QMS Eliminates Final Barriers to Mainstream Color Laser Printing with New Generation of Network Laser Print Systems; New QMS magicolor 2 Laser Print System Revolutionizes Color Printing for Office Workgroups with Unprecedented Ease-of-Use, Connectivity, and Value.

MOBILE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1997--With the introduction of the QMS magicolor 2 Laser Print System, QMS, Inc. (NYSE:AQM) has answered market demands for cost-effective, easy-to-use color printing. Based on QMS' powerful Crown(r) architecture and a new color laser marking engine, the QMS magicolor 2 sets new standards for ease-of-use, functionality, performance, and price.

"Until now, color laser printing has been accepted by only a limited niche market," said Richard Bowles, vice president of marketing for QMS. "Mainstream customers need color printing to be easier to use, easier to afford, and easier to operate. QMS has provided a powerful solution for the mainstream market with the introduction of the QMS magicolor 2 Laser Print System."

QMS thoroughly researched market requirements and user concerns of color laser printing. The results were incorporated into the QMS magicolor 2, the most easy-to-use, reliable, and efficient color laser printer available. The QMS magicolor 2 has the ability to make color laser printing an integral part of daily business, as it already is in graphics and desktop publishing environments.

The QMS magicolor 2 CX offers speedy full-color 600 dpi output, and is upgradeable to 1200 x 1200 dpi. The QMS magicolor 2 EX offers high-quality 1200 dpi printing as a standard feature. Both models include standard Ethernet and PostScript capabilities, features not standard in current, more expensive offerings. QMS magicolor 2 Laser Print Systems will be available in October, 1997, starting at a price of $3,499.

The Best Price-to-Performance Ratio

The QMS magicolor 2 is a powerful, network-ready printer that can be used for color and monochrome printing in a wide variety of workgroup environments. The lowest cost of any fully-equipped network print system, the QMS magicolor 2 delivers affordable output at high speeds.

-- Fast Throughput - The QMS magicolor 2 raises the standard in performance for color laser printers. Featuring the 64-bit 133 MHz NEC VR4300 processor and QMS Crown controller technology, the QMS magicolor 2 produces color pages at 4 to 8 ppm, and up to 16 ppm in monochrome. The QMS magicolor 2 uses an advanced version of the QMS Crown print system architecture incorporated in the award-winning QMS 2425 EX Print System.

-- Equipped for Workgroup Printing - A built-in QMS CrownNet(tm) for Ethernet interface allows users to share the printer across multiple computing platforms. Resident PostScript and PCL 5c emulations provide the compatibility to handle a wide variety of workgroup applications. These features, together with Crown architecture, enable the QMS magicolor 2 to manage busy network traffic-spooling and printing jobs in heterogeneous environments with minimal reductions in print speed and minimum network overhead.

-- Lower Overall Cost of Printing - With the QMS magicolor 2 Laser Print System, QMS has significantly reduced the cost of color laser printing. The QMS magicolor 2 features a low purchase price and affordable output. Black and white prints from the QMS magicolor 2 rival those of monochrome laser printers, at only 2 cents per page at 5% coverage. A typical consumables cost per page for a full-color print at 20% coverage is only 11 cents, almost a 50% reduction from previous color laser printers. These new price points make the cost of both monochrome and color printing even more affordable for everyday use.

"Many business and graphics professionals are now using common desktop applications to create documents with rich color content. In addition, more people are accessing and printing color documents from the Internet," said Diane Davis, executive director of product marketing for QMS. "Users demand high-quality, cost-effective color printing solutions. We are moving ahead of the competition by meeting those demands with the QMS magicolor 2 printers, which provide our customers maximum return on their investment. Now, busy office workgroups can choose an affordable color laser printer for color and monochrome printing that is both high-performance and network-ready."

Great Color is Surprisingly Easy

The QMS magicolor 2 brings the highest level of color quality together with a variety of usability features to make color printing more convenient for the active office.

-- QuickChange Consumables - With an advanced monocomponent design, the QMS magicolor 2 Print System's QuickChange consumables are a breakthrough in simplicity. Easily accessible from the printer's front panel, the QuickChange supplies are color-coded and keyed to prevent misinstallation, and have approximately twice the capacity of previous color laser printers.

-- Simple Color Control - QMS' innovative Qcolor(tm) color optimization software makes it easy to achieve great color appearance. Qcolor gives the novice user automatic color control, yet is flexible enough to allow advanced users to make specific color selections. Users preparing overhead presentations can expect saturated, vivid color as the QMS magicolor 2 automatically detects transparency media, adjusting color for the most vibrant output. The QMS magicolor 2 Laser Print System is ICC compliant, and fully supports Pantone, Apple ColorSync, Windows 95 ICM, and other color management systems.

-- Diverse Media Handling - A wide array of media handling features are supported by the new QMS magicolor 2 Laser Print System, including: full-color on up to legal-size output, automatic transparency detection, thick stock support, envelope printing, and manual color duplexing. QMS magicolor 2 owners can also add the QMS CrownCopy(r) option for color reproduction of their hard copy originals. Attaching to the printer's optional SCSI port, the CrownCopy flat-bed scanner operates with printer-resident software for full-color document duplication. The new QMS magicolor 2 offers additional enhancements to its CrownCopy option, providing a faster first copy output time and enriched color quality.

Tools for Managing the Print Process

Ease of use goes beyond the printer itself, with desktop printer management and monitoring software tools for both the administrator and end-user.

-- Easy to Manage with QMS CrownAdmin 3 - Packaged with the QMS magicolor 2 is the next generation of QMS' powerful printer management software(tm)QMS CrownAdmin 3. Using QMS CrownAdmin 3, network administrators can remotely install, configure, and manage printer operations over a local or wide-area network through a common graphical user interface.

-- Easy to Monitor with QMS CrownView - With QMS CrownView, a printer-resident Web page, end-users can track their own print jobs. Accessible through any Internet browser, users can view print job status, printer configuration, and consumable levels through easy-to-read gas gauge style displays.

-- Supplies Usage Tracking - The QMS magicolor 2 can capture and record supplies usage information such as total number of pages, color vs. monochrome pages, number of CMYK planes per job, and average CMYK coverage per job, for defined periods of time. The information is retrieved via a consumables status page, accessed from the printer's front panel. If a hard disk is installed, 'per job' usage data can be retrieved using QMS Crown Print Auditor (CPA). The data can be viewed on-screen, printed immediately, or exported into another application for further manipulation. Supplies usage tracking is effective for determining printer resource allocation and cross-departmental billing.

"Creative and business professionals want and need high-quality, affordable color printing, but don't want a complex system that is difficult to use and maintain. The QMS magicolor 2 is powerful, yet simple to operate for both the user and system administrators," added Davis. "All QMS printers are flexible and adaptable, giving systems administrators the luxury of an easy softloadable system to meet the changing needs of users on the network." -0-

The QMS magicolor 2 Laser Printer Family

                     Configuration                           Price

QMS magicolor 2 CX   24 MB RAM                               $3,499
                     600 dpi color/monochrome
                     QMS CrownNet for Ethernet, parallel,
                       & serial interfaces

QMS magicolor 2 EX   80 MB RAM                               $4,999
                     1200 dpi color/monochrome
                     QMS CrownNet for Ethernet, parallel,
                       & serial interfaces
                     Internal hard disk
                     Internal time-of-day clock


    Both the QMS magicolor 2 CX and magicolor 2 EX can accommodate up
to 384 MB RAM, and up to a 2.2 GB internal IDE hard disk for fonts
and forms storage, job spooling, and storage of the job accounting
file.  The QMS magicolor 2 CX can be upgraded to 1200 dpi printing
with a Multi-Res option and added printer RAM.  Other options include
a 250-sheet lower paper feeder; a universal paper cassette for legal
paper; Token-Ring, DECnet(tm), LocalTalk(r), and SCSI interfaces; 8, 16,
32, 64, and 128 MB SIMM modules, and a time-of-day clock for
accounting.

Price and Availability

    Both the QMS magicolor 2 Laser Print Systems will be available in
October, 1997.  The QMS magicolor 2 CX Laser Print System has a
reference price of $3,499.  The QMS magicolor 2 EX Laser Print System
is available for $4,999.

QMS, Inc.

    QMS develops and manufactures document printing solutions for the
world's most demanding applications.  These innovative products and
services include color and monochrome print systems, complete imaging
solutions, and a host of technologies that seamlessly bridge the gaps
that exist in virtually all enterprise information environments.  QMS
employs a rich array of technical assets and two decades of
experience to deliver the most adaptable, most powerful and most
cost-effective products in the industry.
    QMS products are available in the U.S. directly from QMS, Inc.
and its network of authorized distributors and resellers.  Outside
the U.S., QMS products are available from authorized QMS
distributors.  QMS, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol AQM.

Editors Note:
If your publication prints direct reader contact information,
please use the following:

QMS, Inc.                         QMS, Inc. Canada
One Magnum Pass                   2600 Skymark Avenue, Building 5
Mobile, AL 36618                  Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5B2
800/523-2696 or 334/633-4300      905/206-0848

            QMS Internet Address (http://www.qms.com)

QMS, the QMS logo, Crown, CrownAdmin, CrownNet, CrownView, magicolor, Multi-Res, and Qcolor are trademarks or registered trademarks of QMS. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective manufacturers.

Statements made by the Company's management which are intended to be "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (words and phrases such as "expects", "will continue", "should", "is anticipated", "estimate", "hope", or expressions of similar nature denote uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results presently anticipated or projected. QMS wishes to caution listeners not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

CONTACT: A&R Partners

Allen Bush, 650/363-0982

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