Epson Stylus Color 850 and Epson Stylus Photo 700 Deliver Exceptional Value and Performance At New Low Prices

Business Wire, Sept 8, 1998

TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 1998--

EPSON Stylus Color 850 and EPSON Stylus Photo 700 Now Available for $349 and $249 Respectively

Epson America Inc. the creator of high-quality, award-winning digital imaging products, continues to make photo-quality output and fast performance even more affordable for customers.

Today, Epson announced a new price point for its fastest ink jet printer, the EPSON Stylus Color 850, from $379 to $349, and the world's first six-color, 1440 dpi ink jet printer, the EPSON Stylus Photo 700, from $279 to $249.

The EPSON Stylus Color 850, optimized for high-performance business professionals, is a versatile ink jet printer that commands both laser sharp black text and 'Photo Quality' color graphics. The EPSON Stylus Photo 700, well suited for home and small office users, generates optimal photo-quality results, that rival those processed at traditional photo labs and also handles text with ease.

"Epson is committed to providing customers with fast performance at competitive prices," said Jay Shears, director of marketing, printer products, Epson. "These reductions meet the needs of consumers who want to achieve amazing photo-quality output and superior performance at affordable price points."

EPSON Stylus Color 850 Features

The EPSON Stylus Color 850 is a four-color (CMYK) ink jet printer that delivers increased print speeds, numerous printer driver features and improved 1440 x 720 dpi output with Epson's proprietary Micro Piezo(TM) printing technology. Out of the box, the printer is PC and Mac compatible with simultaneous autoswitching between both platforms. The printer also comes complete with a productivity-oriented software bundle that includes Broderbund's The Print Shop PressWriter and Kai's Photo Soap SE, offering a complete publishing solution to business users.

EPSON Stylus Photo 700 Features

The EPSON Stylus Photo 700, optimized for photo printing right out of the box, comes with six-color (cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow and high-capacity black ink cartridge) technology. Special "photo" inks are not required -- this eliminates the need to swap ink cartridges, saving both time and money. The printer also comes with a comprehensive digital imaging software bundle, Epson's Digital PhotoLab. Included in the suite are: Adobe PhotoDeluxe v2.0, Extensis Portfolio, Spin Panorama, Diamar's 'Learning to See Creatively' and Epson's own Photo Sheet. Unlike many photo printers, the EPSON Stylus Photo 700 offers print size flexibility. Customers can print everything from wallet-size to full, 8 1/2 by 44-inch long panoramic photographs. Special paper is not requires to print photographs and users can achieve great results using plain paper.

Warranty and Support

Both printers carry the one-year Epson Overnight Exchange Warranty. This warranty program allows customers to receive a replacement printer within one business day if a problem is encountered that cannot be corrected by telephone technical support. Epson will pay for both shipping costs of the replacement model and return of the originally purchased printer. The EPSON Stylus Color 850 and the EPSON Stylus Photo 700 are supported by the EPSON Connection (SM), a customer support and technical assistance line. For more information on EPSON and its products, call 1-800-GO-EPSON (1-800-463-7766) or visit our website at http://www.epson.com.

About Epson

Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) solutions for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America, Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, 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, Inc. is headquartered in Torrance, Calif.

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

    CONTACT: Epson, Torrance
              Jennifer Boggs, 310/782-5173
              jennifer_boggs@ea.epson.com
                or
              Walt & Company
              Heather Chastain, 408/496-0900
              hchastain@walt.com