Hewlett-Packard to Introduce New Line of Printers, Cut Prices on Others

Hewlett-Packard Co. said that it will unveil today a new line of faster, better-quality inkjet printers targeted for business customers, as well as cut prices up to 20% on three older models.

The new DeskJet 855C, priced at about $550, will include a Kodak Photo CD, making it easy to add photographs to sales brochures and flyers, Hewlett-Packard said.

“These products offer business the versatility and performance of a higher-priced printer at a small fraction of the cost,” said Chuck Picket, a product manager for Hewlett-Packard’s Consumer Products Marketing Center.

The DeskJet 850 machines can print up to six pages a minute in black and white, and up to two pages a minute for color, the company said. The new devices also are meant to appeal to environmentally conscious buyers. They are the first printers to contain 25% recycled plastic, Hewlett-Packard said. That move will save more than 6 million pounds of plastic from going into landfills, the company said.

The latest models and price cuts announced by the company reflect its strategy to frequently introduce new, higher-performance models, while cutting prices on products less than six months old.