IBM's Laser Print Family With Improved Security

IBM has announced five new workgroup printers designed to help improve document security, reduce output costs, and increase productivity.

IBM has announced five new workgroup printers designed to help improve document security, reduce output costs, and increase productivity.

The company has also announced a new family of line matrix printers designed to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

The new members of the Infoprint 1000 family of laser printers are claimed to offer improved security features that can integrate with existing networks to help increase document confidentiality and device security.

Confidential access to sensitive documents can be implemented through new secure print features that can 'hold' the document on the device until the end user enters a personal identification number (PIN).

Higher levels of security can also be obtained through the Infoprint family's authentication and encryption features, said IBM.

For commercial industrial printers, following the introduction of the Infoprint 6700 with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) capabilities, IBM has continued to refresh its portfolio with the new Infoprint 6500 family of line matrix printers, designed to reduce costs and deliver reliable, efficient output for text, bar codes, graphics and overlays, said the company.

To help customers better manage their distributed printers, from the back office to the loading dock, the Infoprint 6500 offers the ability to remotely access, configure and control an entire fleet of printers, from a single, easy to use virtual operator panel.

Using IBM's Printer Management Utility (PMU), customers can also monitor the printer's output and the status of ribbon life in real-time.

To maximise operator efficiency, the PMU proactively monitors the printer.

By using an optional 10/100Base T Ethernet interface, an operator can be alerted via e-mail or pager when intervention is necessary, said IBM.

It is also said that the Infoprint 6500 can also help lower supplies costs and reduce user interventions with its longer life, ultra-capacity ribbon that can print up to 50 million characters before a replacement is necessary.

To further efficiencies, the standard Intelligent Ribbon System in the printer can automatically monitor ribbon usage and suspend printing before the print quality becomes unacceptable.

An operator can also be alerted when a ribbon replacement is necessary, helping deliver improved uptime and helping ensure high quality output.

Customers can also take advantage of various print speeds that range from 500 to 2,000 lines per minute for demanding applications that require fast output, said IBM.

The new range of monochrome and colour machines include the Infoprint 1532 Express and Infoprint 1552.

They are medium-volume, monochrome laser printers said to be capable of print speeds up to 35 pages per minute (ppm) and 45ppm respectively and are designed to deliver fast output with security.

They offer confidential PIN printing and authentication and encryption for network environments.

The printers are also said to be wireless-capable, to help customers speed installation in existing networks.

With claimed affordable prices, reliable output and robust functions, the models are said to be suitable for small or medium workgroups.

The Infoprint 1572 and Infoprint 1585 are high-volume, network-configured monochrome laser printers with claimed speeds up to 50ppm for letter paper sizes.

They are designed to support large workgroups and enterprises that demand fast output, a high level of security and flexible media usage and finishing options, said IBM.

The Infoprint 1585 can also produce wide format 11" x 17" output at speeds up to 28ppm, claimed IBM.

Both systems offer a new operator panel for ease of use and an optional wireless cardis said to deliver users flexible networking options.

The company's Infoprint Color 1567 is said to be a high performance, mid-volume, network-configured departmental colour laser printer that can deliver monochrome speeds up to 36ppm and colour speeds up to 32ppm, said IBM.

Said to be robust, it includes colour control options, wide format output, a new easy to use operator panel, optional wireless capabilities and enhanced security features, the Infoprint Color 1567n is said to be suitable for medium and large workgroups that need both colour and monochrome output.

"Our newest machines are designed to help customers better manage the confidentiality and security of their output in networked environments," said Doug Oathout, vice president of IBM Printing Systems Division.

"We continue to listen to customers to develop a broad range of innovative technology solutions that can help improve business processes and reduce total output costs," he added.

The products will begin to be released from 15 July onwards.

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