FARGO^® Revolutionizes CD-R Market with New Signature^TM Full-Color, Full-Image CD-R Printer.

"CD-R technology has made significant advances in the past year," said FARGO's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Mark D. Strobel. "FARGO has made a firm commitment to this technology and market with Signature. We've built on our previous success and expertise in color page and ID card printers to develop a new printer that produces sharp, full-color images on CD-Rs."

• New Technology Brings Reliability and Durability

  Utilizing an innovative thermal ink-jet printing technology, Signature produces crisp, clean text and bold, brilliant graphics directly on printable-surface CD-R media. FARGO's Signature-branded CD-Rs feature a unique protective coating called Tuff-Coat(TM) (patent pending). Tuff-Coat, developed exclusively by FARGO engineers, eliminates smearing and fading and is highly water-resistant. Whether customers select Signature's Tuff-Coat CD-R media or other printable-surface media, they now avoid the traditional hassles and quality problems associated with other labeling methods. For example, solvent-based felt tip markers and paper stick-on labels often look unprofessional and can damage CDs and CD-ROM drives. Using Signature and the unique Tuff-Coat CD-R media, CDs dry immediately, saving valuable time, while maintaining print quality and protecting the integrity of the data and CD drive.
  
  

• Full-Color, Full-Image Printing

  In addition, Signature offers the ultimate flexibility for customizing and printing CDs. Using popular Windows(TM) or Macintosh(R) graphics programs, users can print almost anywhere on their CDs. From one-color labeling providing easy identification, to fun and creative designs for an added splash, Signature's high resolution, 24-bit printing delivers a fast, affordable and professional image in approximately one minute (coverage dependent). Signature offers two resolution settings, 300 x 300 dpi or 600 x 300 dpi and prints up to 16.7 million colors or black monochrome. Signature's ink cartridges are available in 3-color (C,M,Y) for $52.95 (MSRP) and black monochrome (K) for $39.95 (MSRP). Available in white or silver surface colors, blank Signature CD-Rs are sold in packages of five for $47.50 (MSRP) or 50 for $475.00 (MSRP).
  
  

• Complete CD Package Printing

  In addition to printing on the CD-R discs, Signature also enables users to print full-color images, graphics and text directly onto CD jewel case inserts and booklets, thus providing one-stop CD personalizing and packaging. Unlike any of its competitors, Signature is the first printer to provide both CD-R and jewel case material printing. This dual printing option allows users to print colorful images and graphics as well as vital information about the CD such as title names, track numbers and copyright information on the jewel case insert and booklet. Pre-perforated, pre-sized jewel case inserts are available from FARGO. And, for users wishing to test out their new designs prior to printing on their printable-surface CD-R media, FARGO also offers cardboard CD templates, $24.95 (MSRP), to ensure a perfect layout on final printing.
  
  

• Diverse Applications

  "With Signature's attractive price point, the printer is available to virtually anyone utilizing CDs for recording and storing data, software, audio or images," said Strobel.

  Typical applications and industries for Signature include advertising, architecture, corporate computing, data archiving, graphic design, medicine, multimedia, professional audio recording and software engineering.
  
  

• Multi-Platform and Features

  Compatible with Windows 3.1/ Windows 95 or Macintosh (PowerPC accelerated), Signature is available with either a Centronics-type parallel interface or a Macintosh high-speed serial interface. For industrial, in-line CD-R manufacturing environments, Signature is also available with a transporter interface (specifications available upon request). Minimum system requirements for Signature include 486/66MHz or Pentium, 8MB RAM, 100MB free hard drive space for Windows or 68030 processor or PowerPC, 8MB RAM, 100MB free hard drive space for Macintosh.

The Signature CD Color Printer and Tuff-Coat CD-R media are available through FARGO's worldwide network of Authorized Resellers. For further information and sample output, contact FARGO at 1-800-205-5852. Outside the USA and Canada, call (612) 941-9470 or FAX (612) 941-7836. World Wide Web users can gather entire product line information and contact FARGO through the FARGO Web site: http://www.fargo.com.

Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn., FARGO Electronics is a leading developer and manufacturer of dye-sublimation and wax thermal transfer color page printers, ID card printers and color CD printers. Its popular FotoFUN!(TM) Digital Color Photo Printer, PrimeraPro(TM) and Pictura(TM) Color Printers are among the best-selling dye-sublimation printers in the world today.

Notes to Editors: All prices quoted in this news release are Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices in the USA. Actual dealer price may vary. FotoFUN!, PrimeraPro, Pictura, Signature and Tuff-Coat are trademarks and FARGO is a registered trademark of FARGO Electronics, Incorporated. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective companies.

© Copyright 1997 FARGO Electronics, Inc.