Dye-Sublimation Technology Produces Exceptional Color Prints in Record Time

Melville, New York, August 29, 2003 – Olympus America today announced two new dye-sublimation printers that make fast, affordable, high quality photo printing available to digital photographers of all levels seeking an array of print sizes. With the Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer and P-440 Digital Photo Printer, photographers can transform their homes, offices or any location into photo labs with the same dye-sublimation technology used in professional laboratory processing.

“Olympus is committed to helping digital photographers achieve superior quality prints from the shots they’ve taken, no matter what skill level they’re up to or what size they wish to print,” said Tiger Niimura, Product Manager for Digital Products, Olympus America. “Dye-sublimation printing is the gold standard of the printer market, and the P-10 and P-440 are dye-sub printers specially crafted for both beginning and advanced digital photographers to use and enjoy.”

Fast and Versatile Printing
Responding to the needs of the vast majority of digital enthusiasts, Olympus designed the compact P-10 Digital Printer for high quality prints at the fastest speed possible. The P-10 is designed to produce vivid 4" x 6" (approx.) or 3.5" x 5" photo-lab-quality, edge-to-edge color prints with or without borders in less than 45 seconds – making it the fastest dye-sublimation printer of its kind on the market today. Because the P-10 prints at the most popular sizes, there’s no need to use a scissors to trim prints.

The P-10 also offers the convenience of PictBridge technology, which makes prints instantly by connecting an enabled digital camera directly to the printer without using a personal computer. This frees up the printer to be placed anywhere an electrical outlet exists.

The P-440 Digital Photo Printer is a workhorse that can print at a wide range of sizes and has a breadth of creative options and image editing tools that pros and advanced enthusiasts will appreciate. The P-440 produces five different print sizes up to true 8" x 10" in only 75 seconds for either glossy or matte finish print. Other P-440 print sizes include Postcard, Photo-Album, Index and A5 Wide. The P-440 can also automatically print up to 50 copies of the same image.

Prints from both the P-10 and P-440, emerge in archival condition – dry, durable and ready to share. A protective laminate overcoat resists water, scratching, moisture, fading and fingerprints.

No Dots to Connect
In contrast to inkjet printers, Olympus precision dye-sublimation printers do not lay down colors as individual dots that could be detected at close range. Instead, heat vaporizes colors that saturate the photo paper to create smooth, realistic, continuous-tone images. The vaporized colors permeate the surface of the paper, creating a gentle gradation at the edges of each pixel. Because the color infuses the paper, it is also less vulnerable to fading and distortion over time. The 24-bit color gradations of the P-440 produce a palette of approximately 16.7 million colors for outstanding photo-realistic prints.

Approachable
To make the printing process a snap, Olympus has incorporated PictBridge technology into the P-10 Digital Photo Printer so users can bypass their personal computers and connect their PictBridge-enabled digital cameras directly to the P-10 via a USB 1.1 cable. Once connected, they can begin printing right away for instant gratification. It is also possible to connect the P-10 to a PC for printing.

Similarly, the P-440 Digital Photo Printer can print directly from removable xD-Picture Card™ or PCMCIA Type II card adapter for SmartMedia™, Memory Stick™ and CompactFlash™, simply by inserting the cards into a slot on the front of the printer. This enables users to circumvent their computers for even faster downloading of images. It is also possible to connect the P-440 to a PC or Mac for printing.

The P-440 has a 1.8-inch color LCD to display the easy-to-navigate menu and then preview and select only desired images for printing. The intuitive menus provide many creative options and image-editing tools to adjust layout, sharpness and brightness, as well as to correct color. In addition, the printer includes a variety of filters, stamps, backgrounds and decorative mattings to frame prints. Connecting the P-440 to a television via video cable provides another way to preview and select images before printing.

Designed to Deliver
The compact, silver-toned, cube-like P-10 Digital Photo Printer has a bold new design, and is a mere 7.5" x 7.7", making it a stylish space-saver that’s ideal for placing on a shelf or desktop. A blue faceplate on the front of the printer has a see-through window to watch prints as they’re made.

The black P-440 Digital Photo Printer has a front panel that swings open for quick access to the dye-sub printer ribbon. This allows for a fast replacement of the ribbon, and eliminates the muss and fuss associated with inkjet heads.

Availability
The P-10 Digital Photo Printer will be available in October 2003. The P-10 comes supplied with an AC Adapter and Power Cord, Paper Tray with 3.5" x 5" Conversion Tray, Starter Kit (Ink Ribbon Cartridge for 5 prints and 5 sheets of approx. 4" x 6" paper), CD-ROM with Printer Driver, Instruction Manual, User Registration Card, and Warranty Card.

The P-440 Photo Printer will be available in October 2003. The P-440 comes supplied with an AC Adapter and Power Cord, Paper Tray, Ink Cassette (Ribbon Holder), CD-ROM (with Printer Driver, Instruction Manual, and CAMEDIA Master Editing Software), Standard Paper (5 sheets), Ink Ribbon Pack (for 5 prints), Basic Manual, User Registration Card, and Warranty Card.

ABOUT OLYMPUS
Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., with its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a global leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing optical-digital product solutions for health care and consumer segments. The company leverages R&D investment in technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines that include:

• Digital and film cameras, and digital voice recorders;
• Minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical endoscopes;
• Advanced clinical and research microscopes; and
• Chemistry-immuno analyzers and lab automation systems.

In the U. S. and Canada, Olympus America Inc. serves health care, scientific and commercial laboratory markets with integrated product solutions and financial and other service offerings and is the leading brand in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. The company’s market-leading consumer camera products and services business spans North and South America. Olympus America Inc. works collaboratively with its customers and parent company to develop state-of-the-art products and services that are innovative, intelligent, and easy to use. For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.

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