Seiko SLP 450 Prints Labels in as Little as 1 Second

NEW SEIKO INSTRUMENTS DESKTOP LABEL PRINTER GENERATES BARCODE, ENVELOPE OR
FILE FOLDER LABELS, NAME TAGS IN AS LITTLE AS ONE SECOND

SLP 450 Offers Improved Speed, Network Connectivity, 2D Barcode Printing

TORRANCE, Calif. – April 25, 2006 – Business and home/office products
supplier Seiko Instruments USA, the pioneer of the one-label-at-a-time
“smart” printer, is shipping a new model in its flagship Smart Label
Printer (SLP) line, offering higher resolution and a print speed of
approximately one second per label.

Seiko Instruments’ new SLP 450 adds 2D barcode printing and improved
network connectivity, pumping out high-quality, professional-looking labels
that can include patient or customer information, bar codes for storing,
shipping or inventory tracking, as well as text and graphics for labeling
office files or cabinets. The printer also will generate name tags with the
company logo for reception desk visitors or office events. In a home
environment, the SLP 450 will label home office file folders, boxes or bins
storing projects for the kids or fancy name tags for parties.

Generating a label in approximately one second, the new SLP 450 delivers
top-of-the-industry performance, creating top-quality labels, incorporating
text, graphics or barcodes in a wide range of sizes, and in high resolution
– 300 dpi. The high-speed SLP 450 is the first of a series of new printers,
as well as time-saving new kinds of labels, compatible with either the
Windows or Mac environment, coming from Seiko Instruments USA in 2006. “The
SLP 450 demonstrates our continued focus and commitment to offering
top-of-the-line label printers that increase productivity,” Dennis Cox,
director of sales and marketing, Business and Home/Office Products
Division, Seiko Instruments USA, said. “Our new SLP is a great time-saver
at home or in the office. It’s a workhorse product that lets the user
quickly generate high-quality, customized labels.”

Seiko Instruments Smart Label Printers import text and graphics from most
Mac and PC applications directly to a variety of adhesive or paper labels
up to 2 1/8 inches wide for marking items such as envelopes, files, storage
boxes, floppy or Zip disks, video cassettes or 35 mm slides. The
SmartCapture feature lets the user instantly “grab” an address or other
text from standard desktop computing applications, such as Word, Act!,
Goldmine, Palm Desktop and Outlook. No typing is required. Just a single
mouse click, and the information is sent to the printer.

The lightweight and portable label printers also make great name tags and
ID badges for parties, trade shows, conferences and other business or
social events.

With the SLP 450, users can now print 2D barcodes, which contain more
information than conventional one-dimensional barcodes by making use of the
vertical dimension to pack in more data. In a hospital setting, for
instance, a single 2D barcode might include such data as patient name,
account number, treating physician, blood type, date of admittance and
more. In a shipping situation for any industry, the 2D barcode could
provide information such as name, street, city, state and zip code for both
the shipper and addressee, and keep it all confidential, within what
appears to be just a bunch of black blocks and lines to the naked eye.
Improved networking functionality allows the SLP 450 to be connected by USB
or serial port at an individual user’s desktop or centrally as a network
printer, letting multiple users in a large office access the printer
without it being tied to a single computer.

Because just a single label can be created and printed as needed, costs are
kept down, the process is efficient and there are no wasted sheets of
labels. Direct thermal printing technology also eliminates the need for
expensive inks, ribbons or toner.

Seiko Instruments SLPs make handy desktop companions for administrative
personnel in virtually any professional setting, from small businesses to
large corporations, and across many vertical industries – education,
healthcare/medical, government, consulting, business/professional services,
retail, real estate, accounting and legal.

Operating System Compatibility

Seiko Instruments Smart Label Printers are compatible with Windows 2000,
Windows XP, Mac OS 10.2 and higher, Power Macintosh G3/G4 and iMac, making
printing labels from nearly any Windows or Mac application quick and easy.

Pricing, Availability & Distribution

The SLP 450 will be available in May at an estimated street price (ESP) of
$189 at leading retailers including Fry’s Electronics, CompUSA and Micro
Center, at the company’s web site at www.siibusinessproducts.com and
through leading online resellers such as Buy.com and CDW. VARs, integrators
and other resellers can also place orders through national computer
products distributors Ingram-Micro, D&H and United Stationers.

The 2D barcode software will be available a few weeks after release of the
hardware. Customers who buy the SLP 450 beforehand can easily add the
software for free by downloading it from the company website.

About Seiko Instruments USA Inc. (SIU)

Seiko Instruments USA’s Business and Home/Office Products Division produces
end user products designed to enhance productivity in small business, home
office and a variety of vertical industry settings. The company’s products
are sold through computer dealers, office and computer superstores, mail
order and online catalogs in the Americas, Europe, Australia and South
Africa. SIU headquarters are in Torrance, Calif. For more information,
visit our web site at www.siibusinessproducts.com.