SCIENCE

Panasonic has established a new small-business fax-machine value proposition with the release of three multifunction laser-class fax, print and copy machines offering Super G3 fax speeds of up to four seconds per page and high-speed, professional-quality laser output.

"Many companies today still rely upon fax machines. A need to send original documents, graphics, and hand-written notes are still widely used fax applications," commented Bill Taylor, president, Panasonic System Networks Company of America. "If you request information today from a publishing or healthcare related company, you will find they offer a choice of either fax or email contact, and people still request fax. Additionally, many older established organizations have not made the jump to digital scanning and or fax-to-email applications."

The new KX-FL421, KX-FLM661 and KX-FLM671 models provide Panasonic's proprietary toner and paper-saving Junk Fax Prohibition system, 150-page maximum document transmission memory, 250-sheet input capacity and line-by-line error-correction technology. At 14.2" x 14" x 8.6", the reduced-footprint KX-FL421 is a cost-effective laser-class fax and copying solution for demanding small office environments where workloads are high and workspace is at a premium. In addition to Super G3 Faxing, the Caller ID-compatible KX-FL421 outputs crisp laser copies at up to 10 pages per minute and supports multiple operations such as scanning and storing a pending document while simultaneously sending or receiving an active fax.

Stepping up from the KX-FL421, the KX-FLM661 incorporates a high-speed USB 2.0 interface for 600x600 dpi laser printing from a PC at up to 14 pages per minute and ships bundled with Panasonic's Multi-Function Station Software. Designed specifically for user-friendly integration with Panasonic MFP devices, the "Multi-Function Station Suite" adds PC printing, multi-format TWAIN scanning, PC Fax capability, and remote device management functionality to the KX-FLM661's feature set.

Other standard value-add applications include ReadIris Pro 7 OCR for transforming scanned documents into editable text documents or text-searchable PDF documents and a Multi-Function viewer for previewing incoming faxes on a PC.

The fully networkable KX-FLM671 adds 10/100 Base-TX Ethernet connectivity to the KX- FLM661's already potent hardware and software package. Ideal for wired offices, it allows multiple users to share the printer, fax and scanner via their existing network. The KX-FLM671 also substantially cuts paper, toner and environmental costs by allowing scanned documents to be routed directly to any email address as TIFF, JPEG or PDF image files.

With manufacturers' suggested retail prices starting at $139.00, Panasonic's KX-FL421, KX-FLM661 and KX-FLM761 Fax MFPs deliver unmatched versatility, performance, value and ROI to a broad spectrum of SOHO entrepreneurs, small businesses and self-employed professionals.