LONG BEACH, Calif.--Reinforcing its position as the world leader in impact printers, Epson America today announced a new addition to its award-winning line of products -- the EPSON LQ-680Pro. Engineered for mission-critical tasks such as printing tickets, receipts, checks, labels and more, this printer offers 38 percent faster output than its predecessor, the EPSON LQ-670, and can print on forms up to six parts thick. Using a straight paper path and flatbed feed design, the LQ-680Pro offers more efficient printing and minimizes paper jams that can waste valuable time and expensive forms. Epson's Automatic Platen Gap (APG) technology senses the thickness of multiple-part forms and automatically adjusts the distance between the print head and printer platen -- APG prevents damage to the pins from unnecessary force. "The LQ-680Pro is an outstanding product and a perfect replacement to the EPSON LQ-670 or any other flatbed printer," said John Brunson, product manager, SIDM printers, Epson. "The fact that you get blazing speed and increased durability without sacrificing performance, makes this a perfect solution for any company's impact printing needs." The LQ-680Pro's innovative 24-pin design enables the print head to operate faster than most impact printers -- delivering speeds up to 413 characters per second in high-speed draft mode, with a print head life expectancy rated up to 400 million strokes per wire. Furthermore, the rugged LQ-680Pro features an unprecedented 10,000 power-on-hours (POH) mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) rating, assuring users that it will be a long time before they even need to think about replacing the unit. Priced at $570 (suggested retail price), the LQ-680Pro offers exceptional paper handling capabilities, including friction and push tractor feeds as well as optional cutsheet and roll paper handling. With its font versatility and sharp output, the printer delivers high-quality, professional text ideal for business correspondence. The LQ-680Pro also supports the latest versions of Windows from 3.1 through Windows Me and NT 4.0.