Lexmark`s innovative new workgroup printer family helps customers improve productivity, cut costs

Lexmark International SA today introduced three new monochrome laser printers and a variety of optional workflow-solution enhancements that provide businesses with robust printing and information-management capabilities, thus helping them increase productivity and lower costs.

The Lexmark T630, T632 and T634 are scalable, flexible devices that can be tailored for a vast array of business output applications. When coupled with multifunction printer (MFP) options, such as the Lexmark 3100 or 3200 being introduced today, the new T-family of Lexmark printers deliver powerful multifunctional solutions to improve business efficiency.

Today`s announcement is consistent with Lexmark`s mission to help businesses `print, move and manage` information more effectively. Customers will print smarter thanks to the T-family`s improved print speeds, monthly duty cycles, and direct PDF printing capability. With their MFP upgradeability, users also will move information faster with the improved ability to seamlessly integrate the devices into their company`s workflow systems and processes.

Through its large-account sales force and internal development capability, Lexmark has developed a closeness to enterprise customers that enables the company to better understand users` needs, and then respond to those needs. Consequently, engineered into the products introduced today were a wide range of attributes that were driven by customer requirements, such as:

* Versatility: Modular design, expanded media handling capability, upgradeability to multifunction devices, and targeted application solutions.

* Outstanding value: The new Lexmark T63x laser printers offer industry-leading value (based on rated printer speed, processor speed, MFP upgradability, toner cartridge capacity, and estimated street price).

* Low management and operating costs: Compatibility with Lexmark`s MarkVision Professional software means devices can be easily and efficiently managed, and the new high-yield replacement cartridge available for the T632 and T634 can print up to 32 000 pages before requiring a replacement which lowers operating costs and user interventions.

* Powerful workhorse devices: The printers provide increased productivity and are capable of output speeds of up to 45 pages per minute (ppm), time to first print as low as 8.5 seconds, and a duty cycle of up to 225 000 pages per month.

* Ease of use: Easily installed common supplies and improved paper handling functions take the frustration out of printer maintenance.

"The new Lexmark T630, T632 and T634 are versatile enough to meet the varied needs of any office," commented Hans Horn, MD of Lexmark International SA. "They are powerful tools that help enterprises increase the speed and reduce the cost of conducting business, and they are designed to maximise productivity by being distributed, closer to knowledge workers."

Lexmark`s T-line of workgroup laser printers, the T63x announcements along with the previously announced T420d laser printer, provide a strong, innovative suite of solutions for all businesses.

Today`s announcement indicates Lexmark`s drive to capitalise on market trends. The growth of e-distribution of information is driving the need for `distributed printing` in offices, resulting in the strong and growing demand for information-management devices such as the Lexmark T-family of printers.

The Lexmark T630 is a powerful workgroup printer at an outstanding value. It can print up to 35ppm, has the best price/performance in its class and boasts the industry`s fastest rated speed for this class of printer along with MFP upgradeability.

The Lexmark T632 is a versatile workgroup laser printer that handles complex output in a distributed printing environment. It offers MFP upgradeability, a lower total cost of printing, the fastest processor (350MHz) and the highest duty cycle (200 000 pages per month) in its class, and, at up to 40ppm, is faster than competitors` similar offerings.

The Lexmark T634 is a high-speed workgroup laser printer for high-volume printing. It produces up to 45ppm, and has a duty cycle of 225 000 pages per month. Compared to the leading competitive model, the Lexmark T634, which will be available shortly, has a faster processor (500MHz), larger standard output capacity (500 sheets), a high yield replacement cartridge capacity with up to 14 000 more pages, and MFP upgradeability.

Also included in today`s product introductions are two new MFP options that allow companies to extend the capabilities of the Lexmark T630, T632 and T634 printers to address multifunctional requirements. The Lexmark 3100 provides simplex scanning at up to 15ppm in monochrome or colour. The Lexmark 3200 features single-pass, duplex scanning for greater reliability at speeds of up to 23ppm in monochrome and up to 14ppm in colour for simplex scanning.

Both offer an extensive range of standard capabilities including flatbed colour scanning and automatic document feeding, digital copying, integrated fax modem and colour network scanning for the e-routing of paper-based information to networked workstations. These options also work with Lexmark Document Distributor to streamline business operations with multi-destination routing and automation of key document processes.

The PrintCryption Option for the Lexmark T630, T632, T634, W812 and W820 printers permits end-to-end security for network print jobs by enabling the printer to process encrypted print data and avoid inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information. In addition to support for these new models, Lexmark will provide software to encrypt jobs from Windows 2000 and XP, Mac and additional Unix environments. This significantly expands the supported environments beyond those announced in October 2002.

For further information, please contact Cathy Steyn at telephone (011) 329 0999; fax (011) 792 7449; e-mail cathryn.steyn@lexmark.co.za