Singapore, 29th September 2005 - Epson, the world leader in digital imaging and printing solutions has announced the launch of the EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo. The EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo is the first mid-range film and photo scanner in the industry to offer Digital ICE and Digital ICE Lite, and is ideal for advanced amateurs who require sophisticated scanning features.

The EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo is a successor to the EPSON Perfection  4180 Photo, with an immaculate scanning capability of 4800dpi. Its 48-bit colour depth provides users with ultra-smooth scanning quality, while its incorporated Digital ICE removes dust and scratches from old films, making the EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo a perfect scanning solution. In addition, the Colour CCD line sensor with Micro Lens delivers supreme clarity and colour consistency so that users can create cutting edge digital images with greater ease.

Cutting-edge quality with advanced scanning capabilities
The EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo comes incorporated with Digital ICE and Digital ICE Lite, an award winning scanning technology that combines hardware detection and software processing to correct and enhance images from film.  Stubborn dust and scratch marks are easily removed for perfect digital images.

Together with the Color Restoration function found in EPSON Easy Photo Fix, advanced amateurs who need to restore damaged, old and faded photos can now utilize the advanced scanning capabilities of the EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo to transform analog images into digital perfection reality.

"Technology today has become an essential tool in transforming photos and films into a digital format that is suitable for imaging and restoration work," said Mr. Siew Jin Kiat, Manager, Digital Imaging, Branded Product Division, Epson Singapore.  "The EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo provides high performance film and photo scanning to meet the needs of advanced amateurs who require superb image quality and resolution in their line of work."

Wide range of Film Formats Supported

The EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo supports a multitude of film formats to meet the different needs of each user. It comes bundled with two film holders, allowing users to scan twelve frames of 35mm filmstrips, and four 35mm mounted film frames or one 6X12cm medium format film frame.

Image management made easier with EPSON Creativity Suite

The EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo comes bundled with EPSON Creativity Suite - a selection of utility software for the ultimate convenience in image management and platform for creativity with photo projects.

At the heart of it is the EPSON File Manager, an application launcher and photo management software that allows users to view, search, edit and print images. Images from an external source such as a digital camera can also be uploaded via the EPSON File Manager for easy storage management.

Programs such as the ABBYY FineReader 6 SprintPlus, Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 and the NewSoft Presto! BizCard 4 Limited Edition have been included with the EPSON Creativity Suite for versatility and convenience. The EPSON Perfection 4490 Photo will be available from September 2005 at a recommended retail price of $468.

About Epson Singapore
Epson is the world's leader in digital imaging solutions as well as printer manufacturing. The company's Singapore operation is also the Regional Headquarters of Seiko Epson Corporation. The company markets and supports Epson printers, scanners, projectors, electronic devices including liquid crystal displays, semiconductors and system devices in the ASEAN, South Asia and Oceania territories (with exception to support for electronic devices in Oceania). Epson is dedicated to creating products for the home and business markets to meet consumer needs.

About the Epson Group
Epson is a global leader in imaging products including printers, projectors and LCDs. With an innovative and creative culture, Epson is dedicated to exceeding the vision and expectations of customers worldwide with products known for their superior quality, functionality, compactness and energy efficiency.

Epson is a network of 85,647 employees in 115 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and to the communities in which it is located. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp., the Group had consolidated sales of 1479.7 billion yen in fiscal 2004.