STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 1999--Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) Mailing Systems Division, the leader in mailing technology, announced today the introduction of the high-speed W790 envelope printer with full color graphics capability. This color printer, specially designed for direct printing on mail, is the latest addition to the company's family of AddressRight(TM) Addressing Systems. The W790 increases the impact of direct mail and boosts mail "openability" by printing professional logos and enticers in color, directly on envelopes, postcards and self-mailers.

A recent United States Postal Service (U.S.P.S.) study estimates that up to 20.5% of advertising mail is thrown away unread, presumably because of its unprofessional appearance, and this is a chronic dilemma for the $230 billion dollar direct mail industry. The W790 overcomes this "junk mail" image by producing professional looking mail.

Instead of the labels often used for advertising mail, the W790 uses ink jet technology to print addresses directly on envelopes thereby giving mail a high quality, "open me" look. It can print eye-catching, color graphics on a wide range of materials; and as a recent NFO Research, Inc study revealed, printing the return address and enticer in color greatly increases the chance of a mail piece being opened - a critical first step for improving direct mail response rates.

"Personalized, professionally addressed envelopes are the ones that get opened, get read, and get a response" says Tim Bates, Vice President of Marketing for Pitney Bowes Mailing Systems. "With its ability to print sharp, high resolution images on envelopes, the W790 produces this kind of high quality mail, and thereby enables businesses to get the most for their marketing dollars."

The W790 can print in black (up to 600 DPI) or in color (up to 300 DPI) on material ranging from a 3" x 5"post card to a 15" x 15.5" envelope (from .003" up to .25" in thickness). In addition, it can process up to 13,000 No. 10 envelopes per hour (3 line address in black) which makes it ideal for high volume mailing applications.

The W790 can also help get mail delivered quickly, accurately and at discounted postal rates when linked with Pitney Bowes SmartMailer(TM) Address Management Software. SmartMailer(TM) Software is CASS and PAVE certified by the U.S. Postal Service, so it contains every deliverable U.S. address and allows mailers to select a variety of presort methods to secure postal discounts. Using the address data supplied by SmartMailer(TM) Software, the W790 can print the appropriate Delivery Point Barcode with the address, and this qualifies the mail for worksharing discounts. These discounts can be up to 40% depending on the class of mail, which taken together with the reduction of misdirected mail, can represent significant time and money savings for business mailers.

Pitney Bowes Inc. is a $4.2 billion premier provider of informed mail and messaging management. For more information about the company, please visit our web site at www.pitneybowes.com.