RAMSEY, N.J. & FOSTER CITY, Calif.--June 22, 2006-- Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. and EFI, the world leader in digital controllers, superwide format printers and inks, and print management solutions, today announced the availability of the next-generation, industry-leading embedded Fiery server designed for the 50 pages per minute (ppm) bizhub PRO(TM) C500. The new Fiery IC-405 delivers exceptional color, productivity, flexibility and security with such innovative features as EFI ColorWise, new Fiery SmartRIP technology, LDAP support and tight integration with Konica Minolta utilities. The IC-405 for the bizhub PRO C500 is ideally suited for "power" PDF and Microsoft Office (particularly PowerPoint) users and other customers in demanding corporate as well as creative color environments. "Precision color, consistent high quality output and workflow innovation make the Fiery tremendously popular with our customers," said Kevin P. Kern, vice president, product planning and development, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. "And now the Fiery IC-405 is available to deliver great value to bizhub PRO C500 customers, empowering 'power office' and other color-centric environments with high image quality and greater productivity and security that improves the bottom line." The Fiery IC-405 joins a robust line of optional EFI solutions designed for Konica Minolta customers, including the Fiery IC-303 for the 65 ppm color bizhub PRO C6500 high-end production class system (which will be available in late 2006), the Fiery IC-406 for the new 35 ppm bizhub(TM) C352, and EFI MicroPress ProSeries, among other innovative EFI solutions. Highlights of the Fiery IC-405 designed for the bizhub PRO C500 include: Brilliant, Easy Color "Out of the Box" In designing the IC-405, EFI recognized the importance of consistent corporate color and ease of use in achieving professional-level color in "power office" environments. The Fiery IC-405 features ColorWise, the EFI in-RIP color management system, delivering consistent color across applications, computer platforms, color spaces, and color file formats. ColorWise includes automated functionality and expert controls for managing color, productivity and automating color document workflow. The EFI Color Profiler is available as an option for finer control over color and print quality. Particularly relevant in achieving corporate colors, Spot-On measures and manages spot colors, and is also available as an option. Increased Productivity The IC-405 includes the new Fiery SmartRIP technology, which combines intelligent processing with the efficient utilization of the latest in hardware to significantly accelerate RIPing performance, ensuring the fastest possible processing speeds for all hardware configurations. Fiery Office Accelerator technology dramatically speeds printing of Microsoft Office and Adobe applications. And to further improve productivity in the office, the IC-405 features Native Document Conversion, which enables printing a Word/Excel/PowerPoint document without a printer driver. Particularly beneficial in the repetitive workflows inherent in offices, EFI Hot Folders and Virtual Printers are optional applications that increase printing automation. Available with the IC-405 is the recently launched EFI Desktop SE, a powerful new Fiery solution that allows users to instantly organize, manage, find and share all of their paper and digital documents. Robust Security EFI Fiery technology is an open architecture and adheres to industry standard certification policies and network authentication protocols. With its extensive security features designed to eliminate its unauthorized operation and reduce costs and down time, the IC-405 is readily accepted by even the most critical MIS/IT organizations, including the government. The Fiery IC-405 incorporates strong security utilities ranging from limiting who has access to the controller -- with such features as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) Filtering support, Port Blocking, and LDAP Authentication, to securing the data itself -- with such features as SNMP V3 (Simple Network Management Protocol, Version 3), SSL (Secure Socket Layer) support, Certificate Management, Encryption of Critical Information, and the optional Secure Erase feature, which removes all traces of job data from the Fiery hard disk drive. Enhanced Flexibility Fiery NetWise(TM) features an innovative design that virtually guarantees easy connectivity and ensures seamless integration in any network environment including "peer-to-peer" (SMB) support for Windows workstation printing, and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) support for directory or a global address book access. The Fiery IC-405 features IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) support and can be readily installed into IPv6 environments. A requirement for Government sites, IPv6 expands on the current Internet Protocol standard, offering better addressing, security and other features to support large worldwide networks. "Konica Minolta and EFI have a long, successful history of together providing innovative high-value solutions for our customers," said Frank Mallozzi, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. "The new Fiery IC-405 is well-positioned to continue that success. The powerful embedded Fiery tools for exceptional color, productivity, flexibility and security delivers exceptional value and make the bizhub PRO C500 ideal for customers in graphics-intensive, 'power' offices environments." Availability The optional IC-405, among the Fiery servers and other EFI solutions designed for Konica Minolta customers, is available through Konica Minolta's North American direct sales, authorized dealer and value-added reseller channels.