PANASONIC DEBUTS NEW LINE OF LASER PRINTERS

6000 Series printers pack big value in minitower design

Secaucus, NJ -- Panasonic Communications & Systems Company (PCSC), a
division of Matsushita Electric Corp. of America, introduces its new
KX-P6000 family of high-performance laser printers. The series includes
the KX-P6100, targeted for the personal Windows user; the KX-P6500, a
peer-to-peer workgroup laser printer that offers dual emulations for
Windows and DOS environments; and the KX-P6600, a PCL Se personal laser
with 45 built-in scalable fonts.

At the heart of all 6000 Series printers is the company's new proprietary
laser engine, which, according to Timothy J. Curran, vice president of
Panasonic's Computer Products Group, is one of the principal reasons why
the units produce a degree of resolution in excess of their actual dpi
specification. Says Curran, "Although the specifications for the 6100 are
officially 1200 dpi by 300 dpi, with the engine and its Edge Enhancement
Technology (EET), the print quality is clearly in the 600 dpi class.
Similarly, the 6500 and 6600 specifications read 2400 dpi by 600 dpi, but
one would have difficulty detecting any print quality insufficiency
compared to 1200 dpi-rated printers. The edge-smoothing technology in
these printers is that good; so good that the way we evaluate and rate
printer resolution should perhaps be reexamined."

The 6000 Series printers are extremely easy to use. "Once a 6000 Series
printer is connected and the user has a chance to become familiar with its
operation, the manual may never again need to be consulted," said Gary
Bailer, national sales and marketing manager for Panasonic's printer
division. The KX-P6100 and KX-P6500 are optimized for Windows. Both
utilize the processing power in the PC to produce a document, resulting in
ultra-fast WYSIWYG Windows printing. Users merely point and click from the
Windows utility software to perform tasks such as two-sided printing,
printing multiple pages on a single sheet, scaling from 10% to 500%, and
overlaying a text or graphic element on top of other text. A status
display screen monitors all printing functions, and a lively, animated
help screen actually walks the user through the steps required to perform
maintenance tasks or to correct a print condition. In addition, a photo
enhancement feature incorporates brightness and contrast adjustments for
optimum performance.

The KX-P6600 also allows users to access the printer through the PC instead
of bothering with clumsy panel buttons to change printer settings. The
KX-P6600 comes bundled with "EZ Set Screen for DOS" software, consisting
of three applications: "Script Consultant" explains how to solve problems
as a user's manual would; "Control Panel" allows the user to view and
change printer settings right on screen; and "Status Display"
automatically displays messages from the printer to the computer when an
error occurs. In addition, the KX-P6600 comes with a Windows driver that
uses a tabular format for modifying printer settings. Set up as a series
of folders with tabs labeled "Paper", "Graphics", and "Options", users
merely click on the tabs to access options such as paper size, resolution,
density, ORT mode, and toner saver. The "Alert" tab allows the user to add
an audible warning whenever a printing problem occurs.

Space is another major selling point of the 6000 Series printers. Their
footprint, at 14.9" x 5.2", is only slightly larger than a sheet of legal
paper; this unique, upright, minitower design allows them to be easily
kept right on the desktop, providing optimum convenience.
All models are EPA Energy Star compliant. Power Save reduces electrical
consumption by slipping into sleep mode after 15 minutes of non-activity,
at which time the printers are completely silent. TonrSavR and a
refillable toner cartridge reduce toner consumption and cost up to 50%. In
standby mode, the printers are completely silent.

The Series' models are all covered by a limited one-year hassle-free
exchange warranty, whereby the user can call a Panasonic technician at
1-800-222-0584 if a problem occurs. Once a warranty-covered problem is
diagnosed, a replacement unit is shipped within one business day, and the
original printer is picked up within a matter of days.

In the United States, Panasonic Communications & Systems Company, a
division of Matsushita Electric Corp. of America, markets an extensive
line of office automation equipment that includes: laser, dot matrix,
compact page and thermal color printers; multifunction devices; multimedia
speakers; color monitors; optical disk and storage devices; gray scale and
color scanners; electronic filing systems; office copiers; electronic
whiteboards; electronic typewriters; facsimile machines; digital pagers;
personal communication systems; point-of-sale systems; business telephone
systems and notebook computers through Panasonic Personal Computer
Company.

Panasonic Communications & Systems Company
Two Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094
1-800-742-8086 or 201-348-7000
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email: rbakerpc@delphi.com  -or- RBakerPC (on AOL/Delphi)
 =========================================================
