While Intel Corp repeatedly promises applications-specific versions of its microprocessors – there are reputedly six variants of the 80386 on the way – the company still has very little to show for a commitment that goes back five years. National Semiconductor Corp on the other hand has, with very little fanfare or notice, come out with the first applications specific version of its NS32016 microprocessor, tailored for use in laser printer controllers and other graphics applications. The NS32CG16 has the full 32000 instruction set, plus 15 additional graphics instructions. It is looking for business on the chip from designers of page printers, high-end serial printers, scanners, plotters and monochrome terminals. The new part was developed under the agreement with Canon Inc signed a year ago under which the two companies agreed to collaborate on parts for use with Canon’s laser printers and other office products. The new instructions include BiTBLT function with 16 logical operators, pixel processing and high-speed pattern and line drawing, plus data compression and exxpansion functions for font storage with run-length limited encoding. Samples of 15MHz and 10MHz versions are available now; no prices given.