UK - HP Intros Low Cost Laser Printer 09/20/95 BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1995 SEP 20 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard has unveiled the LaserJet 5L, a Plug and Play-compatible LaserJet printer for SOHO (small office/home office) users. The new printer succeeds the LaserJet 4L unit and is a slimmer, vertical design that takes up less space. According to HP, the UKP479 printer is also the first LaserJet to feature PrintSmart, a suite of technologies that "delivers better, faster and easier printing." The printer works at four pages-per- minute (ppm) in most conditions. Ralph Tuckwell, a spokesman for HP, told Newsbytes that the LaserJet 5L is not to be confused with the current crop of GDI lasers, where the bulk of the processing required to print a page is carried out on the host PC, usually under Windows. "The problem with these printers is that they require a lot of processing power on the host PC, and they take time to process the data. If you're looking for an economy printer, then chances are that you're using an 80286 or 386-based PC, which probably can't cope with GDI printer technology," he explained. "HP doesn't believe that the GDI printer technology is viable in the budget printer market, which is why the company hasn't produced such a printer for the market. The LaserJet 5 offers a budget price, but without resorting to such cost-cutting technology," he said. HP claims that the LaserJet 5L printer is the industry's easiest laser printer to install and use, with a setup time as quick as 15 minutes. The printer has a "simple one-button operation," features an onscreen print status monitor and help tutorial, and is Plug and Play ready for Windows 95. "HP resets the standard in personal laser printing with the introduction of the HP LaserJet 5L," commented Richard Hanscott, HP's personal printer marketing manager. According to Hanscott, the printer combines new technology and innovation for "better, faster, easier" 600 dots-per-inch (dpi) printing at what he claims is an "attractive price." The LaserJet 5L printer features 600 by 600 dpi printing with HP's resolution enhancement technology, which the company claims results in "smoother, sharper curves and greater clarity for text and graphics." The printer is also billed as offering "excellent print quality" on a wide variety of paper types and weights as well as on recycled paper. Users can choose from 26 TrueType scalable typefaces. By using the Enhanced LaserJet Printing System for Windows, HP claims that the first page will come off the printer in under 20 seconds. These speed enhancements, along with a faster processor and accelerated I/O (input/output) handling, are claimed to save individual users more time and money. The LaserJet 5L printer features 100-page input and output trays that accommodate a wide range of media such as postcards and envelopes. A single sheet feeder allows customers to print special media without removing other media from the input tray, while an alternative straight paper path ensures wrinkle-free printing of envelopes, labels, special stock, and transparencies, says the company. According to HP, customers also can stack up to 10 envelopes or sheets of custom media in the main paper tray. The printer has a 4,000 page monthly duty-cycle. (Steve Gold/19950919/Press Contact: Ralph Tuckwell, PA Consulting Group, +44-171-730-9000; Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard, +44-1344- 369222) Japan Newsbriefs 09/20/95 TOKYO, JAPAN, 1995 SEP 20 (NB) -- In this roundup of news from Japan: MPT establishes auto telecoms panel, Apple picks Fujitsu for MO drive, KDD to cut rates to Asia, Japan and EU settle phone dispute, IBM supplies OEM displays, Matsushita's digital camera heads overseas. MPT Establishes Auto Telecoms Panel The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has set up a panel to look into the field of automobile communications. The panel will study future uses of devices such as cellular telephones and car navigation systems as well as future systems including the use of radar to detect obstacles in the road ahead and wireless based road toll systems. A report from the panel is due by next May. Apple Picks Fujitsu For MO Drive Fujitsu are to supply magneto-optical (MO) disk drives to Apple Computer for installation in the American company's Powerbook laptop computers. The company has optimized the drives for installation in Macintosh PowerBook 190 and 5300 Computers. Steve Andler, senior director of mobile systems product marketing at Apple explained, "With space at a premium in a notebook form factor, we selected the Fujitsu PowerBook DynaMO 230 to provide our mobile users with a single product that we expect to deliver the performance of a hard drive, the transportability of a floppy and infinite re-writability, which is greater functionality than CD-ROM can offer." MO drives are capable of storing up to 230 megabytes (MB) on 3.5-inch MO disks. Fujitsu recently announced it had developed new two gigabyte (GB) disks that retain compatibility with existing drives and will be available in around two years. KDD To Cut Rates To Asia The country's largest international telephone operator, KDD, will cut charges on some routes, particularly those to South Korea and Singapore, according to the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. The rate cuts will bring charges closer in line with those of other countries. Japan And EU Settle Phone Dispute The European Union and Japan have come to an agreement over what could have been a trade dispute concerning cellular telephones. European Commission Vice President Leon Brittan and Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono both announced Monday that the two had settled the issue of whether a Japan-US trade agreement in 1992 favored US telephone manufacturer Motorola unfairly over European companies. IBM Supplies OEM Displays The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reported in weekend editions that IBM Japan will begin supplying color TFT (thin film transistor) LCD (liquid crystal display) displays to other manufacturers on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis shortly. IBM Japan makes the units at a factory in Shiga prefecture that it operates jointly with Toshiba. The displays are hoped to become a major part of IBM Japan's business accounting for 15% of all sales, the newspaper said, and would begin being offered to other computer makers this year or early next year. Matsushita's Digital Camera Heads Overseas Following Sony's lead, Matsushita will begin selling a new all digital camcorder in the United States market. The NV-DJ1 appeared in Japan on September 1 and features an all digital path from the CCD video pickups to the tape which is a new, digital VHS format being used by both Matsushita and Sony. US sales will begin in October with European sales slated to begin next spring. (Martyn Williams/19950920)