Plano, Texas (February 7, 2008) - Muratec America, Inc., manufacturer of multifunction office equipment and business productivity solutions, announces today the availability of the F-525, F-525D and F-565, network-ready multifunction devices that offer powerful one-touch scanning to PC folders, e-mail addresses, FTP sites, document management systems, fax terminals and color printers.

Featuring intuitive touch screen operation the F-525 and F-565 enable users to quickly capture documents electronically and distribute them in a variety of methods. Both units feature an 80-sheet automatic document feeder and high-resolution color CCD scanner that enable users to efficiently capture large color and monochrome scan jobs.

“As customers invest more resources into managing documents electronically they’re exploring solutions that will make converting hardcopy documents into digital content easy, efficient and economical,” says Jim D’Emidio, Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Muratec America, Inc. “We believe the F-525 and F-565 will greatly assist customers as they can effectively make scanning accessible to all workgroup users.”

When performing scan to e-mail up to 1000 e-mail locations can be pre-registered in address book, to enable one-touch scanning, or users can locate contacts within an LDAP contact management database. Each outgoing e-mail can be customized with a subject line, text message and the document being scanned can be given a custom file name, all from the control panel. This can reduce the chances of an e-mail transmission being mistaken for spam or being caught in an e-mail filter.

Scan to PC folder is a key feature as it allows customers to perform a real-time browse through their network file structure and directly scan documents into specified folders, without having to install any additional hardware or software connectors. This operation mirrors the file searching process that Windows Explorer users have become accustomed to using on their PC. Up to 300 folder shortcut keys can be registered for one-touch scan initiation. In addition to delivering color documents over the network, both units can route color documents to a network-connected color printer, creating an inexpensive color copying solution. This is enabled using the standard scan to print monitor utility.

“In order for a document management program to be successful users must have access to document scanners that are easy-to-use, reliable and most of all convenient,” says D’Emidio. “The small footprint of these devices enables customers to deploy scanning solutions within each workgroup to maximize efficiency. And the user menus were designed in such a way that the help desk won’t be getting a lot of calls. Each menu is easy-to-understand and several jobs can be executed at the touch of a button.”

In addition to enabling powerful digital document delivery, the F-525 and F-565 boast standard GDI-based network printing via the high-speed Ethernet connection, as well as local printing via the USB port. A redesigned PCL controller, featuring a 600 MHz processor, is available as an option. New print features such as Print on Demand and Security Printing enable users to work more efficiently and securely. Print on Demand allows users to locate commonly printed documents from the network and initiate printing from the touch screen. Security printing enables users to suppress document printout until a password has been entered on the machine.

“We’re increasing the value to the customer by not only delivering a powerful document scanning solution but also by replacing their printer with a shared printing resource that delivers both reliable performance and cost savings,” says D’Emidio. “By consolidating these functions into a single device users can reduce workspace requirements, operating costs and user management.”

The high-speed 33.6 Kbps fax modem offers traditional walk-up and PC fax capabilities. The intuitive PC fax driver enables users to send documents directly from PC applications to remote fax terminals. Customers in high-volume fax applications can add an additional 33.6 Kbps fax modem, enabling the simultaneous sending and receiving of fax documents. Both models can integrate with a variety of popular network fax server applications by activating the standard e-mail gateway feature, creating an excellent solution for customers who wish to eliminate fax lines yet still require the ability to send hardcopy documents to remote fax terminals.

Both units come with a standard 500-sheet paper cassette and 50-sheet multipurpose bypass tray, which is used to print letterhead, envelopes, overheadprojector sheets, labels and other media. The units can be outfitted with an additional 500-sheet paper cassette bringing the total capacity to 1,050 sheets.

The F-525 has an MSRP of $2199 while the F-525D, which includes standard duplex printing capabilities, is $2299. The F-565 includes standard duplex printing and has an MSRP of $2799. The toner cartridge is rated at 15,000 @ 4% page coverage and the drum unit is rated at 20,000 pages leading to an aggressive cost-per-copy.

Muratec America, Inc. is a manufacturer of multifunction digital office equipment and business productivity solutions. The company is a Plano, Texas-based subsidiary of Murata Machinery, Ltd., a privately held multinational corporation based in Kyoto, Japan. Visit www.muratec.com for more information.