ADSTW Adstar Wts 12/16/2004 (MM)

Edgil's EdgCapture Payment Processing Software Now Features Secure, Real-Time Internet Connection to Payment Networks MARINA DEL REY, Calif. and NORTH CHELMSFORD, Mass., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- - AdStar, Inc. , a leading provider of e-commerce transaction software and services for the advertising and publishing industries, today announced the release of Edgil's EdgCapture R3.4 with SSL-Connect(TM), a real-time online interface to credit networks. Developed by Edgil, an AdStar company, SSL-Connect allows merchants to perform seamless and secure credit card authorizations in a matter of seconds over their existing Internet connections. EdgCapture with SSL-Connect connects directly to payment networks using 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology -- the same trusted technology used in thousands of e-commerce applications operating online today. "All of the major credit card processors now offer Internet interfaces to their networks," said Leslie Bernhard, president and chief executive officer of AdStar. "It is a logical extension of the EdgCapture framework to support these online interfaces in addition to the dial-up and frame interfaces Edgil has supported for years. With the speed of the Internet economy, it is important that we provide our customers with the tools and technology that allow them to keep pace and even stay ahead of the game. SSL-Connect allows our customers to do just that." Prior to SSL-Connect, in order to process online transactions, merchants were forced to use either a slow dial-up interface or a high-cost, dedicated frame relay or a leased-line connection that required specialized hardware and hundreds of dollars in monthly telecom fees. With SSL-Connect, Edgil's customers can save time and money in transaction processing by connecting directly and securely to payment networks through their existing Internet connection, thereby eliminating telecom fees and the need for any additional hardware. Dan Nadeau, vice president of development for Edgil, added, "EdgCapture's Internet interface to the payment processors represents a natural evolution of our technology. For years, our application has been processing millions of transactions using typical dial-up and frame interfaces. Now that practically everyone has an Internet connection, implementing SSL-connect will clearly allow our customers to benefit from improved operating efficiencies." EdgCapture has evolved during the past 17 years from a credit card processing application to an enterprise-wide electronic payment-processing platform capable of handling high transaction volumes. The scalability of its client-server design allows EdgCapture to satisfy the requirements of both smaller merchants and large multi-unit operations. EdgCapture R3.4 is available immediately. For more information, contact Edgil Associates at 978-251-9932 or email . About AdStar, Inc. AdStar, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSTNASDAQ:ADSTW), headquartered in Marina del Rey, Calif., is a leading provider of remote advertising technology products and services to the $20+ billion classified advertising industry. AdStar transforms publishers' Web sites into full-service classified ad sales channels for their print and online classified ad departments. Since 1986, AdStar has set the standard for remote ad entry software by allowing advertisers the ability to place ads electronically with many of the largest newspapers in the United States. Today, AdStar's infrastructure, through its private label model, powers classified ad sales for more than 40 of the largest newspapers in the United States, the Newspaper Association of America's bonafideclassifieds.com (where ads can be placed in more than 120 newspapers), CareerBuilder, and a growing number of other online and print media companies. About Edgil Based in North Chelmsford, Mass., Edgil is the industry's largest supplier of automated payment processing for call centers within more than 100 leading newspaper and magazine publications. Since 1984, Edgil has focused on providing publishing industry call centers with payment-processing solutions that integrate directly with their call center order entry systems. For more information, visit Edgil on the Web at http://www.edgil.com/ . Forward Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements concerning the business and products of the company. Actual results may differ from those projected or implied by such forward-looking statements depending on a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the following: historical business has already matured, new online business is unproven and may not generate expected revenues, and Internet security risks. Other risks inherent in the business of the company are described in Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the company's annual report on Form 10-KSB. The company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. Edgil Company Contact: Richard Rollins, 978-251-0032, ext. 245, AdStar Media Contact: Kevin Wilson, 801-898-5520, AdStar Broker Contact: RJ Falkner & Company, Inc., 800-377-9893, DATASOURCE: AdStar, Inc. CONTACT: Richard Rollins of Edgil, +1-978-251-0032, ext. 245, ; or Media, Kevin Wilson, +1-801-898-5520, , or Brokers, RJ Falkner & Company, Inc., +1-800-377-9893, , both for AdStar, Inc. Web site: http://www.edgil.com/

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