Konica Minolta Opens KONICA MINOLTA Digital Imaging Square
~ A Presentation Space for Production Print Market ~

Tokyo (September 20, 2007) -- Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. (Konica Minolta) will open a new spot, KONICA MINOLTA Digital Imaging Square (KONICA MINOLTA DIS), in the Shinagawa Grand Central Tower on October 1, 2007. In response to the expansion of the production print market, highly specialized staff will offer solutions to issues faced by customers as well as business models. KONICA MINOLTA DIS will also act as a center for the dissemination of information with high added value, including the latest information on new products.

Ever since entering into the production print market, Konica Minolta's on-demand printing systems based on color and B&W high-speed multi-function peripherals (MFPs) have been well accepted and trusted by customers. In particular, the company's core on-demand printing systems, the bizhub PRO C6500 high-speed color MFP and the bizhub PRO 1050e high-speed B&W MFP (both released in 2006) fulfill customers satisfaction and are favorably accepted. They are optimal systems for the production print market satisfying customer requirements with technological superiority nurtured by Konica Minolta.

As the production print market expands significantly, issues faced by customers are also increasing. They are broadening from issues that can be solved by individual machines to problems that concern total workflows, such as the shift to variable small print sets using various output data, and diversification of output appearance demanded by the customers' end clients.

Konica Minolta is opening KONICA MINOLTA DIS as a spot where its highly specialized staff will work together with customers in solving the issues they are facing in the production print market with the aim of creating added value and offering new business models.

At KONICA MINOLTA DIS, Konica Minolta will collaborate with partner companies to offer customers optimal solutions and business models based on the latest workflows using on-demand printing systems. At the same time, it will disseminate a range of information-- not only product information but also through holding seminars and events regarding production print market-- for customers within Japan and overseas.

KONICA MINOLTA DIS will act as a channel for offering customers a range of solutions, information, and services, ensuring that Konica Minolta constantly remains as an "essential" presence for our customers in the production print market.

This zone offers customers in the production print market optimal solutions for their clients wishing to promote sales. Visitors can learn about numerous direct marketing solutions including those of partner companies.
Workflows from database analysis to such media portfolios as direct mail and even variable printing and post press are shown to provide hints for solving issues and proposals.

Visitors can get access to Konica Minolta's in-line binding system for the production print market, which enables one-stop processing of educational reference materials, textbooks, equipment manuals, and similar publications, from data entry to output and perfect binding.

Here, visitors can seek solutions that lead to reductions in distribution cost and time through distributed printing, such as printing in-store point of purchase (POP) ads, and service for making world newspapers available on the day of issue. This area is mainly for customers in the distribution, retailing, and service sectors.

This zone demonstrates effective print flow by arranging products by so-called "hybrid workflow" viewpoint, which takes full advantage of both offset printers and on-demand printing systems according to print set and appearance.
Core display of this corner is Konica Minolta's bizhub PRO C6500 and bizhub PRO 1050e. With cooperation of partner companies, shown here is the entire printing process from typesetting and composition, together with various options, allowing visitors to experience the superiority of Konica Minolta's on-demand printing systems.

A training room for customers will be prepared to learn operation of the systems they are installing. The room is equipped with color and B&W systems, and training will be given with the actual options customers will be using.
Customers will thus be able to learn how to operate their systems in advance to enable a smooth operation right after installation.

There will also be a seminar room with a capacity of around 100 people. It will be a multipurpose room to be used as a venue for disseminating information to the production print market, such as presentations by invited speakers and seminars sponsored by industry associations.

In order to effectively use the KONICA MINOLTA DIS as a sufficing business consultation space, each zone will be open to customers by prior appointment.