HP UK Press Release 06/10/04

Continued investment in mono technology means that customers get smaller, faster and more efficient machines

BRACKNELL, UK, 6 October, 2004.  HP today introduced its largest-ever refresh of monochrome printers its new range of mono printers. These new products continue to increase in speeds and shrink in size whilst lowering the total cost of ownership of printers. 

The increase in performance of the new range, which is suitable for the home, SME and enterprise markets, is the result of significant investment from HP into mono printing from both a hardware and supplies perspective and sets new benchmarks for mono printing products.

Included in today’s launch are six new monochrome printing platforms that consist of 27 new individual products.  From a broader industry perspective, the refresh of the monochrome product line also means that 50% of the entire printing industry?s monochrome inventory is being replaced with new products from HP. 

“There has been talk in the industry around the fact that mono printing is a declining market with reductions in colour price points resulting in customers moving away from mono. This is simply not the case, and the latest market figures back this up,” said Laura Seymour, Personal Laser Category Manager, HP UK.  “We are continuing to invest in new mono technologies and are driving the market forward so that people can discover new uses for their mono devices like printing at home - this is still an exciting market to be in.”

?Right now is a fascinating time to observe the printing market as companies are waking-up to the idea that there is a lot of money to be both saved and made and businesses are reacting in different ways to this,? said Stuart Swinton, Mid-range Mono Category Manager, HP UK. ?Some businesses are taking a look at what is actually being printed in their organisations and being surprised; some are limiting access to printers for certain people and others are asking us how we can integrate technologies such as wireless connectivity into machines and how this can be easily integrated into current structures. The bottom line is that the market is changing and vendors cannot afford to just be box shifters if they want to be successful, the key is helping customers to understand how their printers can work for them.? 

It is part of HPs commitment to keeping ahead of market demands that today?s new line-up is being launched.
The new mono product introductions are:
?      HP LaserJet 1160:  Ideal for personal use, this small and powerful monochrome printer features HP?s LaserJet Instant-on Technology, which enables it to finish print jobs from a cold start or powersave mode before many competitive solutions have even started printing ? starting at ?219 (inc. VAT) 
?      HP LaserJet 1320:  Boasting optional wireless networking capabilities, extra paper capacity, and a small footprint to fit easily into any office environment, the HP LaserJet 1320 printers provide business professionals and small workgroups with a fast, efficient and flexible laser printing solution that increases office productivity and provides standard automatic two-sided printing ? with a base price of ?249 (inc. VAT)
?      HP LaserJet 2400 series:  The HP LaserJet 2400 series are a proven set of user-friendly desktop printers and expandable to the growing needs of your business. Printing up to 33 ppm, desktop printers are ideal for small work teams that need flexibility and features at an affordable price ? starting at ?449 (inc. VAT)
?      HP LaserJet 4250 and 4350:  The HP LaserJet 4350 is the fastest single function printer on the market, printing at 52 ppm, and the HP LaserJet 4250 prints at 43 ppm.  These monochrome printers are networkable and can be customised to meet the needs of larger workgroup environments with a wide range of solutions and accessories ? starting at ?719 (inc. VAT)
?      HP LaserJet 9050:  Printing at 50 ppm, this wide format printer is ideal for demanding departments that need high-volume performance and low operating costs.  A variety of high-capacity input and output options as well as other business solutions such as forms printing, SAP or Cluster printing, are available to minimise user intervention, including a new 8-bin mailbox device and a multi-function finisher ? starting at ?2179 (inc. VAT)

###

About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company?s offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2004, HP revenue totaled $78.4 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.