Astro-Med Signs Contract with Panasonic for Cabin Printers for Airbus A380

WEST WARWICK, R.I., Apr 25, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Astro-Med, Inc., (NASDAQ:ALOT), a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced data recording systems and printers for aerospace, industrial and medical applications, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to furnish cabin printers for the new Airbus A380 aircraft.

Astro-Med will furnish a version of its ToughWriter 4 printer for use with the Panasonic eX2 In-Flight Entertainment system (IFE). The cabin printer is designed to print hard copies of communications from the ground, airport maps, itineraries, gate information, trouble-shooting data, and possibly data from passengers as well. Up to two to three printers will be needed per aircraft. The ToughWriter 4 uses standard A4 or B4 size paper and utilizes PostScript 3(R) printer language.

Commenting on the award, Everett V. Pizzuti, President and COO of Astro-Med stated: "this agreement complements the contract we announced in February of 2004 with Sagem to furnish cockpit printers for the Airbus A380. We are delighted that Astro-Med printers will be used throughout the A380, in the cockpit as well as the cabin. We are now well positioned to team with Panasonic for cabin printers for other new aircraft." The agreement is for five years with automatic 12 month additional terms.

It is anticipated that initial production deliveries will begin in the third quarter of 2005.

Panasonic Avionics Corporation is the world's leading supplier of in-flight entertainment and communication systems. Headquartered in Bothell, Washington, Panasonic Avionics Corporation maintains corporate and engineering offices in Lake Forest, California; regional centers in Dallas, Singapore, London, Tokyo and Dubai; and field service, maintenance and sales facilities throughout the world. System production facilities are in Osaka, Japan. Panasonic Avionics Corporation is a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America (PNA). Based in Secaucus, NJ, PNA is the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) and the hub of Panasonic's US marketing, sales and service and R&D operations. Additional information on Panasonic Avionics Corporation is available at www.panasonic.aero. Additional information on Matsushita and Panasonic is available at www.panasonic.com.

Astro-Med, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of high-tech specialty printing systems, medical instrumentation, and test and measurement products employed around the world in a wide range of industrial, scientific, and medical applications.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements, and actual results may vary from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could affect these results include those mentioned in Astro-Med's FY2005 annual report and its annual and quarterly filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


Astro-Med, Inc.
Everett V. Pizzuti, 401-828-4000