Release Details
Transact Technologies' To Launch New Ithaca® Brand Epic 950™ Slot Machine Printer At Global Gaming Expo
Ithaca® brand Epic 950™ Thermal Ticket Printer Combines Revolutionary Design Features with Dynamic Marketing Capabilities to Bring Innovation to the Casino Floor
Wallingford, CT, September 21, 2004 - TransAct Technologies Incorporated (NASDAQ: TACT), a leading producer of transaction-based printers for customers worldwide under the Ithaca® brand name, today announced its new Epic 950™ thermal gaming printer, which introduces a host of new features and benefits and delivers unprecedented advancements in casino printing capabilities. Leveraging a deep understanding of the market, TransAct is launching a comprehensive printing solution with abundant and relevant design innovations, for the benefit of slot machine manufacturers, casino operators, and casino slot technicians.
Bart C. Shuldman, Chairman, President and CEO of TransAct Technologies, said, "The Epic 950™ does for the gaming industry what no other printer can do. Based on our research of the needs of casino operators, slot technicians, and OEMs, TransAct has developed a printer that provides the most powerful solutions for the gaming industry. The Epic 950™ revolutionizes slot printing by combining a number of advanced design features, technologies, and marketing tools that address the current needs and future plans of casino operators, all in one great product."
Mr. Shuldman continued, "Casino operators have wanted to use the ticket printer in the slot machine for promotional use. Our patent-pending dual port interface is the solution we believe that will allow them to do so. As an added benefit to the casino operators, the Epic 950™ contains two-color printing capability. We are also launching and marketing our new ithaColor™ two color thermal paper to allow casino operators the ability to enhance the ticket and create two-color promotions and coupons. In addition, our new smart printer feature allows for easy integration of the printer into the many slot manufactures' machines. This is just a few of the many new and innovative features that the Epic 950™ will bring to the casino floor.
TransAct's new Epic 950™ combines ground-breaking marketing capabilities, sophisticated technical advances, and robust engineering in a single printer. The Epic 950™ enables real-time, customer-specific promotions right on the casino floor, by providing connectivity to both the slot game and the casino's player tracking system. Using TransAct's new patent-pending dual-port interface, the Epic 950™ can print dynamic marketing messages driven by the slot floor central system, and also print out the player's voucher driven by the slot machine. Slot tickets now become vibrant, eye-catching marketing vehicles for maximum impact and player retention, thanks to two-color thermal printing on the new ithaColor™ two-color paper. Extensive user-definable memory is used to store graphics, fonts and character sets to provide countless ticket or coupon layout options. Easy graphic downloads and firmware updates are accomplished via the new secure imPort™ information management interface.
In addition to these powerful marketing capabilities, the Epic 950™ incorporates technical benefits to enhance the player experience and simplify on-floor service. A pioneer in coinless gaming, TransAct has also added TicketBurst™ technology as a key feature to eliminate player interference during ticket issuance to ensure maximum machine uptime. This technological advancement allows for the completion of all printing operations before presenting the detached game voucher or promotion to the slot player. Other features included in the new Epic 950™ are HotSwap QDT™ (Quick Disconnect Technology), which enables the printer mechanism to be easily removed by slot technicians on the floor of the casino, even while the game and printer is powered on; a smart suite of software and firmware tools that includes proactive printer status reporting to the slot machine; and USB capability for compatibility with games of the future. Of course, the Epic 950™ offers the same form factor and backwards code compatibility with current industry standards to facilitate easy integration into existing slot machines.
TransAct's new Ithaca® brand Epic 950™ printer will be showcased at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E), October 5-7 2004, in Las Vegas, Booth #5853, or visit www.ithacaprinters.com for more information.
About TransAct Technologies Incorporated
TransAct (Nasdaq: TACT) designs, develops, manufactures and markets transaction-based printers under the ITHACA® and MAGNETEC® names. In addition, the company markets related consumables, spare parts and service. The Company's printers are used worldwide to provide receipts, tickets, coupons, register journals and other documents. TransAct focuses on two core markets: point-of-sale (POS) and banking, and gaming and lottery. TransAct sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, value-added resellers and selected distributors, as well as directly to end-users. The Company's product distribution spans across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean Islands and the South Pacific. For further information, visit TransAct's web site located at www.transact-tech.com.
CONTACTS: Steven DeMartino, Chief Financial Officer, 203-269-1198 Ext. 6059 or David Pasquale, 646-536-7006, or Andrew Rodriguez, 646-536-7032, both with The Ruth Group
Forward-Looking Statements:
The Company's forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, customer acceptance and market share gains, both domestically and internationally, in the face of substantial competition from competitors that have broader lines of products and greater financial resources; introduction of new products into the marketplace by competitors; successful product development; dependence on significant customers; dependence on third parties for sales outside the United States, including Australia and New Zealand; economic and political conditions in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Latin America; marketplace acceptance of new products; risks associated with foreign operations; availability of third-party components at reasonable prices; and the absence of price wars or other significant pricing pressures affecting the Company's products in the United States or abroad. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and the Company assumes no duty to update them to reflect new, changing or unanticipated events or circumstances.