Lexmark 110, 720 manual Printers, Paper Handling

Epson Stylus Pro 5000, introduced in March 1998, and the HP 2000C, introduced in May 1998.

In spite of the adoption of separate ink tanks by its competitors, Lexmark has resisted. ìCanon claims that you shouldnít have to replace all the colors when you just need to replace the cyan,î said Paul Johns, VP of Sales and Marketing for Lexmarkís Consumer Printer Division, at a briefing in February 2000. ìWe find that nine times out of 10, all the colors in the cartridges are emptied uniformly.î Perhaps the J110 is meant to address the 10% of Lexmark users who donít believe or actually experience this uniform ink depletion. The J110 uses a configuration similar to Canonís, with a replaceable print head and individual ink tanks. The print head has an expected life of 30,000 pages, each color ink cartridge has a yield of 3,000 pages at 20% coverage, and black ink cartridges yield 3000 pages at 5% coverage. Lexmark claims that black pages printed by the J110 cost $0.017, assuming 5% coverage, and that color pages cost $0.090 at 20% coverage. Lexmark would not give us pricing for the print head or ink cartridges, nor would it reveal the capacity of ink cartridges. ìThe yield on ink cartridges depends on many things other than the volume of ink delivered,î explained Drew Zande. ìWe donít quote ink cartridge volumes because we believe it to be an inaccurate representation of yield.î

The Lexmark J110, shown with an open cover to reveal the printerís separate ink cartidges.

Source: Lexmark International, Inc.

Given the investment Lexmark has made in the development and manufacturing of tri-color cartridges, we felt compelled to question the switch to a separate- cartridge model. ìBusinesses often print more of one particular color,î said Drew Zande. ìWe found that this approach is better for many of our customers.î Zande would not say whether Lexmark plans to work separate ink cartridges into other printers in its product line.

Paper Handling

The J110 ships with a 250-sheet paper tray, which feeds paper to the printer from underneath (similar to the HP Business Inkjet 2200). The J110 also has a single-sheet multipurpose feeder, located on the back of the printer, which allows users to feed envelopes or single sheets of letterhead. The J110tn, which features 10/100Base-TX Ethernet connectivity, ships with an additional 250-sheet tray and a 75-sheet multipurpose feeder, available as options on the J110 base model. Output capacity on the J110 is 250 sheets. The J110 is available for a street price of $899, and the J110tn is available for $999.F

Printers

MGI USA Addresses the ìPerf, Score, and Trimî Part of Finishing

At On-Demand (New York, NY, Feb 27 - March 2, 2001) we saw a color laser printer with an integrated finishing station which can score, perf, slit and trim, simultaneously. Paper from a stack of cut-sheet pages (or 8 1/2"-wide roll) feed from one side of the Digital Carte Master Color printer from MGI USA, Inc. (Melbourne, FL and Paris, France), and full-color printed business cards cut to size are deposited in a tray on the other side. The Hitachi-based print engine, which is probably a 600-dpi device, runs at 4 ppm. MGIís spec sheet states a maximum resolution of 2400 dpi. We have enclosed an event ticket printed at the On Demand Show on the Digital Carte Master Color, so readers can see what the equipment can do. The Digital Carte Master Color has been shipping since spring 1999. MGI sells direct in the U.S., with offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.

The printer can accommodate an extraordinary range of papers, from 20 lb. bond to 94 lb. cover/140 lb. index (70 gsm to 250 gsm). MGIís sample book includes prints on linen and PPGís Teslin, in addition to a wide range of card stocks. Depending on the paper selection and the trim requirements, the print speed and/or fusing temperature will be modified. Trim requirements affect print speed because the sheet must be stationary when

Page 4 March 2001