSoft SilverFast.

"These new prices and software additions reflect the changing needs of our customers," said Robert Ozankan, product manager, high-end scanners, Epson. "Adding a full version of SilverFast to our Artist and Professional models elevates the efficiency and productivity of our imaging enthusiasts while providing more of the excellent functionality they appreciate in the driver."

New Software Bundles

For anyone wishing to significantly impact and customize the look of presentations, punch up proposals, create winning, personalized correspondence and expedite data input and document management, the Expression 636 offers the Executive solution. Complete with all drivers, cards and cables, the Executive model carries a low street price of $799.

The new bundle is shown below: -0-

Expression 636-Executive 2
(MAC/PC)

Adobe Photoshop LE
Visioneer PaperPort LE
Adaptec SCSI board & SCSI cable
Adobe PageMill Full
Epson Scanning Utilities (TWAIN)

For the graphic arts community, Epson offers two versions of the Expression 636, the Professional (Pro) and Artist versions. The Pro 2 model comes with a powerful imaging software bundle and features Epson's custom transparency unit for scanning high-end photographic images into design projects directly from the desktop.

The kit includes a SCSI interface PC only and cable for instant installation and carries an estimated street price of $1,299, a $100 cost savings over the previous street price of $1,399.

The new software bundle follows: -0-

Expression 636-Pro 2 (PC)           Expression 636-Pro 2 (Mac)

MetaCreations Painter 5.0 Full      MetaCreations Painter 5.0 Full
Adobe PhotoShop 4.0 LE              Adobe PhotoShop 4.0 LE
Visioneer PaperPort LE              Visioneer PaperPort LE
Adobe PageMill Full                 Adobe PageMill Full
LaserSoft SilverFast Full           LaserSoft SilverFast Full
Transparency unit                   Live Picture 2.6 Full
Adaptec SCSI board and SCSI cable   Transparency unit
Epson Scanning Utilities (TWAIN)    SCSI cable
                                    Epson Scanning Utilities (TWAIN)

The Artist package from Epson has an estimated street price of
$899, a 10 percent savings over the previous $999 street price
and includes the following software:

Expression 636-Artist 2 (PC)        Expression 636-Artist 2 (Mac)

MetaCreations Painter 5.0 Full      MetaCreations Painter 5.0 Full
Adobe PhotoShop 4.0 LE              Adobe PhotoShop 4.0 LE
Adobe PageMill                      Adobe PageMill Full
Visioneer PaperPort LE              Visioneer PaperPort LE
LaserSoft SilverFast Full           LaserSoft SilverFast Full
Adaptec SCSI board and SCSI cable   Adaptec SCSI board and SCSI cable
Epson Scanning Utilities (TWAIN)    Epson Scanning Utilities (TWAIN)

Visioneer PaperPort LE

Creating more ways to manage your document describes Visioneer's PaperPort scanning software. This award-winning application can help users organize, file, edit, copy, fax, e-mail and share all paper-based information from one easy-to-use screen.

PaperPort is not only an excellent document management system, but it allows room for additional creativity as well. Users can manipulate scanned images to alter or improve the overall appearance and quality. Some examples include tweaking image brightness, eliminating red eyes from photographs and more.

MetaCreations Painter 5.0

MetaCreations' Painter 5.0 offers superb strengths in image editing through its unique ability to simulate traditional tools and techniques while exploring new areas of design.

Painter provides six areas of imaging expertise, including: powerful brush manipulations -- paint in texture, noise, fire or glow; Dynamic Plug-in Floaters -- create layers within your image and apply innovative effects like melting or burning; Powerful Image Effects -- incorporate the 3D Image Hose or Pop-Art; Industry-Standard Masking -- choose up to 32 alpha channels and from a variety of menu commands and palette controls; Internet publishing; and color management. Painter 5.0 brings out the graphic artist in users of any experience level.

LaserSoft SilverFast

The Expression 636's customized professional LaserSoft SilverFast scanner driver offers more than 150 sophisticated imaging functions, all designed to be applied during the pre-scan mode.

Techniques such as highlight/shadow, gamma, color contrast, saturation and hue, brightness, sharpness, unsharp masking and selective color correction can be defined and manipulated in either graphical or numerical formats. This gives users instant, expert results in a straightforward, intuitive format.