Primera® and Imation(TM) Announce the World's First Water-Resistant Inkjet-Printable CDs and DVDs

New TuffCoat(TM) with AquaGuard(TM) surface CD and DVD recordable media are protected against damage caused by raindrops, snowflakes and liquids.

PLYMOUTH, MN, USA  (January 9, 2006)   Primera Technology, Inc., the world's leading developer and manufacturer of CD/DVD duplication and printing equipment, today announced its new TuffCoat with AquaGuard surface by Imation water-resistant media. 

TuffCoat with AquaGuard surface is the world's first water-resistant and smear-resistant inkjet-printable CD-R and DVD-R media.  The AquaGuard surface, developed by Imation Corp. (NYSE:  IMN) and incorporated into Primera's TuffCoat media, offers many benefits, including:

Water and smear resistance. 

Leveraging a proprietary surface that utilizes nanoparticle technology to grip and hold ink, printed images are locked in place exactly where originally applied.  The discs are highly resistant to smearing and color bleed when exposed to water and humidity.

Better color reproduction and sharper images. 

With its pure white surface, TuffCoat with AquaGuard provides the contrast and illumination needed for better color reproduction, more accurate color matching and more brilliant images than the print surfaces on other inkjet printable discs.

Faster and more cost-effective. 

Other methods of protecting a recordable CD or DVD against water, such as lamination and expensive reverse thermal transfer printers, are no longer required.  This allows businesses and consumers of all types to use much lower cost disc printers and duplication equipment.  Production is faster since no additional steps are required to receive professional-quality, robust and highly water-resistant results.

"Water resistance is a feature that our customers have been requesting for many years," said Mark Strobel, Primera Technology's Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  "Our new TuffCoat with AquaGuard media delivers outstanding print quality, instantaneous drying and incredible water resistance.  It allows inkjet-printed CDs and DVDs to be used in virtually any application where exposure to raindrops, snowflakes or immediate handling was previously a concern."

More than ever before, organizations and individuals are using inkjet printable media to create custom-printed presentations, training information, catalogs and other promotional items that require a professional, high-quality appearance.  Other popular applications for custom, inkjet printed discs include wedding and event videos, photos and other high resolution images, original music, software distribution, operator's manuals and much more.

"Working with Primera, an industry leader in inkjet disc printing and duplication, has been a tremendous benefit in refining the advanced properties of the AquaGuard surface," stated James Ellis, General Manager, Global Product Strategy at Imation.  "Primera offering TuffCoat with Imation's AquaGuard surface is a confirmation that we have achieved the exacting standards and innovation in a printable surface that their customers have come to expect."

All of Primera's inkjet-based disc duplication and printing equipment supports the new TuffCoat with AquaGuard surface media, including the Bravo(TM) II, BravoPro and Bravo XR Disc Publishers as well as the Signature®-series inkjet CD/DVD printers.

TuffCoat with AquaGuard surface is available at the end of January 2006 at www.primerastore.com as well as through Primera's Authorized Resellers and Authorized Distributors in over 80 countries.

About Primera Technology

Headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, Primera Technology, Inc. is the world's leading developer and manufacturer of CD/DVD duplication and printing equipment. 

Source: Primera