MALVERN, Pa.--Feb. 15, 2005-- IKON Office Solutions, the world's largest independent channel for document management systems and services, today introduced two innovative products to meet the needs of its customers: the IKON CPP(TM) 500 color solution for commercial, graphic arts and corporate print environments, and the IKON BusinessPro(TM) 500c, the industry's fastest color printing and copying system for the office. With color and black-and-white output of 50 pages per minute, the IKON systems are designed to deliver the speed, flexibility, ease-of-use and affordability that customers need to meet all of their office and production color needs. The IKON CPP 500 and IKON BusinessPro 500c were developed with Konica Minolta, building on the success of the co-branded IKON CPP 8050, which received the 2004 Better Buys for Business Editor's Choice award. The company's new products address the growing demand for color equipment, a market estimated by InfoTrends/CapVentures to reach $2.7 billion in the United States by 2008. Today, IKON offers a broad portfolio of color systems, ranging from color-capable black-and-white devices for the office to high-volume color production solutions. "Color presents the strongest opportunity for growth in our industry, and with our best-in-class product offerings, we are making significant inroads in this emerging space," said Cathy L. Lewis, senior vice president of marketing, IKON Office Solutions. "By providing color systems at various speeds and price points we are putting affordable color at customers' fingertips, whether mid-sized offices or commercial printers. We are confident the ease-of-use, performance and advanced color capabilities of the new IKON CPP 500 and IKON BusinessPro 500c will be attractive to customers looking to expand their color capabilities." Delivering High-Quality Color Both the IKON CPP 500 and the IKON BusinessPro 500c feature improved image quality, superior color and new paper-handling capabilities. Contributing to the high-speed, high-quality output of the IKON products are Konica Minolta's color engine with Simitri(TM) polymerized toner and an Electronics for Imaging (EFI) enhanced color controller. Konica Minolta's color engine ensures crisp text, smooth gradations and a professional finish while the EFI controller allows for advanced document workflow and completion of color applications. IKON will continue to partner with industry leaders to expand its portfolio. The IKON CPP 500 delivers high-speed, high-quality color documents on demand, meeting the requirements of commercial print shops, graphic arts environments and corporate print centers. The product's front-end system accommodates large files and complex workflow, including variable data, while a fully featured print engine quickly produces professionally finished document sets. "The CPP 500 offers superior color and job management capabilities, enabling graphic arts businesses to fulfill more applications and deliver high-volume color to their customers," said Lewis. The IKON BusinessPro 500c delivers strong media capabilities within a cost-effective, space-saving footprint, making it ideal for the office. The product is the first under the company's new brand - IKON BusinessPro(TM) - for office environments. Lewis added, "The IKON BusinessPro 500c brings to market a new IKON brand of products specifically designed for office environments, empowering customers to create more compelling communications for day-to-day business applications." Driven by the availability of such affordable systems, corporate workgroups and departments are increasingly taking advantage of color. InfoTrends/CAP Ventures estimates that universal copier/printers like the IKON BusinessPro 500c will account for about 90 percent of all color copier/printing systems installed in 2008. "The color and print management advances of the IKON BusinessPro 500c for the office extend the value of the IKON CPP 8050, a breakthrough technology in the industry, and further businesses' ability to take advantage of color in the workplace," said Charles A. Pesko, managing director, InfoTrends/CAP Ventures. Customers can maximize the value of their IKON color systems by employing IKON's global services organization - IKON Enterprise Services. IKON's Professional Services specialists provide ongoing color calibration, advanced forms design, data stream conversion and custom workflow in addition to objective assessments that assist customers in identifying the right document management and workflow strategy. IKON's color systems are also backed by a network of service professionals who possess, on average, more than nine years of experience and undergo over 100 hours of training annually, making them experts in color workflow. IKON BusinessPro 500c with embedded controller retails for $39,995. The IKON CPP 500 with external Fiery controller starts at $56,000. Both are immediately available throughout the United States and Canada, and will be available in Europe in March 2005. More information on the IKON BusinessPro 500c and the IKON CPP 500 can be found at http://www.ikon.com/cpp500 and http://www.ikon.com/bp500c or by calling 1-888-ASK-IKON.