electronica 2008 – Hall A.4, Booth 542

ALPS Develops Compact Thermal Printer

PTMBL1A00A – The Industry's Thinnest and Light Vertical Type

Duesseldorf, Germany, October 15, 2008 – ALPS ELECTRIC has completed development of the vertical type PTMBL1A00A Compact Thermal Printer. The use of “handy” portable terminals capable of such multiple functions as calculating merchandise prices, wireless data transmission and printing receipts has increased in recent years. Although issuing tickets on trains, as well as reading electric and gas meters has become a standard function of such portable terminals, the use of these devices has expanded in Europe and North America to processing credit card payments and issuing receipts at restaurants while the customers are still seated. In pursuit of compact and thinner designs that allows for greater portability for users, it has become necessary for components installed in portable devices to be thinner and more lightweight. Designed to be installed in portable terminals, the PTMBL1A00A Compact Thermal Printer is the latest product to be developed by ALPS ELECTRIC. This thermal printer, which prints on thermal paper, features superior high-speed printing capability, and is quiet and easy to handle. The use of this product in various portable devices is expected to expand in the distribution, retail and food-service industries, as well as in the finance and medical sectors. The vertical-type PTMBL1A00A Compact Thermal Printer, in which the motor section is installed vertically in relation to the paper feed rollers, is the industry's thinnest*, with the motor and roller sections measuring 17.6mm and 12.4mm in depth respectively. Besides motor alignment, an even thinner design has been realized by modifying the damper spring that presses paper to the thermal print head, from the coil spring to the plate spring. Attainment of this degree of compactness is due to the efforts ALPS ELECTRIC has made in developing a variety of compact printers, leveraging its engineering technology, as well as its manufacturing and simulation engineering cultivated over a number of years. Compared with conventional ALPS ELECTRIC printers, the PTMBL1A00A Compact Thermal Printer weighs 11g less, 36g. It will contribute to making set products more light-weight. In addition, the PTMBL1A00A Compact Thermal Printer features a paper feed roller section that employs an easy paper-setting mechanism capable of being detached from the main printer body. As a result, paper insertion by simply removing the roller makes paper installation easier, and eliminates the need to insert paper through the space between the roller and the thermal printer head. In addition, this product is capable of printing at 75mm per second. Features Development of the Industry's Thinnest PTMBL1A00A (Vertical) Compact Thermal Printer 1. Achieves the industry's smallest vertical model thermal printer 2. This product is 11g lighter than conventional models 3. Employs an easy paper- setting mechanism Principal Applications Various terminals such as portable POS (point of sale), medical devices as well as amusement devices *Based on information available to ALPS ELECTRIC as of August 31, 2008 Specifications Download press release including table of specifications For more information on the new the product please visit www3.alps.com/e/npv_product/0922_PTMBL/PTMBL_E.PDF

ALPS Electric Co., Ltd. Since its establishment in 1948 ALPS has grown as a comprehensive manufacturer of electronic components. At present ALPS is creating innovative high-value-added products in its main business segments – Components, Magnetic Devices, Communications, Peripheral Products, and Automotive Electronics – which are contributing to the advance of a digital society. ALPS is a global company that carries out its operations with 23 production bases in 9 countries as well as 57 sales bases in 14 countries. Consolidated net sales in the year ended March 31, 2008 amounted to YEN 693 billion. ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH, a subsidiary of ALPS Electric Co., Ltd., was established in 1979. Since 1989, the European Head Office has been located in Düsseldorf, where a team of specialists works in Sales, Marketing, and Product Engineering. The activities of our branch offices in Munich, Paris and Milton Keynes, our sales office in Milan and our European distribution work are co-ordinated from Düsseldorf. ALPS Nordic AB, a 100 percent subsidiary of ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH, is based in Sweden and services the Scandinavian market.