Press Releases
Trace Affex, Inc. has released the following information directly to the media on the dates shown.
June 23, 2005 - TRACE AFFEX UNVEILS NEW CD/DVD PRINTER WITH HIGHEST RESOLUTION AVAILABLE
April 8, 2002 - TRACE AFFEX SIGNS PROMARK TECHNOLOGY TO EXCLUSIVE GSA DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
March 12, 2002 - TRACE AFFEX TEAMS WITH MDI TO DEVELOP CD/DVD
PUBLISHING SYSTEM WITH NAS INTEGRATIONNEW NETWORK ATTACHED UNIT WILL SIMPLIFY INTEGRATION, MAXIMIZE PERFORMANCE AND REDUCE THE "TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP" FOR THE CD/DVD PUBLISHER
November 7, 2001 -Trace Affex Introduces First High-Volume HP-Based CD/DVD Printer for Macs and PCs
October 2, 2001 -Trace Affex and DAX Archiving Solutions Enter Into Strategic Partnership
March 28, 2001 -Trace Affex appoints Chuck Huie as Vice President of Engineering
March 26, 2001 - Trace Affex to manufacture, support and market Cygnet Storage Solutions products
January 25, 2001 - Trace Digital merges with its Affex division; becomes Trace Affex
November 13, 2000 - Trace Digital shows new products in conjunction with Hewlett Packard at COMDEX
November 13, 2000 - Trace Digital, LLC. undergoes change of ownership and appoints new CEO
May 1, 2000 - Trace Digital Releases CD-R Business Card Systems
May 1, 2000 - Trace Digital Releases Third Generation POWERPRINTER™
May 1, 2000 - Trace Digital Shipping 12X POWERWRITER™ Systems
Trace Affex appoints Chuck Huie as Vice President of Engineering
San Jose, CA - March 28, 2001 - Trace Affex, a leading provider of CD-R duplication and printing system solutions, announced today the appointment of Chuck Huie as vice president of engineering. Huie has over 14 years of experience in the storage industry with leading technology companies including Maxoptix, Plasmon Data Systems, NCR and others. He obtained his MSEE in Communications at Santa Clara University, his BSEE in Computer and Circuits from the University of California, Davis, and is licensed and certified through the State of California as a Professional Engineer. Huie has lectured on product design and development at the University of Santa Clara and is a published author in various trade journals. "Chuck worked with me for a number of years in other storage companies, and I am proud to have him join my team. We really have a synergistic effect on each other," stated Dave Kalstrom, president and CEO of Trace Affex. "Chuck will head an excellent team of engineers who will be instrumental in helping us achieve our planned growth."
Trace Affex to manufacture, support and market Cygnet Storage Solutions products
San Jose, CA - March 26, 2001 - Trace Affex, Inc., a leading provider of CD-R duplication and printing system solutions, has signed an agreement to acquire certain assets of Milpitas-based Cygnet Storage Solutions, Inc., a prominent CD/DVD storage system manufacturer. Under the agreement, Trace Affex will manufacture, support and market certain Cygnet-branded products. The acquisition includes intellectual property (IP), manufacturing processes, assumption of customer contractual relationships (to provide manufacturing, service and support), certain materials and goodwill. As part of the agreement, the Toronto-based Quorum Group of companies, a major Cygnet investor, will make a significant investment in Trace Affex.Ten key Cygnet manufacturing and support people have been offered positions at Trace Affex San Jose headquarters, where Trace Affex recently began manufacturing the Cygnet product line. Customer support will be handled from San Jose and from support facilities in Pennsylvania and Belgium. Dave Kalstrom, president and CEO of Trace Affex, said, "Combining operations will result in significant efficiencies because both the Cygnet and Trace product lines are based on electro-mechanical robotic devices that handle 120mm CD/DVD discs. In addition, the software required to control the devices is similar."
"Although Trace and Cygnet products have much in common, they have distinct market applications," added Kalstrom. "The applications for Cygnet's products are in data storage, while the applications for Trace Affex' products are in CD-R/DVD-R duplication and printing." The Cygnet product line consists of small-, medium- and high-capacity DVD/CD systems for archival storage, data distribution, digital asset management and web-based applications. These products provide resellers and system integrators with a single source for off-line, near-line and on-line network storage applications -- and offer a broad range of capacity and configuration options.
"Cygnet sold its products direct and through resellers , " Kalstrom continued. " We plan to work with Cygnet's resellers and will be offering them the opportunity to sell Trace Affex CD-R/DVD-R duplication and printing systems, as well. We have also offered Trace Affex resellers the opportunity to take on the Cygnet products."
Trace Digital merges with its Affex division; becomes Trace Affex
San Jose, CA - January 25, 2001 - Trace Digital LLC (www.traceaffex.com) announced today that it has merged with its Affex division and changed its name to Trace Affex. The company's new structure reflects its focus and commitment as a total-solution provider for the CD-R duplication and printing markets. The company also announced that Frank Nunes, formerly the president of Affex, has been appointed vice president of sales and marketing for Trace Affex."Trace Digital has been a leading supplier of duplication, automation and printing solutions, and its Affex division has been an industry leader in full-color, ink-jet CD printers," said Dave Kalstrom, Trace Affex CEO. "Trace Digital had one set of sales channels, and Affex had another. Our new structure will allow us to share each others channels and customers. It will also centralize our sales and marketing efforts under Frank Nunes, who did a great job for us in our Affex division. These changes will enhance our ability to provide total solutions for our customers and offer the most competitively priced, highest performance systems in the market."
Trace Affex will announce several new products over the next few months. The first will be introduced at REPLItech North America, February 20-22, in Los Angeles. "Our new products will combine the latest robotic innovations with the most technologically advanced CD ink-jet printers available in the marketplace," continued Kalstrom. "In addition, they will include advanced software and be very user-friendly. It is our intention for these products to take us into pre-press, audio and other markets."
New products being shown in conjunction with HP at COMDEX 2000
San Jose, CA - November 13, 2000 - A new Trace CD Printer (developed by Trace's Affex subsidiary) is being shown at Hewlett-Packard's "Invent" Pavilion at Caesar's Palace during COMDEX week, November 13 through 16. This printer utilizes high-quality Hewlett-Packard Ink Jet technology and prints onto smear-resistant 120mm and Business Card size CD-Rs.
Trace Digital, LLC. undergoes ownership change and appoints new CEO
San Jose, CA - November 13, 2000 - Trace Digital LLC, a leader in CD duplication and printing solutions, announced today that it has been acquired by robotic design innovator John W. Meadows, who was previously a minority stockholder. Meadows acquired all shares held by Nakamichi of Japan, previously the company's majority stockholder. The deal included Trace's Affex division, an industry leader in full-color ink-jet CD printing. Concurrently, Dave Kalstrom was named CEO for Trace Digital. Meadows, who also owns Able Design (Mountain View, California) is well known in the field of robotics and automation handling. He holds more than 25 patents and designed one of the industry's most innovative, reliable optical-disk and caddy CD jukeboxes.
Over the past 20 years, Meadows' designs have been instrumental in the development of data storage/retrieval products including microfiche duplicators, COM recorders, floppy discs, magneto-optical storage cartridges and automated CD/DVD handling. In addition, he has designed and brought to production the Trace Digital CD-R duplication systems for use in the rapidly expanding CD-R publication business.
Kalstrom, a CD-ROM and DVD veteran, was the co-founder of Plasmon Data Systems and DeLaLuz Technologies, and was director of marketing for Seagate Technologies. He is the author of an extensive article on CD-ROMs and DVDs included in an encyclopedia published by John Wiley & Sons. "Dave's experience in leading companies to achieve profitable growth will be instrumental in helping Trace achieve its long-term goals," said Meadows. "He inherits a talented team of professionals, many with over ten years experience at Trace. We expect Dave's marketing and management expertise, coupled with our technology, to be key to the company's future."
Trace Digital Releases CD-R Business Card Systems
New Product Releases Support CD-R Business Card Duplication & Printing
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Revised June 1, 2000) - Trace Digital LLC, a leading provider of CD-R, DVD-R and CD-R Business Card recording and printing solutions announced the release of a complete line of new products targeted for the emerging CD-R Business Card duplication and printing markets. Trace Digital introduced several new models of automated duplication and ink-jet color printing systems designed for service bureaus and businesses interested in supporting this developing market. The new Trace Digital POWERWRITER PC-W Model 208 and Model 212 Duplicators and the POWERPRINTER IIIe Color ink-jet printer provides a completely automated solution for customers wanting to create their own CD-R Business Cards. Also available are the AFFEX branded line of manual load desktop CD-R printers and ink-jet printable CD-R Business Card media.Dean Allara, CEO of Trace Digital said, "CD-R Business Cards are becoming the rage because of their convenient wallet size, 63mm by 80mm, and their large 50 MB storage capacity. Although CD-ROM type business cards have been available for more than a year, CD-R recordable cards are relative new, having become available in quantities only this year. We are seeing a booming demand from customers interested in duplicating and printing small volumes of CD-R Business Cards in house. The most popular applications have been simply replacing traditional, but boring, business cards with the new CD-R Business Card that has a multimedia promotion ready to plug and play in a PC or which automatically links to a companies web site. CD-ROM business cards have been used for large promotional programs because they are unique and catch the audience's eye. While the replication process is economical for large volumes it is not feasible for small run sizes or frequently changing programs. The CD-R business card lends itself perfectly to small volume runs, custom promotions or one-off applications. The convenient size, large storage capacity and CD-ROM compatibility make it an ideal distribution medium. The Trace Digital and AFFEX branded duplicators, printers, accessories and printable media products provide users with a choice of to suit any application in house, economically."
The patented POWERWRITER PC-W Duplicator and POWERPRINTER IIIe CD-R/DVD-R Color Printer are based on Trace Digital's proprietary autoloader and disc picker mechanisms. Like its predecessor, the POWERPRINTER III and POWERPRINTER IIIe are plug compatible with PC and Mac computers and all major application software packages. The POWERPRINTER III incorporates several engineering enhancements improving operation, reliability and user accessibility. The POWERPRINTER IIIe is the first autoloader CD-R/DVD-R printer to handle the new 63 x 80mm CD-R Business Card media.
Trace Digital Releases Third Generation POWERPRINTER™
Introducing the New POWERPRINTER III & CD-R Business Card Compatible POWERPRINTER IIIe Automated Four-Color Ink-Jet Printers
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Revised June 1, 2000) - Trace Digital LLC, a leading provider of CD-R, DVD-R and CD-R Business Card recording and printing solutions released its new POWERPRINTER III Series of ink-jet color automated printers. The patented POWERPRINTER CD-R/DVD-R Color Printer is based on Trace Digital's proprietary autoloader and disc picker mechanisms. Like its predecessor, the POWERPRINTER III and POWERPRINTER IIIe are plug compatible with all PC and Mac computers and all major application software packages. The POWERPRINTER III incorporates the latest engineering designs improving operation, reliability and user accessibility. The POWERPRINTER IIIe is the first autoloader CD-R/DVD-R printer to handle the new 63 x 80mm printable CD-R Business Card media now in the market.
"Since the introduction of our first POWERPRINTER in April 1999 we have maintained a sustained effort to enhance our printer technology as it applies to the CD-R and DVD-R market segments. The POWERPRINTER III and IIIe printers are based on the proven Epson' 740 ink-jet printer engine. We continue to base our POWERPRINTER products on the superior four color Epson 740 MicroPiezo' ink jet color print engine. This high-resolution printer is capable of printing a maximum print resolution of 1440 x 720 dpi and incorporates Epson's Ultra MicroDot' variable-sized ink drop technology. Variable dot printing improves quality by varying ink drop size to improve color blending and reproduction. The ultra microscopic 6-picoliter size drops have a 45-micron diameter, half the thickness of a human hair and close to the limit that the human eye can detect," said Dean Allara, CEO of Trace Digital. "The 50-disc autoloader POWERPRINTER III maintains its proven patent pending disc-loading tray mechanism and electronic disc registration sensors to ensure smooth, trouble-free operation with perfect disc-to-disc print registrations of + 0.002 inches. A new disc hopper design and enhanced disc picker further improves performance and reliability of the POWERPRINTER Series CD-R/DVD-R printers. The new POWERPRINTER IIIe model prints both CD-R and DVD-R discs and the new CD-R Business Cards. The POWERPRINTER III & IIIe printers are available for immediate shipment."
Trace Digital Shipping 12X POWERWRITER™ Systems
POWERWRITER PC-W & POWERWRITER PRO II 12X CD-R Duplicators for Faster Throughputs
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Revised June 1, 2000) Trace Digital LLC, a leading provider of CD-R, DVD-R and CD-R Business Card recording and printing solutions is shipping the new POWERWRITER PC-W and PRO II Series 12X automated duplicators. The patented POWERWRITER PC-W system is a 2-drive CD-R duplicator while the POWERWRITER PRO II CD-R duplicator is available in both 8- and 12-drive configurations. All POWERWRITER duplicators incorporate Trace Digital's proprietary autoloader and disc picker mechanisms.
"The new 12X CD-R writers increase the throughput by 50% without any increase in size or price! That means more CDs faster, getting time sensitive materials to market even quicker. The combination of 12X CD-R drives and the fastest disc cycle time in the industry results in some very impressive throughput numbers. The POWERWRITER PC-W is configured with 2-drives and has a 50-disc input capacity hopper that duplicates more than 14 full length 650-MB CD-Rs per hour. While the high volume, 300-disc capacity POWERWRITER PRO Model 1212 can duplicate more than 74 full length CD-Rs per hour. Throughputs are even more impressive when duplicating shorter length masters," said Wes McPheeters, Chief Operations Officer of Trace Digital. For smaller volumes the POWERWRITER PRO II is also available in an 8-drive configuration, the Model 812. The POWERWRITER PRO II is designed for high-volume, quick-turn applications where a robotic, multi-drive, high capacity system is beneficial.
Trace Affex, the Trace Affex logo, POWERWRITER, POWERWRITE, POWERPRINTER , CDArtist, SK-7, Apprentice and Allegro are trademarks of Trace Affex, Inc. Windows and Windows NT are tradmarks of Microsoft Corporation.