Panasonic Shipping Second in New Series of Workgroup and Departmental Color Scanners.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

SECAUCUS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2002

The Versatile, Duplex KV-S2045C Boasts an Impressive

Array of Features Well-suited to the Imaging

Requirements of Corporate Environments

Panasonic's KV-S2045C, the company's newest color production scanner, began shipping early this month. The KV-S2045C captures documents at speeds of 43 ppm/76 ipm (binary) and 19 ppm/34 ipm (color), with up to a 600-dpi optical resolution.

Competitively priced at $3,799.00 SRP(1), the versatile KV-S2045C is among the most compact scanners in its class. At 13.5"W x 11.7"D x 9.4"H and 20.1 pounds, the new desktop model scans paper sizes from business card to legal. The KV-S2045C comes equipped with an array of features to maximize productivity and performance, including a 4,000-page daily duty cycle and a life cycle of more than three million pages.

The KV-S2045C comes equipped with Panasonic Image Enhancement Technology II, which supports color auto-cropping and de-skewing, and dynamic threshold (a processing application that automatically adjusts for different levels of quality). Users are able to adjust white level, contrast, grayscale, halftone and many other image enhancing settings, to improve the quality of a scanned image even beyond that of the original.

Offering fast, quiet and efficient operation for departmental environments, users will certainly appreciate the KV-S2045C's ability to scan both sides of a color document in one pass. The new model employs a scanning method that includes color dropout capability, making forms processing a breeze. Red, green and blue colors can be automatically dropped out to ensure OCR engine accuracy and reduce file size.

Among the KV-S2045C's features are:

-- Reliable Throughput Image Viewer (RTIV(TM)) image-capture utility (included)

-- Red, green and blue color dropout capability

-- ISIS(R)-certified and TWAIN-compliant drivers

-- Kofax certified

-- Pre-Scan Imprinter option

-- 100-600 dpi, optical, color/binary resolution

-- Ultra SCSI II

-- High yield rollers

-- 4000 page per day duty cycle

To simplify paper handling and make short work of large-scale batch scanning, the KV-S20456C has a 100-page automatic document feeder. The new model can also accommodate documents up to 5.9 mils thick and up to 25" long. Other features include image compression capabilities and a START/STOP button to expedite the scanning process.

The KV-S2045C allows the user easy access to its rollers and consumables. A one-year limited warranty with quick exchange coverage (in most cases) for in-warranty repairs is included. If service is required, it's as easy as calling Panasonic's toll-free 1-800-PANASYS line during normal business hours. To avoid costly downtime, the exchange program attempts to provide a replacement scanner for the defective unit covered by warranty within 24 hours of the time a problem was first reported and diagnosed by a Panasonic hotline engineer.

Along with the KV-S2025C workgroup scanner and the 174 ipm production-level KV-SS905C, Panasonic now offers a full line of color scanners to support a variety of application environments. The KV-S2045C suits the many specific needs required by insurance, banking, healthcare and law enforcement applications, including forms processing and content management.

Panasonic has a solid working relationship with many service providers and software developers, many of whom use color scanners in their applications. According to Charles Vidal, Panasonic's product manager for scanners, printers, multi-media and electronic whiteboards, "As is standard for our other production scanner products, the KV-S2045C is technologically sophisticated and well equipped to support the ever-changing needs within the imaging industry." Vidal added, "It is positioned to offer versatile document support for a variety of vertical markets, including exception scanning in color that is a growing requisite among service bureaus."

In the United States, Panasonic Digital Imaging Solutions Company (PDIS), a business unit of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, markets a broad line of computer peripherals and office system products. Products available include color laser printers, impact forms printers, multifunction devices, high-speed scanners, electronic whiteboards, CD-ROM and rewritable drives and DVD drives. Matsushita Electric Corporation of America is headquartered in Secaucus, NJ and is a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Osaka, Japan.

All brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

RTIV(R) is a registered trademark of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

ISIS(R) is a registered trademark of Pixel Translations, a division of Input Software, Inc.

(1) Suggested retail price. Resellers must decide for themselves the prices at which Panasonic products are actually advertised and sold.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

End users may obtain sales information by contacting PDIS at 1-800-742-8086 or 201-348-7000, or by visiting http://www.panasonic.com/scanners. Please do not publish the editorial contact telephone number. If you wish to review this or any other Panasonic computer product, please contact Chris Florentz or Charlie Sassaman at 215-592-8601, or at [e-mail] or [e-mail], respectively.

Product images can be downloaded from the Panasonic Extranet site at b2b.Panasonic.com. Username: images, Password: images. Select Marketing Materials, "Select a Product Category" and click on Image Gallery.