Buyers Laboratory Announces Winners of its Prestigious
Spring 2004 "Pick of the Year" Awards For
Standalone Fax Machines & Fax-Centric Multifunctional Products

June 22, 2004 — HACKENSACK, New Jersey — In keeping with its long-standing tradition of giving special recognition to the most outstanding office products tested in its lab, Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI), the leading independent office products test lab and business consumer advocate, is pleased to announce its Spring 2004 “Pick of the Year” awards for standalone fax machines and fax-centric multifunctional products. These awards will shortly be followed by BLI’s “Picks” for the most outstanding copier-centric products tested, and BLI’s “Most Outstanding Multifunctional Product Line” award.

In commenting on BLI’s “Pick” awards, Anthony Polifrone, managing director of Buyers Laboratory, noted: “In each of the 43 years that we have been testing products, we’ve always seen a mix of good and bad performers, as well as products that gave an exceptional performance throughout our comprehensive lab tests and clearly stood out among the rest. To acknowledge those exemplary performers, BLI honors them with its ‘Pick’ awards. To be chosen as such tells business consumers and the industry that these products have clearly proven to be among the very best in their product categories when subjected to BLI’s exhaustive in-house testing, and confirms that these products can be counted on for superior performance.” George Grafanakis, Sharp Senior Product Manager, commented: “Sharp Electronics is very proud to receive this prestigious award for the FO-DC500 and FO-DC600 Document Communication Systems. Sharp has been a leader in the facsimile industry for more than 15 years. This level of experience has enabled Sharp to produce ‘first in class’ facsimile systems that offer leading edge features, high reliability and easy-to-use ergonomic design.” BLI subscribers can get all the details on the specific models chosen and their respective awards in Buyers Lab’s June/July Digital Imaging Review newsletter. Anyone who is not a subscriber can purchase copies of this special “Pick” issue by calling Buyers Lab at 201-488-0404.

About Buyers Laboratory

For 47 years, Buyers Lab has been the leading independent office-equipment testing lab and business consumer advocate. In addition to publishing the industry's most comprehensive and accurate test reports on office document imaging devices, each representing months of exhaustive hands-on testing in BLI's US and UK laboratories, the company has been the leading source for extensive databases of specifications and pricing on copiers, printers, fax machines and multifunctional products. The company's databases cover 10,000 products and have a long-standing reputation for being the industry's most trustworthy and complete source for global competitive intelligence. They are available to BLI subscribers online via the company's bliQ competitive information service. This encyclopedic resource also provides quick and easy access to BLI's First Look Reports, Field Test Reports, Lab Test Reports, Solutions Reports, and BLI-produced articles. In addition to the testing of office equipment for its subscribers, Buyers Lab provides consulting services to buyers and a vast array of confidential for-hire private testing services that include document imaging device beta and pre-launch testing, performance certification testing, consumables testing (such as toner, ink and photoconductors), software and solutions and print media testing (including virgin and recycled papers). For more information on Buyers Laboratory, please visit www.buyerslab.com, call (201) 488-0404 or e-mail info@buyerslab.com.