Business Color technology from Scitex selected by the 'leader in business printing' to better serve its customers NEW YORK, April 24 -- Scitex Digital Printing and Franchise Services, Inc., parent company of Sir Speedy, PIP Printing and Multicopy, announced today a strategic and collaborative relationship for developing and applying business color technology and printing systems designed to meet the franchisor's business objectives and customer needs. This collaborative relationship pairs two industry leaders in advancing new workflows techniques and applications for digital color printing -- Scitex Digital Printing is the world's leading provider of ultra high-speed digital printing solutions, and Franchise Services, Inc. is the world's leading provider of business printing. "We believe our partnership adds a unique complement to the strengths of each business," commented Nachum "Homi" Shamir, president and CEO of Scitex Digital Printing. "We named and trademarked our latest technology innovation Business Color because it is targeted for those printing jobs that require color and quality and productivity in an equation that makes economic sense. And, Sir Speedy, PIP Printing and Multicopy are experts in business printing and serving customers who need business printing. We are proud to introduce our Business Color technology to the on-demand print industry with the world's leading franchise network." The collaborative development will focus on the latest product from Scitex Digital Printing, VersaMark Vantage, which was launched April 9 at IPEX 2002, the international exhibition on print, publishing, and digital media held in Birmingham, England. Incorporating the award-winning Business Color technology, Vantage is positioned as an affordable entry into digital color printing. "VersaMark Vantage is part of our overall strategy to provide a viable alternative to offset printing," commented Eli Lubitch, corporate development officer at Scitex Digital Printing. "Our water-based continuous inkjet technology matches offset cost and productivity together with all the benefits of digital printing. As Sir Speedy, PIP Printing and Multicopy become a seamless extension to businesses around the world for digital production services, we expect full-color digital printing to become the standard in daily business communication." With more than 1000 centers around the world, the franchises of Franchise Services, Inc., invest heavily in technology to ensure its customers have the latest and best-of-practice equipment. Karl Post, spokesperson for Franchise Services, elaborated further on the objectives of his company. "Our franchises are offering businesses around the world the best and most cost- effective digital printing services. Scitex Digital Printing's Business Color allows us to accelerate the proliferation of color applications with superior productivity and affordable price. Full color digital printing was once considered a luxury for many applications. We intend to provide affordable color solutions for daily business communications." Like all products in the VersaMark product family, Vantage is designed for flexibility and adaptability to most any printing environment. It is a fully featured, integrated digital printing system capable of producing 100 percent variable data in black, spot color or CMYK process color at speed up to 708 impression per minute (325 feet per minute). Its small footprint and low operating cost per page combined with its high quality output allow lower- volume printers of transactional documents and commercial printers to add the value of digital color printing.