GREENWOOD, S.C., March 7, 2003 - Fuji Photo Film, Inc. announced today a $100 million expansion of the company’s PS Plate factory to include production of the Fujifilm’s Brillia line of computer-to-plate (CTP) printing plates for the graphic arts industry. The announcement was made today, during a special ceremony at the Fujifilm Complex in Greenwood, S.C. “Use of digital CTP printing plates in the U.S. and Canada has grown ten-fold in the past four years and now accounts for more than 50 percent of the market because they substantially increase our customers’ efficiency and productivity,” said Harry Watanabe, president of Fuji Photo Film, Inc. “This expansion will allow us to expand CTP production to meet the growing needs of our North American customers.” Construction will begin immediately and completion is scheduled before the end of 2004. As more and more printers and pre-press houses move to an all digital workflow, manufacturers in the graphic arts industry are seeing an ever-increasing demand for CTP devices and consumables. Fujifilm is responding to that demand with a new production line dedicated entirely to CTP platemaking. The new factory will add more than 100,000 sq. ft. of space and will have the capability and flexibility to manufacture both thermal and photopolymer plates as well as a wide variety of conventional PS plates. “We’re very please that we’ll be producing both our Brillia and PS plate systems here in the United States,” commented Tim Combs, vice president and general manager of Fujifilm Graphic Systems Division. “The computer-to-plate market has grown radically in recent years and Fujifilm remains committed to providing our industry with the technologies they need. This new plate line is just a part of that commitment.” Fujifilm’s Brillia line of digital plates boasts both consistency and reliability, giving users the confidence they need in today’s competitive market. This family of plates also features Fujifilm’s proprietary MG-MultiGrain technology that yields outstanding printing efficiency, rich tone reproduction, long press life and simple platemaking. The Brillia line of CTP plates includes: • The Brillia LH-PI: a medium-run, positive working thermal CTP plate that does not require pre-baking or post-baking. • The Brillia LH-NI: a long-run, negative working thermal CTP plate, requiring pre-bake and post-bake to ensure on-press durability. • The Brillia LH-N3: a high-speed photopolymer CTP plate designed to provide optimum performance on platesetters using AR-ION lasers or green FD-YAG lasers. • The Brillia LP-NV: a high-speed photopolymer plate, which will hold halftone dots ranging from 2% to 98% at 200 lpi and is rated at 200,000 impressions. • The Brillia LP-NN: a high-productivity photopolymer plate designed specifically to meet the speed and consistency requirements of the newspaper market. All of the plates are made by applying a complex grain structure - consisting of primary grains, honeycomb grains and micropores - to an aluminum base. This aluminum base provides water receptivity that ensures an easy-to-maintain ink and water balance, along with minimum dot gain on press. These plates are part of a full product line, including film and scanning devices as well as proofing systems and platesetters, designed to increase productivity. Fujifilm-South Carolina will also continue manufacturing Fujifilm’s PS-Plate System, a world leader in quality as well as batch-to-batch consistency. Thanks to the same MG-MultiGrain technology used in the Brillia digital plates, the PS-Plate System also gives users confidence in the plate’s reproduction capabilities as well as its printing efficiency. Fujifilm’s specially developed surface-coating technique provides the photosensitive layer with a unique matte surface that greatly reduces vacuum time and eliminates halation and loss of contact. Additionally, the matte surface helps increase efficiency by minimizing draw-down time and remakes.