To Err is Human ... To Erase is Divine!

WACOM ANNOUNCES 5 NEXT GENERATION GRAPHICS TABLETS AND 3 NEW PENS INCLUDING
WORLD'S FIRST ERASING ULTRAPEN

12 Companies Including Adobe, Autodesk, Fractal Design, and Macromedia
Announce Support for Erasing UltraPen

VANCOUVER, WA., July 10-Wacom Technology Corp. announced today the world's
first Erasing UltraPenx along with its next generation line of five
pressure-sensitive graphics tablets, two special purpose pens and an
Ergonomic Puck.

Also unveiled was a new line of accessory UltraPens including a WideBody
UltraPen with Pencil, a pressure-sensitive electronic pen that not only
draws with digital ink but works like a mechanical pencil and uses fine
0.5mm lead, and a DuoSwitch UltraPen, with a rocker-style double side
switch and a pressure-sensitive tip switch to provide three-button
functionality.

The new tablets are priced up to 28 per cent lower. Serial and ADB (Apple
Desktop Bus) versions for the Macintosh platform will ship July 15 and PC
versions will follow shortly afterwards, the company said.

Pressure-sensitive Erasing

Most important of the innovations being introduced is pressure- and
tilt-sensitive erasing, said Jeff Nichols, senior marketing manager.

"With the Wacom Erasing UltraPen, computer users can erase naturally and
expressively with up to 256 levels of pressure. It basically works like a
real eraser - the harder you press, the more it erases," he said.

"For software that is not eraser-aware, such as word processing and
spreadsheet applications, the Erasing UltraPen lets you select and delete
text or cells in one stroke. You press and drag to select text and at the
end of the selection you lift the pen to delete the selected text," he
said.

Applications that will support the Erasing UltraPen include Adobe
Photoshop, Corel Draw, Fractal Design Painter and Dabbler, Macromedia
FreeHand, FutureWave SmartSketch, HSC Live Picture, Softimage Toonz, and
Strata Media Paint.

Major Vendor Support

Wacom's development of the Erasing UltraPen was warmly welcomed by software
developers.

* Adobe. "Wacom has made another innovative advance in humanizing the user
interface with the Erasing UltraPen. Adobe is excited about incorporating
this technology into our products to further enhance our users'
experience," said Dave Pratt, senior vice president and general manager of
Adobe's Application Products Division.

* Fractal. "Wacom has taken another important step forward in
human-computer interaction with the Erasing UltraPen. This is definitely
technology that will enhance our user's natural media experiences in our
products," said Steve Guttman, vice president of marketing, Fractal Design
Corp.

* HSC. "Truly improving the human interface to digital technology is a
mission that HSC Software and Wacom share. We congratulate Wacom on
delivering the next generation of input technology before others have even
postulated such a capability." said John Wilczak, president.

Tilt Sensitivity

All the new ArtZ II tablets, but not the ArtPad II, are tilt- and
bearing-sensitive. A selected drawing tool can respond to the tilt of the
UltraPen in an amount up to 60 degrees tilt from vertical (with an
accuracy of two degrees) and in bearing, which is the tilt direction on a
360-degree circle.

In applications such as Fractal Design Painter, tilt and bearing data allow
the pen to work as a calligrapher's pen. A thin, round line drawn when the
pen is vertical becomes oval as the pen is tilted. Also, as the bearing
changes, the direction of the oval changes. Depending on the software, the
amount of tilt can be used to blend colors while tilt direction can be
used to change opacity.

Another first, Wacom said, was that pen tilt sensitivity - how much to tilt
the pen to produce the maximum effect - can be custom set with the Wacom
control panel.

Two Other New UltraPens

In addition to the Erasing UltraPen, Wacom introduced two other new
UltraPens.

* WideBody UltraPen With Pencilx (UP-421). This pressure-sensitive,
wide-body electronic pen is also a pencil. Clicking the top advances the
lead, which is 0.5mm thin. It was designed for artists, especially
animators, who want to see pencil tests or other sketches at pen tip and
on paper as well as on the computer screen.

* DuoSwitchx UltraPen (UP-801). This is the first UltraPen with a double
side switch. It was developed to meet multiple mouse button standards in
Microsoft Windows and UNIX operating systems. The ergonomically designed
rocker switch provides tactile feedback to indicate which switch is
pressed. Combined with the pressure-sensitive tip switch, it provides
three-button functionality.

Now Eight UltraPens - Industry's Broadest Pen Line

The three new UltraPens bring to eight the total number of special purpose
electronic pens available from Wacom -- by far the industry's widest
choice.

The original UltraPen, the world's thinnest and lightest electronic pen,
was introduced in 1992. In March of this year, Wacom announced its
WideBody UltraPen With Ink (UP-401), which comes with blue, red and black
ball-point inking cartridges; the WideBody UltraPen with SmoothStrokex
(UP-421), which is the same as the UP-401 but provides a pen tip travel of
1 mm; the Handwriting UltraPen (UP-211), with more sensitivity for
handwriting recognition use; and the Point and Click UltraPen (UP-241), a
non pressure-sensitive pen for menu picking from tablet templates.

All of the pens use Wacom's patented electromagnetic resonance technology
to operate without any connecting wire or batteries.

Five Next Generation Tablets

Wacom's line of ArtPad II and Artz II graphics tablets range in size from
4" x 5" to 18" x 25" and consist of the:

* ArtPad II with Erasing UltraPen (ADB and Serial). This small-format
graphics tablet (4" x 5" active area) takes up less space than a mouse
pad. It is Wacom's most affordable tablet ever and the lowest-priced
pressure-sensitive tablet available. It is targeted for the
non-professional artist in business, education and at home and for those
needing a better input device.

* ArtZ II 6 x 8 with Erasing UltraPen (ADB and Serial). The ArtZ II 6x8,
with its transparent overlay, programmable menu strip, and 6" x 8" active
area, provides the right balance of professional features, functionality
and size to meet the needs of creative professionals needing to
illustrate, paint or manipulate images on a computer. The ArtZ II 6x8
provides high-end design capability and functionality in a size that fits
easily on a desktop, in a briefcase, or on your lap.

* ArtZ II 12 x 12 with Erasing UltraPen (Serial). The ArtZ II 12x12 is a
full featured graphics tablet featuring a 12" x 12" active area that
provides the flexibility for the professional whose artistic style or
mechanical requirements require room for full arm motion, full page
creation at scale, or extensive 81/2" x 11" page layout and image
manipulation tasks, or desires full page tracing of art.

* ArtZ II 12 x 18 with Erasing UltraPen (Serial). The ArtZ II 12x18
combines high resolution, scaling options, and a transparent overlay
together with a large 12" x 18" active area for pre-press engineers,
industrial designers and modelers, and other design professionals who
require a large size for two-page spread layout or long, sweeping arm
movement. The 12" x 18" active area also fits the aspect ratio
requirements for very precise and accurate work with high-resolution
monitors in video production and animation.

Also available in this size is an Electrostatic version that generates a
static field that holds paper for tracing automatically to its surface
without the need for tape or overlays

* ArtZ II 18 x 25 with Erasing UltraPen (Serial). The ArtZ II 18x25 is a
specialized, full function tablet with a very large active area for the
industrial designer, textile designer, modeler, or pre-press professional
who needs the ability to trace or strip media at scale or otherwise
perform tasks in tabloid or full newspaper size format. It is the largest
pressure-sensitive tablet available.

Ergonomic Puck

Wacom's first Ergonomic Puck is for use with all its ArtZ II tablets. It
features four buttons positioned in a "bear claw" configuration to allow
easy access whether you are right or left handed, use only your index
finger for depressing buttons, or use both your index and middle fingers.
The shape of the puck was designed to provide an optimal solution for both
small and large hands.

The button switch pressure has been reduced so less than 75 grams of
pressure is needed to activate them, to minimize fatigue after extended
use. The button switches, rated for at least one million cycles before
failure, provide a faint click for aural feedback.

Prices Reduced Up to 28%

Street prices for the most affordable size, the ArtPad II (both ADB and
serial versions), are expected to be $159.99 (SRP $174.99). Street price
for a special bundle of the ArtPad II with Fractal Design's Dabbler is
anticipated to be $179.99 (SRP $189.99).

The new ArtZ II 12x12 with Erasing UltraPen is priced 28% lower than its
former model.

 MODEL                                        SRP
 ArtPad II (Serial) w/ Erasing UltraPen   $   174.99
 ArtPad II (ADB) w/Erasing UltraPen           174.99
 ArtPad II and Dabbler Bundle                 189.99
 ArtZ II 6x8 (ADB) w/Erasing UltraPen         389.99
 ArtZ II 6x8 (Serial) w/Erasing UltraPen      389.99
 ArtZ II 12x12 (Serial) w/Erasing UltraPen    539.99
 ArtZ II 12x18 (Serial) w/Erasing UltraPen    869.99
 ArtZ II 12x18E* (Serial) w/Erasing UltraPen 1089.99
 ArtZ II 18x25 (Serial) w/Erasing UltraPen   2449.99
 Original UltraPen (UP-201)                    59.99
 Erasing UltraPen (UP-701E)**                  89.99
 DuoSwitch UltraPen (UP-801)                  125.00
 WideBody UltraPen with Pencil (UP-501)       125.00
 WideBody UltraPen with Ink (UP-401)          125.00
 WideBody UltraPen w/SmoothStroke (UP-421)    125.00
 Handwriting UltraPen (UP-211)                125.00
 Point-and-Click UltraPen (UP-241)            125.00
 Ergonomic 4-button Puck (UC-520)             150.00
 16-button Puck (UC-620)                      250.00
 * Electrostatic version
** For additional or replacement pens

The UltraPen As Mouse Substitute/Better Input Device

For those looking for a better mouse, Wacom's Erasing UltraPen and ArtPad
II or ArtZ II tablets provide a more ergonomic, quicker, more accurate way
of working with a computer. They allow lightning-quick navigation and
there is less hand fatigue. There is no "lost cursor syndrome" with a pen.
If you put your pen tip at top left of the tablet, the system cursor shows
up at the top left of the screen display. With a mouse, you never know
where it's going to show up until you give it a nudge, and even then you
may have to search for it.

A Wacom tablet also provides more than 2,000 lines-per-inch resolution, 10
to 20 times more resolution than a mouse.

Standard spreadsheet and word processing software also work with the Wacom
Erasing UltraPen, so you can edit with the tip of the pen and delete with
the eraser more quickly than you ever thought possible.

Wacom Technology

Wacom Technology Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wacom Co., Ltd. in
Japan, is headquartered in Vancouver, WA.

Wacom revolutionized the nature of computer art when it introduced in
America in 1989 the world's first cordless, batteryless, and
pressure-sensitive pen, allowing electronic artists to paint and draw with
freedom and creativity just as with traditional paintbrushes, pens and
pencils.

Additional information may be obtained from Wacom Technology Corp, 501 S.
E. Columbia Shores Blvd., #300, Vancouver, WA 98661; 1-800-922-6613.
 
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