New Lexmark management tools for Optra printers raise the bar for productivity

Venture Computer, the sole distributor in Southern Africa for Lexmark International, today announced major enhancements to three powerful printer software management tools that enable network administrators, free of charge, to get new Lexmark printers up and keep them running at a fraction of the time and expense of conventional manual methods. Lexmark`s new NetPnP v.4.0, MarkVision for Intranets v.5.6 and the Lexmark Windows Installer v.4.8 simplify, automate and centralise time- consuming, printing-related administrative tasks that traditionally can take hundreds of hours to complete.

"Once again, Lexmark is offering customers powerful tools to streamline significant aspects of their printing environments,`` said Richard Fearon, Business Development Director at Venture Computer. "A driver that previously would have to be individually installed on every desktop can now be distributed across thousands of workstations by one administrator in minutes.``

Lexmark`s NetPnP automatically installs all of the software and print drivers required for seamless deployment of Lexmark printers and multifunction printers as soon as they are attached to Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 networks. This new software saves hundreds of hours of installation and set-up time across a large enterprise.

Lexmark`s NetPnP v.4.0 works ingeniously by enabling the distribution of ready-to-use, pre-configured drivers to users on the network, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual configuration of printer driver settings at each individual workstation. NetPnP e-mail set-up enables administrators to quickly have users printing on the network with the new device designated as their default printer. Lexmark`s NetPnP v.4.0 even works with Lexmark printers that have not yet been set up for TCP/IP networks.

Lexmark`s MarkVision for Intranets v.5.6 streamlines and simplifies the task of monitoring an organisation`s network printing infrastructure, reducing help desk calls and improving end-user printing satisfaction and productivity. Residing on an internal Web site that can be managed centrally or remotely, MarkVision enables administrators to identify system faults or other shortfalls before they affect users.

Lexmark`s MarkVision now includes support for printers attached to IPX networks, such as Novell NetWare. MarkVision v.5.6 enhances support for OptraImage, Lexmark`s multifunction print/copy/fax/scan solution, and protects customer investments by working with printers and multifunction devices from Canon, Hewlett-Packard and Xerox. In addition, it now supports high-end Ricoh multifunction devices. Another new MarkVision function automatically schedules network searches for new printers and multifunction devices, saving administration time and ensuring that all devices are properly identified, configured and managed.

The Lexmark Windows Installer v.4.8 drastically reduces the time needed to install or update Lexmark printer software and drivers. Perfect for administrators in large organisations who are responsible for installing and updating network printing resources, this tool provides a one-touch, centralised solution for software and print driver installation affecting thousands of end- users. Administrators can update their Lexmark software and print drivers with the CD-ROM that ships with the product or via the Lexmark Web site, and users can schedule Web updates to obtain the most current print drivers automatically.

Lexmark`s Windows Installer v.4.8 is now fully compatible with Windows 2000 Server and Professional systems, helping administrators better manage their Windows 2000 transition and printer roll-outs in Windows 2000 environments. In addition, Windows Installer now allows installation of Lexmark drivers without support for bi-directional communication, which saves PC memory space for users who do not require printer status information from the driver.

For further information, please contact Richard Fearon or the relevant product manager at tel. (011) 329 0999; fax (011) 792 7449; rfearon@venture.co.za