SAN FRANCISCO (ACS Booth # 619) Oct. 13, 2008 - Sony is introducing its newest dye-sublimation printer for medical applications, model number UP-DR80MD, at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Congress this week. The printer offers the high performance necessary to support demanding medical applications in an affordable, compact package.

The device connects through a USB port to virtually any image capture device or camera system and delivers optimal printing for reports that combine text and high-resolution images, as well as other applications.

The smallest, full-page, medical-grade, dye-sublimation printer on the market today, the UP-DR80MD printer measures 12.5 inches x 16.75 inches x 8.13 inches (WxDxH), and weighs just  25 lbs. Its compact size makes it the ideal size for surgical carts or workstations.

A new, easy-to-use, color adjustment feature enables close matching of print color to images displayed on the screen.  The printer features a 310 dpi resolution fast print speed and front-panel controls for easy replacement of Sony letter-size print media and ribbon.  Its low cost of ownership makes the device an ideal alternative to ink jet printers that require more costly consumables that can quickly exceed the unit’s purchase price.

 “With the introduction of this new printer, Sony continues to provide the surgical community more choices in specialized printing,” said Brian Zimmer, product marketing manager for Sony Electronics’ Medical Group. “With the growing demand for full page surgical prints, this is a great alternative to ink jet printing and offers reliability and superb image quality as well as a low overall cost of ownership”

The UP-DR80MD is USB 2.0 compatible, supports Windows 2000®, XP and Vista.

The printer is expected to be available in January 2009 at a suggested list price of $1,999.00.