News Release

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kevin Voss

(502) 584-6258

Merrick, DPI Complete Fiber-Optic Service Connection

Connection Performs Six Times Faster Than Previous Links

Louisville, KY (June 22, 1998) -- The Merrick Printing Company, and its On-Demand division, Digital Print Impressions (DPI), have completed the installation of a Native Mode Lan Interconnect (NMLI) connection that performs six times faster than the previous connection, expediting communication between the two facilities.

Previously, Merrick and DPI had been connected with a T-1 line, which has throughput capabilities of 1.54 megabits per second (mb/s) at its optimum. The NMLI service, provided by BellSouth, utilizes fiber optic cable to offer throughput capabilities of 10.0 mb/s.

As a result, the effective networking speed of connecting to Merrick's servers from DPI is equal to about 98% of being on the Local Area Network (LAN) at Merrick.

The installation represents a four-year, $100,000 commitment with BellSouth and makes Merrick/DPI one of a small group of the fastest connected sites in Louisville.

In order to connect Merrick and DPI with a NMLI line, BellSouth had to bury over one mile of fiber optic cabling to extend to DPI's facility.

In the next 12 to 18 months, Merrick anticipates upgrading its Internet connection to a T-1 connection with a committed information transfer rate of 1.54 mb/s. This will further increase file transfer speeds over the Internet from customers to Merrick.

"The completed NMLI connection to DPI, and the pending T-1 connection to the Internet, are the next steps in growing our connectivity accessibility in expediting communication and file transfer capabilities between Merrick, DPI and our customers," said Matt Merrick, vice president of Information and Technology. "We are committed to staying at the forefront of technology in order to have continuous improvement in our daily business operations and bring customers the best service we can offer."

The Merrick Printing Company is a full-service commercial printer providing premium print and electronic communications products, as well as digital information management for corporate and institutional customers. Through its subsidiary, Digital Print Impressions (DPI), Merrick meets the on-demand program needs of customers who want high-quality, short-run color and black-and-white jobs which save time and money.

This page was last updated: December 08, 2001