OKI Printing Solutions Announces New In-Store, On-Demand Color Signage Printing Solution for Retailers.

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. -- The C9600 Color Signage Solution Saves Retailers Time and Money, Offers the Most Versatile Media Handling and is Customized to Deliver Powerful Color Signage out of the Box

OKI Printing Solutions today launched the most versatile on-demand color signage printing system for retailers: the C9600 Color Signage Solution. The solution delivers superior color signage printing on a wide variety of media that goes unmatched in the industry. Vibrant color signage is now a cost-effective and immediate possibility for retailers looking to improve merchandising efforts at each of their store locations.

From department stores and grocery stores to specialty stores and beverage distributors, retailers and retail-driven organizations are discovering the benefits of bringing color signage printing in-house. On-demand printing eliminates the wasteful overproduction and shipping costs that are inherent in centralized outsourced printing and is proven to reduce production costs by up to 60% and lower cost per page by up to 75%.(1)

"By printing signs locally a retailer has control over the entire production process and is able to ensure it has the right sign at the right store at the right time," said Terry Cruikshank, Industry Marketing Consultant - Retail at Oki Data Americas, which markets its products under the OKI Printing Solutions brand. "This enables stores to become more responsive to changes in competitive pricing and promotions, inventory shifts and customer requests.

"OKI Printing Solutions stands above the competition in our dedicated focus on the retail market, allocating resources and designing solutions that are tailored for the industry's specific needs. We have already successfully installed customized color signage solutions for several leading retail customers and have taken the expertise from these collaborations to develop the C9600 Color Signage Solution, making it readily available for more customers," said Cruikshank.

The C9600 Color Signage Solution is the latest and most advanced line of color signage offerings from OKI Printing Solutions. It is optimized to deliver superior product performance with the most versatile media handling in the market straight out of the box. Its key features include:

--Tabloid-size printing capabilities on heavy card stock (up to 270 gsm or 11-point stock), white and clear cling film, low tack labels, shelf strips, table tents and banners up to four feet in length.

--Signage template maker that allows retailers to easily create signs right out of the box in Microsoft(R) Word and PowerPoint(R) presentation graphics program formats, and includes a sample pack of specialty signage media.

--Printer driver pre-settings to easily print different sizes and types of signage media.

--Direct PDF Printing tools that allow users to print large PDF documents without having to open the file first.

--Distributed printing, which schedules and distributes signage files from corporate headquarters to remote store locations.

--Color Matching and Auto Color Balance software that guarantees that brand and logo colors are accurate and consistent across all communications - from store to store and sign to sign. Customized color profiles are also available.

--Fast and efficient speeds up to 36 color pages per minute.(2)

--Capability of handling high-resolution graphic files at 1200 x 600 dots per inch.

"As a company we commit ourselves to working closely with customers individually to understand their current signage process and help custom-design an integrated signage solution that meets their specific business needs," said Cruikshank. In order to offer customers a complete solution at their fingertips, OKI Printing Solutions supplies its own line of specialty media, works with external signage media vendors and partners with leading signage software companies that provide customized sign and label templates.

The C9600 Color Signage Solution is available through OKI Printing Solutions authorized solution providers and dealers. It builds on parent company Oki Data Corporation's history of leadership and innovation in color printing. It is based on the 7th generation of printing technologies advanced by Oki Data Corporation, such as digital LED technology and Single Pass Color(TM). This technology allows Oki Data to manufacture products that require fewer moving parts and enable more efficient operation than competitive products -- bringing faster print speeds, lower total cost of ownership and higher reliability.

Every product comes with a one-year warranty and an industry-leading five-year warranty on the digital LED print heads. Like all OKI Printing Solutions products, the C9600 Color Signage Solution is backed by comprehensive support from authorized OKI Printing Solutions solution providers. In addition, the company provides live, toll-free technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, with agents based in North America.

About Oki Data Americas

Oki Data Americas, Inc., headquartered in Mount Laurel, N.J., and a subsidiary of Oki Data Corporation of Japan, markets under the OKI Printing Solutions brand PC peripheral equipment including digital color and monochrome printers, serial impact dot matrix printers, multifunction products and facsimiles. Known for durable and reliable products, Oki Data Americas is ISO 9001:2000 certified and also offers a full line of options, accessories and consumables. Its entire line of products complies with the EPA's Energy Star(R) Program. Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., parent company to Oki Data Corporation, is a $6.4 billion multinational corporation with headquarters in Tokyo and is a world leader in information processing systems, telecommunications and electronics.

OKI, Reg. Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. Energy Star Reg. T.M. U.S. EPA, Single Pass Color T.M. and design Reg. T.M. Oki Data Corp. Microsoft and PowerPoint are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

(1)POPAI Reports, 2003-2004.

(2)Published performance results based on laboratory testing. Individual results may vary.