SEATTLE, Sept. 25, 2003 – Alliant Software Inc., a provider of engineering, porting and integration services, has partnered with Intermate A/S, a worldwide supplier of IBM connectivity solutions for printer manufacturers. The collaboration has also launched the Alliant Advantage Program, designed to benefit printer manufacturers through Alliant Software's relationships with technology suppliers serving the printing industry. Alliant Software's partnership with Intermate gives Alliant Software access to Intermate's IPDS (Intelligent Printer Data Stream) Ultra software, based on IBM's IPDS graphical printing language for controlled distributed printing from mainframe (s/390, zSeries) and midrange systems (AS/400, iSeries). Alliant Software will provide customization, integration, testing and certification services to Intermate's future IPDS licensees for including the technology in laser printers, copiers and multifunction printers. Under the partnership, licensees will have the opportunity to contract with Alliant Software to integrate Intermate's technology into the device controller which may or may not have other PDLs (Page Description Language) such as PCL and PostScript. "We talked to Intermate about joining the Alliant Advantage Program as an IPDS partner because the company stands alone as having developed an IPDS solution suitable for embedding in printer controllers, rather than in host-based systems," said Gordon Hanson, president of Alliant Software. "Intermate's technology is a true interpreter as opposed to a converter that depends on the use of another PDL like PostScript or PCL. Intermate supplies proven IPDS technology directly and indirectly to a number of leaders in the printer/MFP market, including Lexmark, Ricoh and Kyocera Mita." "Partnering with Alliant will boost our ability to help customers quickly enter the market with IPDS-compliant printers," said David Too, vice president of Intermate North America. "The IBM connectivity marketplace has continued to grow over the years to the point where printer manufacturers can no longer ignore its revenue potential. At Intermate, we've been focused on the IPDS market for more than 20 years, and we believe we have the most widely used IPDS implementation in the world. We see growth opportunities in several areas including multifunction printers and high-speed monochrome printers. The growth of IPDS is exemplified by the continued investment in IPDS by IBM through technologies such as two-dimensional bar codes and color support. Intermate will maintain its leadership role in IPDS integration."