EPSON announces two fastest, most adaptable 9- and 24-pin dot matrix printers; wide-carriage, durable printers offer new level of flexibility for VARs.

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 1995--EPSON, the creator of industry-leading, award-winning imaging products, Monday added two of the world's fastest, most versatile dot matrix business printers to its family of dot matrix printers -- the 9-pin EPSON FX-2170 and the 24-pin EPSON LQ-2170.

The precision wide-carriage printers share similar feature sets which provide the greatest available system design flexibility to VARs developing for business printing applications. High-speed, high-volume printing scenarios involving multi-part forms, multiple paper size tractor-feeds and/or label printing capabilities are specifically addressed.

The new printer design has also quadrupled ribbon life over previous dot matrix printers, making both the EPSON FX-2170 (9-pin) and EPSON LQ-2170 (24-pin) stand alone as the printing solution for hotels, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, sales or accounting departments, as well as a host of other areas where high-volume, durable, multi-part form printing is needed.

"EPSON is the world leader in dot matrix printing," said Steve Sugarman, product manager, printers, EPSON. "The FX-2170 and the LQ-2170 continue in that tradition of excellence. These printers incorporate every possible feature to enhance value and meet the needs of the VAR's application. They have more speed, durability and features for VARs than any other printer on the market.

"Add to that the 4-to-1 improvement in ribbon life, which drives the cost of ownership down drastically, and it makes both these printers far and away the best value in their respective classes."

The EPSON FX-2170

Print speeds on the 9-pin EPSON FX-2170 range from 440 characters per second (cps) in high-speed draft mode to 66 cps in near letter quality mode. The FX-2170 can load paper from the front, rear, bottom or top. It also handles multiple paper lengths, multi-part forms and has precise paper alignment mechanisms which significantly reduce paper jams. Eight text and eight bar code fonts are supported.

The EPSON FX-2170 is EPA Energy Star qualified and is available nationwide at an MSRP of $649.

The EPSON LQ-2170

The EPSON LQ-2170 will print up to 440 characters per second (cps) in Super Draft mode and 110 cps in Letter Quality mode, with three other selectable print speeds available. Users can choose from nine letter-quality fonts, four scalable fonts, one draft font and eight bar code fonts.

Depending on configuration, paper can be loaded from the front, rear, bottom or top of the printer. And for maximum customization, an optional Flash ROM is available. The printer will also handle five part forms. The EPSON LQ-2170 is available nation-wide for an MSRP of $749.

Warranty and Support

Both the LQ-2170 and the FX-2170 carry a two-year warranty as well as top-rated toll-free technical support. For more information on EPSON and its products, call 800/BUY-EPSON, ext. 3000 (800/289-3667, ext. 3000) or stop by the corporate website on the Internet at http://www.epson.com.

About EPSON

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-

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CONTACT: EPSON, Torrance

Susie Mitchell, 310/782-5174 (phone)

310/782-5179 (fax)

or

Manning, Selvage & Lee

John Fitzsimmons or Kristen Peay, 213/782-6600