Lexmark: Another contender in the ink jet printer market

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP) About two years ago, when the crisis was beginning to have its impact on us, I suggested in the By The Way column that we should not worry too much about it as there would soon be light at the end of the tunnel. Two senior researchers, Dr. Mely G. Tan and Dr. Lie Tek Tjeng, read what I wrote and phoned me right away to tell me I was too optimistic. They were right. I was indeed being oversanguine.

Today however, with the tremendously positive responses that are forthcoming from all sides -- particularly after Ibu Mega was elected Vice President of this country -- I think we do have reasons to be quite upbeat. No, I'm not saying that it's already party time. A lot of damage has been done, and it requires a lot of hard work and perseverance to rebuild our economy. Besides, there are still loudmouthed people whose agenda does not include reform.

As I mentioned in my column last week, during those difficult two years quite a few IT companies either left Indonesia or delayed investing in the country. However, one company, Lexmark, made the bold move to officially enter the Indonesian market even before we could tell whether our next president would be a leader or a joker. Last month, Lexmark officially appointed one of Indonesia's leading electronic companies, PT Galva Technologies Corporation, as their distributor. Galva makes GTC computers, one of the three OEM brands in Indonesia, so the appointment was right on the mark.

If you still have one of those legendary IBM keyboards, turn it over and check the name of the manufacturer. Chances are it was made by Lexmark for IBM. In fact, even while I type this article I am using a Lexmark ergonomic keyboard that can be split into two and adjusted any way I like. I bought it in Hong Kong back in 1995 and I still love it. Too bad Lexmark is not in the keyboard business anymore.

The company, which used to be a division at IBM, was making printers for IBM. It then became independent and was acquired by private investment company Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. In the mid 1990s, Lexmark made a lot of breakthroughs in the laser printer area. Its Optra line of laser printers was one of the first to offer high resolution and networking capabilities.

In the U.S., and many other parts of the world, Lexmark has joined the group of the top printer manufacturers -- Hewlett- Packard, Epson and Canon. Some of its ink jet printer products have even received awards, particularly because of their good price/performance ratio.

Lexmark also makes printer supplies for a wide range of printers, including printers under the IBM brand, after-market supplies for OEM products and even typewriters and typewriter supplies under the IBM trademark.

As is the case elsewhere, Lexmark will be working with PC makers in Indonesia to bundle its printers with their PCs. So don't be surprised if the next time you shop at Gajah Mada Plaza or Mangga Dua Mal you are offered a Lexmark printer at a discounted price to go with your new, locally assembled PC. This doesn't mean though that the printer is a cheap one. Even some brand name PCs in the U.S. also come bundled with a Lexmark printer.

Lexmark have brought three ink jet printer models into Indonesia: the Lexmark 1100, 3200 and Z51 Color Jetprinters. The Lexmark 1100, which costs about US$99 on the Web, is targeted at families and students. Although it is at the bottom end of the market, this 600 x 600 DPI printer is still capable of producing decent colors and even has the capacity to print long banners and to print on T-shirts. One nice touch is the on-screen indicator which warns its owner when the ink is running low.

Although the text could be of a better standard, the $149 Lexmark 3200 certainly produces better color printouts. To produce photo-quality printing, it uses six different colors. The resolution is high at 1200 x 1200 DPI, and the printer speeds are 6 pages per minute (ppm) in black & white and 2.5 ppm in color. Those who live in the U.S. will even get this printer for free if they sign up with the Juno Web Internet service provider.

At the top end of the market is the $249 Lexmark Z51 Color Jetprinter. The rounded appearance of this printer -- it is shown in the accompanying picture -- reminds us of a Porsche 911 Carerra. The print result on a special coated paper handed to me during a product demonstration last month was top quality. The black text was very black and stood out, while the color picture was very similar to a photograph taken with a conventional film- based camera. This printer can also use the USB connection to the PC.

If you have a digital camera, you may be interested in the $299 Lexmark Photo Jetprinter 5770. You can print your photos without having to boot up your PC. This versatile printer can accept files from a Zip disk or the flash memory card that your camera uses for storing the image data. It can crop images and even add frames all without the help of a PC.

Those who live in the U.S. are eligible for a $50 rebate even if they don't sign up with Juno Web. That means they can buy a Lexmark 1100 for just $49.00. Wow!

With the arrival of these ink jet printers, we will have more choice. And who knows, we may also eventually be able to get printers for free too.