BLI RATES KONICA'S 7075 AND DIGITAL COPIER/PRINTER.

Konica Business Technologies, Inc. (Konica), a provider of digital imaging solutions and a subsidiary of Konica Corporation, has received a "Highly Recommended" rating from Buyers Laboratory, Inc. (BLI), for its 7075 Enterprise Document System. BLI is the nation's leading independent office products testing laboratory. Independent from advertising dollars, BLI conducts unbiased tests on more than 100 different office products per year. At the end of each testing period, a report is produced detailing each product's capabilities including reliability, efficiency, cost and image quality.

In addition to the "Highly Recommended" rating, BLI also recognized the 7075, which outputs copies and prints at 600 x 600 dpi resolution, with its "Highest Image Quality" rating. This quality recognition was based on all types of output (text, line art, halftones and solids), in both copy and print modes, and was found to deliver efficiency rates that are above average in all simplex and duplex copy modes, and competitive in simplex and duplex print modes. Undergoing BLI's rigorous three-month analysis, including a 750,000-impressions test, the 7075 was found to be a highly reliable, productive and easy-to-use multifunctional product, producing one of the lowest per-page supplies cost for units tested in its range.

"The 7075 is a different breed of machine. It was designed to handle the rigors of high-volume environments, delivering not only higher speeds, but breakthrough cost performance as well," said Kevin Kern, vice president, product development and support, Konica Business Technologies. "To be acknowledged by BLI once again is truly a compliment, and a testament to Konica's commitment to continue to offer the highest level of quality products and services to our customers."

BLI technicians also praised the unit's well-designed touch-screen control panel, which incorporates "help" and "job review" keys, as well as a status key that displays jobs in the queue along with time and pages remaining for each. Networking and monitoring the status of jobs is simplified with the use of Konica's Web Utilities, allowing users to simply log on to the Web page to check paper size and supply, and a range of other information.

Other features of the 7075 recognized by BLI included: fastest first-copy time of digital models in its range, at 5.7 seconds; above-average tested toner yield and copies-per-gram toner yield; ability to produce full-bleed, 11" x 17" output; easy procedures for loading paper, adjusting drawers and removing misfeeds; and additional accessories including an inserter for post-process sheets (i.e., not to be passed through the imaging section) ranging in weight from 13-lb. bond to 110-lb. index, optional three-hole punch unit, trimmer unit, and LCT that can hold up to 4,000 sheets as large as 12" x 18".

BLI stated, "Remarkably, this laser-based console unit completed the 750,000-impression test requiring no service other than a single PM call and misfeeding just four times, for an excellent misfeed rate of one per 187,500 impressions -- one of the best reliability performances seen by multifunctional products tested to date, and the best performance by any Segment 5 product (analog or digital) tested to date."

Highlights of the 7075 include:

--Real-time/dual-scanning technology: a sheet-through scanning process that reduces the number of moving parts, therefore increasing reliability and efficiency

--Improved paper capability: wide-size copying (full bleed imaging); custom paper sizes

--Simultaneous tandem copy and tandem print

--Optional hard drive: watermark/stamping; time/date stamping; page numbering; file storage/reprint; and forms overlay

--Selectable 400-600 dpi

--500,000 pages per month

--75 pages per minute

--Standard memory; 64 MB: DIMM

--Maximum memory; 512 MB: DIMM

Pricing and Availability

The Konica 7075 is currently available through Konica's North American direct sales, authorized dealer and reseller network. Manufacturer's suggested retail price for the 7075 is $33,000.

About Buyers Laboratory, Inc.

Buyers Laboratory is the nation's leading independent office products testing laboratory and has published comprehensive test reports on office products, each representing months of rigorous hands-on testing in its 10,000-square-foot-lab. The company also maintains comprehensive databases of specifications on copiers, printers, fax machines and multifunctional products and makes those specifications available to subscribers in the form of printed specification guides, product comparison software programs and a fax-accessible database.

About Konica Business Technologies, Inc.

Konica Business Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Windsor, Conn., is a provider of digital solutions for document creation, distribution, and production. Konica offers a full line of printers, multi-function and copier products through direct sales offices, authorized dealers, resellers, and distribution partners located in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Konica can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.konicabt.com.

For more information, call 800/456-6422, ext. 2209 or 978/889-1423.