IBM COLOR JETPRINTER PS FROM LEXMARK LOWERS PRICE POINT FOR
POSTSCRIPT-COMPATIBLE DESKTOP COLOR PRINTING

LEXINGTON, Ky., Oct. 22, 1992 . . . The first IBM desktop color printer
that is PostScript-compatible was introduced today by Lexmark
International Inc., a former IBM division that became an independent
company last year.

The IBM Color Jetprinter PS 4079 sets a new, lower price point for
high-quality, PostScript-compatible desktop color printing. It features a
new RISC processor, enhanced brilliant color and simultaneous connection
to IBM and Apple Macintosh computers.

At a suggested retail price of $3,495, this next-generation inkjet color
printer comes standard with an advanced version of PostScript-compatible
software, co-developed by Lexmark and Phoenix Technologies, and many other
features that match or exceed more expensive color printers. For example,
360 x 360 dots-per-inch (dpi) resolution offers 44 percent higher
resolution and three times more levels of color than the leading
competitor's product. The higher resolution combined with an advanced
screening technique called ColorGrade enables the IBM color printer to
produce halftone quality normally associated with more costly 600 dpi
printers. The IBM Color Jetprinter PS also prints up to 11" x 17" images
with one standard paper tray. The $3,495 price includes one year, IBM or
dealer on-site service.

Faster, Smaller, Lighter

With a new advanced 16MHz, full 32-bit RISC microprocessor developed by
Advanced Micro Devices Inc., the IBM color printer offers an average 44
percent improvement in speed, and roughly half the size and weight,
compared to the leading competitor's model.

"We're leapfrogging the competition in the emerging under-$4,000 market for
high-quality PostScript color printers," said Donald C. Shropshire Jr.,
Lexmark's vice president of marketing for the Americas and the Far East.
"Lexmark established the benchmark for monochrome printers last year with
the first true 600 dpi desktop laser printer, the IBM 4029, and today
Lexmark is setting a new standard in lower-cost, high-quality,
PostScript-compatible desktop color printing with the IBM 4079.

"We fully expect today's announcement to make color printing more
attractive and more affordable to a much broader marketplace," Mr.
Shropshire added. "The IBM 4079 helps overcome the barriers that made many
people hesitate to invest in color."

Millions of Color Combinations

The crisp, halftone quality and simple ease-of-use features of the IBM
color printer make it an ideal productivity tool for superior business
presentation graphics, computer-aided design (CAD/CAM/CAE) and desktop
publishing.

With 360 x 360 dpi and Lexmark's ColorGrade enhanced screening, it provides
144 levels of color with smooth color transitions that show virtually no
banding or stair-stepping between colors. The IBM 4079 produces very fine
lines and smooth curves for detailed line art and technical drawings.

Four ink cartridges (primary colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black, or
CMYK) provide true four-color process printing that can generate millions
of vivid color combinations (including true black) with laser-like quality
for total freedom of expression. An ink-out sensor automatically stops the
printer and displays a message if a cartridge needs replacing. When it's
replaced, printing continues with no loss of data. It is PANTONE-licensed
for color matching and ships with 35 Type 1 scalable fonts.

PostScript compatibility and graphics language (GL) plotter emulation
ensure that the IBM color printer works with all leading color application
software. A SmartSwitch feature automatically switches between PostScript
and GL plotter language emulations, eliminating awkward manual switch
changes.

An important cost-saving, ease-of-use feature is the single paper tray that
can handle different size media from envelopes to B-size (11" x 17")
paper. The IBM Color Jetprinter PS prints on a variety of media including
plain paper, special coated paper, envelopes and inkjet transparencies.
Typical printing cost per page is 15 cents on plain paper and 26 cents on
special coated paper. A sample supply of IBM 4079 coated paper is shipped
with the printer. The IBM color printer's design incorporates a no-U-turn
paper path for greater reliability.

Designed For Shared Use 

Multiple users in a department or workgroup can connect to the IBM Color
Jetprinter PS and send data to it concurrently. With an optional Y cable,
three ports can be active, or "hot," at one time: parallel, serial and
LocalTalk".

The IBM Color Jetprinter PS is fully compatible with the IBM 4033 LAN
Connection giving local area network (LAN) users instant access to IBM
OS/2 LAN Server, Microsoft LAN Manager, Novell Netware and AIX networks.
Improved throughput is provided by Lexmark's high-velocity parallel
interface utilizing Lexmark's exclusive "Fastbytes" protocol, which speeds
data transfer to rapidly clear a LAN of print data.

Wide application and print driver support shipped with the IBM Color
Jetprinter PS includes IBM OS/2, Microsoft Windows, AIX, and Apple Systems
6 and 7.

New Technology, Superior Performance

The advanced function and performance advantages of the IBM color printer
are attributable to the new AMD Am29200 RISC processor. The IBM Color
Jetprinter PS is the first product to use this fast, high-performance chip
that was designed to Lexmark requirements.

The IBM color printer comes standard with four megabytes (MB) of memory and
is upgradeable to an optional 16MB. An advanced memory compression
function allows the printer to handle complex jobs with only one-third the
memory normally needed to create a page.

The printer takes less than a minute to warm up for use and, when ready,
printer functions are easily selectable from the intuitive 32-character
LCD, or liquid crystal display, operator panel in the user's choice of
English, French, Spanish or six other supported languages. Operating noise
levels are very low (44dB) and it is silent when idle.

Prices, Options and Availability

The IBM Color Jetprinter PS 4079 is available now from Lexmark and IBM
authorized resellers, and from IBM and Lexmark direct. The standard
machine lists at $3,495, with 4MB and 8MB memory optional upgrades at $419
and $749, respectively (dealer prices vary). The optional Y-cable lists
for $39, replacement ink cartridges are $24.75 for black and $34.75 for
color, and printer supplies range from $21.50 to $50.

Lexmark International Inc., which has introduced more than 20 new printer
products since it was formed in 1991, is an independent information
products company that develops, manufactures and markets IBM personal
printers, IBM typewriters, related supplies and keyboards.

Lexmark International, 740 New Circle Rd NW, Lexington, KY 40511

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