NEW GENERATION OF HP LASERJET PRINTERS OFFERS 600-DPI PRINT QUALITY AT PRICES BELOW 300-DPI PRINTERS Improved Network-Printing Capabilities and Automatic Language and Interface Switching Make Printers Attractive to All Businesses PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 26, 1992 -- Hewlett-Packard Company today introduced the HP LaserJet 4 and 4M printers -- RISC-based, 600-dots-per- inch (dpi) laser printers for Intel-based personal computer (PC), Macintosh and network-computing systems -- at prices lower than many 300-dpi printers. The HP LaserJet 4 printer with enhanced HP PCL 5 printer language replaces the HP LaserJet III printer, the market's top-selling printer. The HP LaserJet 4M printer offers integrated Adobe PostScript Level 2 software, 6 Mbytes of memory and automatic language and interface switching for use in Macintosh and mixed computing environments. Standard features of the HP LaserJet 4 and 4M printers provide users with the following: - Superior print quality at processing speeds up to six times faster than the HP LaserJet III printer. The printers' true 600-dpi printing capability is enhanced by microfine toner and HP's Resolution Enhancement technology. HP-designed RISC-based formatters enable the printers' 8-ppm engines to process 600-dpi print jobs as fast as comparable 300-dpi printers even when printing most complex, mixed-text and graphics pages. - Easy connection to mixed computing environments. The HP LaserJet 4M printer automatically switches between parallel, serial and LocalTalk so PCs and Macintoshes can be attached directly to the printer. The HP LaserJet 4 printer automatically switches between parallel, serial and optional HP JetDirect interfaces that support a variety of network operating systems. PostScript also is available to upgrade the HP LaserJet 4 printer for use in mixed environments. Both printers automatically switch between enhanced HP PCL 5 and PostScript. - Increased paper handling that is four times the 200-sheet capacity of the HP LaserJet III printer. The printers come standard with two paper trays that hold 350 sheets. Options include a third tray that holds 500 sheets for a total capacity of 850 sheets and a power envelope feeder that holds 75 envelopes. Improved Print Quality To ensure the best print quality possible, the HP LaserJet 4 and 4M printers use a new 600-dpi designed engine rather than an upgraded version of a current 300-dpi engine. Print quality is further improved with HP's Resolution Enhancement technology, which smooths the edges of laser-printed text and graphics. The printers also use microfine toner particles that are 20 to 30 percent smaller than particles used in typical laser-printer toner form other companies. Microfine toner sharpens edges of text, improves photographic quality of images and results in less toner scatter. The printers have 45 scalable typefaces -- the most typefaces offered in any HP LaserJet printer -- including 35 Intellifont typefaces and 10 standard TrueType typefaces contained in Microsoft Windows 3.1. The printers transparently process Intellifont or TrueType typefaces when both formats are used on the same page. The standard typefaces for the HP LaserJet 4 and 4M printers support a wide variety of word processing, presentation, spreadsheet and other typical office applications. (See Typeface List in this section.) Integrating TrueType and Intellifont in the printer provides Windows 3.1 users with automatic WYSIWYG on the computer screen and improves printer performance and type flexibility. The HP LaserJet 4M printer also includes the standard 35 PostScript typefaces. Optional PostScript Level 2 software from Adobe is available for the HP LaserJet 4 printer at $499 (U.S. list). The PostScript option is a user-installable SIMM that plugs into the printer's formatter to make upgrading simple, inexpensive and fast. Faster Document Processing Delays that are common with many printers as they process complex graphic documents are eliminated with the Intel 80960 KA-20 MHz RISC processor used in the HP LaserJet 4 and 4M printers. The following features also speed performance: - Enhanced HP PCL 5 printer language that has been optimized for the faster graphics performance - Integrated PostScript Level 2 that offers four times the speed of the HP PostScript cartridge when used with an HP LaserJet III printer - Speedier parallel port that transfers data up to 156 Kbytes/sec., about 10 times faster than a standard parallel port - Faster printer drivers that are more efficient in handling print requests The HP LaserJet 4 comes standard with 2 Mbytes of memory and can be upgraded to 32 Mbytes. Most 600-dpi text and graphic documents can be printed with the standard 2-Mbyte memory because of the compression capabilities of enhanced HP PCL 5. The HP LaserJet 4M printer comes standard with 6 Mbytes and can be upgraded to 22 Mbytes. Users can add industry-standard SIMM memory in increments of 1 Mbyte, $109; 2 Mbytes, $199; 4 Mbytes, $299; and 8 Mbytes, $569 (all U.S. list prices). Simple Connection to Business Computing Environments Bi-Tronics parallel and serial ports and a modular I/O (MIO) slot are standard with the HP LaserJet 4 printer. The Bi-Tronics parallel port provides bidirectional communications capabilities so the printer can send printer-status messages to users' computer screens when it needs servicing, additional paper or toner. MS-DOS users also can change printer settings from their PC using HP Explorer, a free software utility included with the printer. (See Section III for more information on HP Explorer software). The printer's MIO slot lets users add optional HP JetDirect cards that support Novell NetWare, IBM LAN Server and Microsoft LAN Manager running on Ethernet or Token Ring as well as HP-UX, Sun OS and Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) Unix running on Ethernet. The cards range in price from $695 to $895 U.S. list. HP JetDirect AppleTalk cards using LocalTalk or EtherTalk connections are available for $230 and $695, respectively. Because the cards are integrated into the printers' design, no extraneous cables, boxes or power supplies are required. The HP LaserJet 4M printer comes standard with parallel and serial ports and a factory-installed HP JetDirect LocalTalk card. Increased Paper Handling A multipurpose tray that holds 100 sheets or 10 envelopes and a 250-sheet letter-size tray come standard for a total capacity of 350 sheets. The face-down output tray holds 250 sheets. An optional assembly can be attached under the printers to expand the paper capacity by 500 sheets for a total of 850 sheets. The assembly and one 500-sheet tray that holds letter-, legal-, A4-, or executive-size paper are available for $349 (U.S. list). A power envelope feeder that holds 75 envelopes in a variety of U.S. and European sizes also is available for $349 (U.S. list). Other Enhancements and Support The HP laserJet 4 printer includes several other improvements over the HP LaserJet III printer, including: - free drivers for Windows 3.0/3.1, WordPerfect 5.1 and Lotus 2.X, 3.X. All HP LaserJet III drivers are compatible for immediate support of the HP LaserJet 4 printer. Macintosh and Windows drivers are included with the HP LaserJet 4 printer PostScript upgrade kit and HP LaserJet 4M printer. - free printer-matching screen fonts for Windows 3.0 and 3.1 are available upon request. - a vacuum fluorescent front-panel display that is easier to read in all types of lighting conditions. - a smaller footprint -- 16.3 in. width by 15.8 in. depth by 11.7 in. height. The printer weighs 35 pounds, 15 pounds less than the HP LaserJet III printer. - a selection of user manuals and key caps that include language versions in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch and Portuguese. The font panel will display messages in all 11 languages. Availability The HP LaserJet 4 and 4M printers and all accessories are expected to be available today from HP-authorized dealers and distributors worldwide. Additional Information For more information on the HP LaserJet 4 and 4M printers, contact your HP dealer. Technical data sheets for the printers are available via Fax from HP FIRST (Fax Information Retrieval Support Technology). Dial (800) 333- 1917 from a touch-tone phone in the U.S. or Canada and select "1" for HP FIRST. If you are calling from outside the U.S. or Canada, dial (208) 344- 4809 from your Fax machine and select section 1. The HP First document ID number for the HP LaserJet 4 printer data sheet is 1320, the HP LaserJet 4M printer data sheet is document ID 1321. Typeface List The HP LaserJet 4 and 4M printers have 45 scalable typefaces including 35 Intellifont and 10 TrueType typefaces contained in Microsoft Windows 3.1. Line printer 16.67 pitch, a bitmapped font, is also included. Intellifont Scalable Typefaces TrueType Scalable Typefaces Albertus Extra Bold Arial Albertus Medium Arial Bold Antique Olive Arial Bold Italic Antique Olive Bold Arial Italic Antique Olive Italic Times New Roman CG Omega Times New Roman Bold CG Omega Bold Times New Roman Bold Italic CG Omega Bold Italic Times New Roman Italic CG Omega Italic Symbol CG Times Wingdings CG Times Bold CG Times Bold Italic CG Times Italic Clarendon Condensed Coronet *Courier *Courier Bold *Courier Bold Italic *Courier Italic Garamond Antiqua Garamond Halbfett Garamond Kursiv Garamond Kursiv Halbfett *Letter Gothic *Letter Gothic Bold *Letter Gothic Italic Marigold Univers Medium Univers Bold Univers Bold Italic Univers Medium Italic Univers Medium Condensed Univers Bold Condensed Univers Bold Condensed Italic Univers Medium Condensed Italic * Fixed pitch scalable typefaces. All other typefaces are proportional. HP LASERJET 4 AND 4M PRINTERS AND ACCESSORIES U.S. List Prices Part Product Price C2001A HP LaserJet 4 printer (includes: 2MB RAM, $2199.00 Bi-Tronics (bi-directional parallel) and RS-232/RS-422 serial interfaces, one toner cartridge, one 100-sheet/10 envelope multi- purpose tray, one 250-sheet paper tray, power cord, driver and documentation). C2021A HP LaserJet 4M printer (includes: 6MB RAM, 2999.00 LocalTalk, Bi-Tronics (bi-directional parallel) and RS-232/RS-422 serial interfaces, Integrated PostScript Level 2 Software from Adobe, one toner cartridge, one 100-sheet/10 envelope multi- purpose tray, one 250-sheet paper tray, power cord, driver and documentation). 92298A HP LaserJet toner cartridge with microfine toner; 150.00 approx. 6,000 pages at 5% coverage. C2063A 1 MB Memory SIMM 109.00 C2064A 2 MB Memory SIMM 199.00 C2065A 4 MB Memory SIMM 299.00 C2066A 8 MB Memory SIMM 569.00 C2080A Adobe PostScript Level 2 Language SIMM 499.00 C2082A Power Envelope Feeder for Com-10, Monarch, DL, 349.00 C5 and B5 sizes C2083A Letter, executive and A4 multi-size 500-sheet 349.00 paper tray and paper tray assembly C2083B Legal, letter, executive and A4 multi-size 349.00 500-sheet paper tray and paper tray assembly C2084A 500-sheet multi-size replacement paper tray 129.00 (letter, executive, A4). Requires optional tray assembly C2083A or C2083B C2084B 500-sheet multi-size replacement paper tray 129.00 (legal, letter, executive, A4). Requires optional tray assembly C2083A or C2083B C2085A 250-sheet multi-size replacement paper tray 99.00 (legal, letter, executive, A4) C2085B 250-sheet replacement paper tray (letter) 99.00 C2085C 250-sheet replacement paper tray (A4) 99.00 HP JetDirect Cards J2337A Novell NetWare-Ethernet /802.3 LAN, 695.00 Thin LAN (BNC) and 10Base-T (RJ-45) ports J2338A Microsoft LAN Manager, 3Com 3+ Open LAN 695.00 Manager - 802.3 LAN, Thin LAN (BNC) and 10Base-T (RJ-45) ports J2339A EtherTalk, Thin LAN (BNC) and 10Base-T 695.00 (RJ-45) ports J2340A HP-UX, SunOS, and SCO UNIX-Ethernet Lan, 895.00 Thin LAN (BNC) and 10Base-T (RJ-45) ports (HP-UX and SunOS UNIX operating systems require a digital-audio tape or cartridge at a price of $100.00) J2341A LocalTalk 230.00 C2059C Novell Netware - Token Ring 895.00 C2059D IBM LAN Server, Microsoft LAN Manager, 3Com 895.00 3+Open LAN Manager - Token Ring ---