MINNETONKA, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 7, 2003–Datacard Group today announced it began shipping its new and fast-selling Datacard(R) SP35 Card Printer in mid-December. The company introduced the desktop printer at the ASIS 48th Annual Exhibit and Expo September 10, 2002 in Philadelphia. Since then, sales have exceeded Datacard’s forecast for the first three months by nearly 100 percent.

“Clearly, the Datacard SP35 printer has scored a direct hit with a worldwide market need,” said Kent Shields, senior vice president and general manager of Datacard’s hardware division. “Organizations were looking for a compact, value-priced card printer that’s easy to use. The Datacard SP35 printer delivers on those expectations.”

In addition to a low purchase price and a compact footprint, the Datacard SP35 card printer offers superb image quality, intuitive operation and a sleek design that poses a stark visual contrast to other printers on the market today.

“It is an ideal solution for issuing loyalty cards, membership cards, hotel room keys, corporate ID cards and more,” Shields said. “Magnetic stripe, smart card and bar code capabilities also make it a great fit for access control and other applications that require machine-readable technologies.”

The new printer delivers up to 120 full-color and 500 one-color cards per hour. It leverages Datacard’s exclusive Advanced Imaging Technology(TM) to produce vivid, life-like full- or one-color photos, graphics and text across the entire surface of a card.

“We made the Datacard SP35 printer extremely user-friendly and flexible, so you can choose the features you need when you buy the printer,” Shields said. “You can also make easy, affordable field upgrades to magnetic stripes and smart cards at any time.”

Datacard Group provides software, systems and professional services needed to build profitable card programs. The company’s portfolio includes a complete line of smart card solutions, secure digital identity systems and card personalization systems. Datacard Group, which is privately held and based in Minnetonka, Minn., serves customers in more than 120 countries. (www.datacard.com).

CONTACT: Datacard Group, Minnetonka
Kevin Gillick, 952/988-2846
kevin_gillick@datacard.com