Itasca, IL, July 13, 2006 – Punch Graphix, through its Xeikon brand, has announced a rental program for the Xeikon 5000 in North America. The company has undertaken this initiative to help printers overcome barriers to entry in digital printing. Punch Graphix will offer their flagship Xeikon 5000 to qualified customers at monthly payments similar to those of a five year lease with minimum terms as short as one year and no termination penalty. This initiative will enable new entrants to benefit from Xeikon’s attractive consumable cost structure without making a capital expenditure or long term commitment. Based on an April 2006 study by Caslon and Co. that considers the cost of equipment, service/maintenance and consumables, the Xeikon 5000 has the lowest cost per page for digital color presses offerings graphic arts quality output producing monthly volumes above 400,000 pages. According to Rob Mayerson, VP Digital Sales-North America, Punch Graphix Americas, “With a monthly duty cycle of 3 million pages, it is quite an accomplishment for the Xeikon 5000 to offer the lowest total cost structure when operating at only 13% of its rated capacity. When you combine a best in class consumable cost structure with a simple rental program and paper savings realized by purchasing on a roll, Xeikon offers some of the best margins in digital printing, and the entire printing industry for that matter.” According to Patrick Canavan, President and CEO, Punch Graphix Americas, “Xeikon has always been a pioneer in the digital printing industry. We have come a long way since our first commercial shipments in 1994. Today, we are offering the fourth generation of our digital print technology. From the beginning, we have focused on making digital printing economically attractive for our customers. It is an important criterion by which we measure our long-term success. This program is another step towards our commitment to digital print excellence.”