PANASONIC SHIPPING ITS FIRST COLOR DESKTOP SCANNER

High Resolution Input Device Offers Single Pass Capture, 24-bit Color And
Industry Standard Compatibility

NEW YORK, June 28, 1994--Panasonic Communications and Systems Company, a
division of Matsushita Electric Corp. of America, is now shipping a new
color scanner with 24-bit, 300 x 600 dots per inch (dpi) resolution that
now joins the company's line of gray scale scanners and optical drives in
an increasingly formidable array of imaging solutions.

"Desktop imaging is among the top growth categories in computer products,"
said Tim Curran, vice-president for Panasonic's computer products group.
"As the market continues to expand in product categories and technology,
Panasonic will continue to provide the cutting edge solutions."

The new scanner, the FX-RS308C, shows the rapid pace with which imaging
products are combining leading edge technology with ease-of-use. Used to
input color photography and other existing color images as well as
monochrome documents, scanners -- like the Panasonic addition to the
market announced today -- capture these images as a series of minuscule
dots which collectively recreate the picture in a digital format known as
a raster file. These files can then be manipulated using sophisticated
editing software, altering the image's appearance or enhancing its
clarity, for instance. The scanners also turn the images into files
readable by desktop publishing and other similar software. The photos can
then become part of computer generated presentations, archivable files,
and other computer generated documents.

Until relatively recently, scanners were used almost exclusively in
sophisticated publishing applications, or the digital storage of existing
documents such as building plans or legal papers. However, like most
technologies, the price of these scanning systems dropped and they started
to appear on individual desktops, rather than as shared office machines.

Panasonic's new scanner, while offering excellent technical specifications
-- resolution at 300 x 600 dpi and 24 bit color output -- also
demonstrates the increased flexibility of these desktop units. The scanner
is a single pass image capture unit, ships with a TWAIN driver and
directly supports TIFF, PCX and most popular file formats. The single pass
feature reduces the scanning speed to four milliseconds a line and the
driver and extensive file format support mean the scanner will create
files that can be read by almost any leading publishing or photo editing
package. The scanner is also ASPI compatible, ending the need for a
proprietary SCSI interface.

Subtle form factor features also promote greater ease of use. The scanner's
flatbed design ensures more accurate alignment and makes it easier to scan
books, magazines and other bound media. The removable cover also
eliminates any restriction on the size of book or other media the scanner
can handle.

Through certain hardware capabilities accessed by Panasonic's exclusive
Panascan Plus Imaging Software, users can control an image's level of
brightness (it offers 63 different levels) and contrast (it has seven
levels). These controls allow users to alter how the printed image
appears. For example, the image may be a very dark photograph when
scanned, but after slight alterations in contrast and brightness the
printed image may be much lighter.

The scanner is capable of producing images in 16.7 million different
colors, as well as 256 levels or shades of gray, thus creating a finely
contrasted 'black & white' image as well as 64 shades of half-tones.

The scanner is available now through authorized Panasonic computer
distributors, resellers and system integrator resellers. The FX-RS308C
carries a suggested retail price of $999. The company also offers a
software upgrade kit which provides TWAIN support for the color scanner,
as well as for Panasonic's gray scale scanners. The upgrade, the
FX-SS183W, has a suggested retail price of $40.00.

In the United States, Panasonic Communications & Systems Company markets an
extensive line of office automation equipment that also includes: optical
disk drives; dot matrix, compact page and laser personal printers; color
thermal printers; color monitors; optical filing products; electronic
filing systems; office copiers; electronic whiteboards; electronic
typewriters; facsimile machines; personal communications systems,
point-of-sale systems; digital pagers; business telephone systems; and
notebook computers through Panasonic Personal Computer Co.

Panasonic Communications & Systems Company
Two Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094
1-800-742-8086 or 201-348-7000

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