Olympus Image Systems licenses Adobe PostScript for its future high-volume printers; Controller brings Adobe PostScript capability to mid-range printer marketplace.

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1995--Olympus Image Systems, Inc., will announce a new embedded printer controller for its PagePlex(TM) printers.

Language support is PCL5e with an upgrade option to Adobe(TM) Postscript(TM) software. Optional emulations include CCITT G3/G4 and Printronix P-Series, both alone and with Magnum Code V and IGP extensions. The controller will be announced at Xplor, the Global Electronic Document Systems Conference and Exhibit.

According to Olympus Vice President of Sales and marketing, Bill Boles, "This controller positions Olympus as one of the few printers in the 20 ppm or greater speed class to have true Adobe PostScript Level 2 capability. Adobe PostScript brings three significant advantages to our marketplace: quality, performance and compatibility. The industry standard, Adobe PostScript can print any kind of document, including text, graphics and images. It's compatible with most major software, operating systems and computers. And with PostScript software, documents will print even faster on Olympus PagePlex printers."

Boles continued, "The applications of this new controller are broad and deep for financial services, insurance administration and management, bar coding, warehousing and distribution, and digital imaging. This controller can be used virtually anywhere business depends on fast, heavy-duty printing."

The new controller supports the extensive input/output paper handling capabilities of the current product, and paper sizes from letter through A6. Standard interfaces are IEEE 1284 bi-directional parallel, RS-232C and RS-422. Optional interfaces include an Ethernet I/O that supports Novell IPX/SPX, TCP/IP, Ethertalk and DEC LAT. Token Ring will also be available as an enhancement in the second half of 1996.

According to Olympus Marketing Manager, Dave Veilleux, the new controller is an important link in the company's increasing success in the marketplace. "Olympus' new printer controller features the ability to add emulations via its open architecture. These RISC-based printers combine an excellent price/performance ratio with low acquisition and per page costs."

Available in the second quarter of 1996, the controller is designed for existing PagePlex printers. Current users of PagePlex printers may choose to upgrade their current product to the new controller's emulations.

The printers feature PCMCIA support, HP font cartridge support, port autosensing, automatic language sensing, downloadable font set capabilities, and support for Novell Netware 3.x, 4.x and Windows 3.x, Windows NT and Windows 95.

PagePlex printers that will utilize this controller will have minimum duty cycles of 125,000 pages per month, and will use a RISC-based, AMD processor at 33 or 40 MHz with 8 MB of memory standard, expandable up to 64 MB.

Olympus Image Systems, Inc. (OISI) was formed by Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., of Japan in 1985. OISI provides computer peripherals including non-impact enterprise printers in the 18 to 45 ppm class. In addition to being a major manufacturer of mid-range printers, Olympus is one of the top three optical disk drive manufacturers worldwide. These drives and subsystems provide for a range of needs, including removable data security, secondary storage and archiving.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Olympus Optical Company, Ltd., and its affiliates, are engaged in the manufacture and sale of opto-electronic systems, cameras, microscopes, endoscopes, micro-cassette tape recorders, clinical analyzers, as well as environmentally-friendly cleaning chemicals and systems. The company has achieved worldwide recognition for its computer technology products, including ion and electron imaging printers, laser-optical pick-up systems and magneto-optical disk systems.

Olympus Image Systems, Inc. is located at Two Corporate Center Drive, Melville, NY 11747-3157. -0- Brand names and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademark of their respective companies. Adobe and PostScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. or its subsidiaries and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. You can see Olympus printer products at XPlor, Booth #852, Minneapolis Convention Center.

CONTACT: Olympus Image Systems, Inc.

Andy Schaeffer, 800/347-4027

or

Herman Associates Public Relations

Judy Machanik, 516/484-2330/212/338-0700