Lexmark Rolls Out New Laser Printers, Solution Center

The Lexington, Ky.-based vendor is shipping five new laser printers, which will be available in 20 configurations, and aims to aggressively price the top end of its offerings, executives said.

A key new feature of the printers is an operator panel that provides management and security functions through an ATM-style interface. For example, through the panel, users could assign a personal identification number to a print job from a remote location and release that document by typing in an access code on the device. The panel also can be customized with specific commands or software, according to Lexmark.

Solution providers, too, will be able to add their own applications to the operator panel and the printers, said John Linton, vice president of Lexmark's solution provider channel. "Really, we focus on enabling technology," he said. "With our technology, our partners can add their capabilities around it."

If a customer's needs are more complex than what the product provides out of the box, solution providers can work with Lexmark and the client to integrate the necessary features into the devices via the new operator panel, Linton added.

The new products are the T640, T642, T644 and W840 laser printers and the C920 color laser printer. Security features include document encryption, wrong-PIN lockout, expiration of PIN-assigned documents not retrieved, and enhanced document-accounting solution support. Lexmark also has added a direct USB interface to enable the printing of documents stored on portable USB drives.

Specific pricing wasn't immediately available, but Linton said the C920 would carry a street price of about $950 below earlier-generation color laser printers.

The solution center, slated to open Monday, is located at 461 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. Lexmark said the facility will serve as a "state-of-the-art customer center" that will showcase the latest Lexmark solutions and technology.