WINDSOR, Conn.--March 18, 2002-- Konica Business Technologies, Inc. (Konica), the innovation leader in digital imaging solutions and a subsidiary of Konica Corporation, today announced the Konica 7085 Production Printing System. With an output speed of 85 pages per minute (ppm), advanced image quality, enhanced production finishing capabilities, robust network connectivity, and a wide range of new functionality, the 7085 is built to handle the high-volume demands of central reprographics departments (CRD) and print-on-demand (POD) environments. Based on Konica's highly successful 7075 engine design and feature set, the 7085 utilizes a similar paper path, toner supply procedure, document feeder and touch screen control panel as its predecessor. As Konica's next-generation product, the 7085 boasts a higher maximum duty cycle of 750,000 impressions, a standard 20 GB engine hard drive, solid metal universal paper drawers, 100-sheet stapling, standard memory of 128MB, advanced connectivity with the new IP-602 print controller, scan server functionality with direct scan-to-email, and a toner yield of up to 60,000 impressions with Simitri Polymerized Toner. "The 7085 is more than just a fast machine. Designed specifically for use in high-volume environments, it combines a durable engine with the wide range of functionality needed to handle the most demanding of jobs,'' said Kevin Kern, vice president, product development and support, Konica Business Technologies, Inc. "The 7085 is truly the 'best of the best.' We have pooled together the superior engine quality and rich feature set of the 7075 with the latest advancements in connectivity and image quality to produce a machine that is the most advanced production printing system ever offered by Konica.'' Durability With a maximum monthly volume rating of up to 750,000 impressions per month and a PM cycle of 500,000 impressions, the 7085 is ideally suited for the long runs of the production printing environment. Standard 128MB (expandable to 512MB) ERDH memory and 20 GB hard drive enable users to scan a significant number of pages, plus scan "hard copy'' documents into memory for later retrieval and output, as well as for adding stamps and watermarks to the document. All paper trays are universal and are able to accommodate up to 12"x18'' paper, providing the ability to do full-bleed 11"x17''. Two optional large capacity paper trays allow for an additional 4,000 sheets of paper and are available with the choice of 8 1/2"x11'' or 12"x18'' maximum paper size. The 7085 is rated to accept paper stock from 16 lb.-110 lb. index (200 gsm), which makes it well suited for the wide range of paper types that are required in production printing environments. Connectivity The addition of the optional IP-602 print controller provides the 7085 with network printing capabilities. The IP-602 supports simplex/duplex functions and the 7085's finisher commands, including accessibility to all five paper trays, stapling, folding and saddle stitching, post-sheet insertion, punching and z-folding. The IP-602 ships with PCL5e as its standard PDL and offers optional Adobe PostScript Level 3. The standard interface is an Ethernet 10BaseT/100BaseT. The IP-602's print drivers utilize a new graphical user interface (GUI) designed to make more complex applications easier to locate and select, and includes password print, hard drive store and print functions, as well as delivering production-level finishing right from the desktop. With the 7085, Konica is also launching version 2.0 of its java-based IP Connexion Web Utility. Standard with the KN-306 network interface card, it allows users to enter the IP address of the 7085 into any Web browser and access the unit's main page. This utility can also be used to set the scan server configuration and send notification alerts to specific email addresses. Functionality Also with the IP-602, the 7085 delivers a variety of advanced scanning capabilities such as direct scan-to-email, hard disk drive (HDD) and FTP, sending the jobs to their destination in either TIFF or PDF format directly from the 7085's touch screen. In addition, the IP-602 with its PCL driver enables sheet insertion and tray switching. In late Q2, driver-based tab printing and mixplex options will also be available. Advanced finishing capabilities are offered through a choice of two new finishers, the FS-111 and FS-211. The FS-111 enables eight-position stapling for up to 100 sheets and the FS-211 combines eight-position stapling with booklet making and post-sheet insertion capabilities. The 7085 also offers modified versions of the trimmer unit, punch unit and Z-fold unit accessories from the 7075. Image Quality The 7085 is the first Segment 5 machine to use Simitri Polymerized Toner, Konica's optimized toner for the digital world. Konica's new polymerization method for creating toner allows them to control the actual size and shape of the particles, thus providing a more predictable dot pattern and higher quality result without increasing the resolution. The use of this new toner development enables Konica to rate the 7085 at up to 60,000 impressions, 5,000 impressions higher than the current 7075 model. Simitri toner also produces output that is superior to the competition even at just 400 dpi, producing more consistent halftone screens and denser solid black fills. Pricing and Availability The Konica 7085 is available through Konica's North American direct sales, authorized dealer and value-added reseller channels. The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the 7085 is $39,000. The suggested retail price for the IP-602 print controller is $3,870. The suggested retail price of the FS-111 finisher unit is $4,420 and the FS-211 is $5,880.