March 9, 1992 -- BOSTON -- Pacific Data Products, a leading manufacturer of
printer peripherals, today announced ProTracer, a personal CAD printer
that produces both large drawings and standard text documents at a
breakthrough price. ProTracer can produce fast, high quality C-size
(17x22") plots or laser quality office documents on standard office paper.
"It's like having your HP LaserJet IIIP also produce high speed C-size
drawings at no extra cost", said Mick O Rourke, vice president of
marketing for Pacific Data Products of San Diego, California.

ProTracer combines an Intel i960 RISC-based controller and a high
performance Canon engine to produce final quality C-size drawings in less
than five minutes -- a fraction of the time required by pen plotters.

One of the most valuable features of ProTracer is its upgradeability. By
adding HP-GL and/or PostScript emulation cards, the user can customize the
printer to match his software application. An architect who just uses
AutoCAD would buy the base model for $1,499. A mechanical engineer who
wants HP-GL would add 2 MB of memory and an HP-GL cartridge for a total
system cost of $1,999. And a user integrating a drawing into a PostScript
document might add 8 MB of memory and a PostScript emulation card for a
total system price of $2,897.

Thanks to the inherent low cost of inkjet technology, ProTracer has no
competition in its price range according to industry analyst, Angele Boyd,
International Data Corporation. For example, B-size laser or thermal
printers cost from $7,000 to $15,000. Other technologies also require
special, expensive supplies or paper. ProTracer supports commonly used
media such as plain and bond paper, plotter paper and vellum.

Personal Desktop Device

Today CAD designers often suffer the choice of a small A-size laser or a
slow, expensive pen plotter. ProTracer is the bridge between these
products. It is capable of handling regular letter or A-size documents
thus providing professional looking specifications, proposals and
correspondence on the same printer that is used for final quality B and
C-size drawings. In addition, ProTracer operates quietly and has a small
footprint, covering about the same area as a LaserJet III. At one fourth
the cost of large pen plotters, ProTracer is the perfect personal printing
device for any CAD user.

High Quality Output

At 360x360 dpi, users get sharp, crisp lines and exceptionally smooth
curves. Area fills are solid with no banding or streaking. The many
designers who output on a $20,000 E-size Versatec electrostatic plotter
can produce the same drawing reduced to C-size on ProTracer without any
loss of readability.

For check plots, ProTracer also supports an even higher speed mode that
prints at 180 dpi. Users can easily switch between modes from the
printer's front panel or directly from their computer using the host
interface software provided with the printer.

Broad Paper Handling Capabilities

ProTracer handles all types of commonly used media including plain paper,
plotter paper and vellum. Two optional sheet feeders make it possible to
feed A and B-size cut sheet paper or business size envelopes
automatically. ProTracer also accepts cut sheet paper up to 17 inches wide
and continuous feed fan-fold paper through its manual feed tray.

Technology

ProTracer's writing technology is based on bubble jet (inkjet) technology
developed by Canon, Inc. This is the same technology provided by Canon for
use in the IBM ExecJet and Apple StyleWriter business printers. The bubble
jet printing system is excellent for office environments or desktop use
because it operates quietly and requires little maintenance.

ProTracer's printer controller includes Intel's i960 microprocessor for
fast printing and processing time, and two optional card slots directly
accessible to the user.

Standard Features

ProTracer comes standard with Epson LQ-1050 and IBM Proprinter XL24E
emulations, Centronics and serial interface ports, AutoDesk Device
Interface (ADI) driver for AutoCAD releases 10 and 11, and 512K of printer
memory.

Options and Expandability

Upgrade options include a PostScript language emulation card that provides
broad graphics and font support, and an HP-GL card which provides 7585
emulation to access advanced plotter features. Memory expansion boards are
available in 2, 4, and 8 MB configurations as well as an AppleTalk
interface for Macintosh users. These options can be easily installed by
the user by inserting the emulation card or memory board into the
expansion slots on the printer.

Warranty and Service

ProTracer offers a one year warranty and provides next day service
replacement of any defective unit by calling Pacific Data Technical
Support at (619) 587-4690. The plotter also carries PDP's 60-day money
back guarantee of satisfaction.

Distribution

ProTracer will be available through PDP's existing PC channel distribution
and CAD VARs beginning in April, 1992. Special VAR and indirect dealer
programs will be available through Pacific Partners, PDP's Reseller
Program.

Price and Availability ProTracer $1,499

Base unit includes Epson LQ-1050 and IBM Proprinter XL24E emulations,
Centronics and serial interface ports, AutoDesk Device Interface (ADI)
driver for AutoCAD releases 10 and 11, and 512K of printer memory

ProTracer with HP-GL Option      $ 1,999

Includes ProTracer unit (as described above), HP-GL emulation card and 2 MB
memory upgrade board

Optional Accessories 

HP-GL (7585) emulation card                      $ 399
PostScript language emulation card                 499
AppleTalk Interface (requires PostScript card)     199
2 MB Memory Expansion Board                        299
4 MB Memory Expansion Board                        499
8 MB Memory Expansion Board                        899
Sheet Feeder I                                     149
Sheet Feeder II                                    129
Ink cartridge                                       26

Availability:  April 3, 1992


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