o Brother International Corp. late last year introduced its HL-5200 Series–a line of monochrome laser printers with faster print speeds, higher print quality and more expandable paper input capacity than the company's previous models.

According to Bridgewater, N.J.-based Brother, the new line includes the HL-5240 ($229), HL-5250DN ($249), HL5250DNT ($299) and the 802.11b/g wireless-ready HL5280DW ($349). All prices are estimated street prices.

The HL-5240 offers up to 30 ppm (pages per minute) print speed, up to 1200 x 1200 dpi (dots per inch) print quality and a 300-sheet paper capacity, expandable up to 800 sheets, said Brother. USB 2.0 and parallel ports for computer interface are also included, although the cables needed are not.

The HL-5250DN adds small workgroup features including an Ethernet (computer networking technology for local area networks) interface, duplex capacity for two-sided printing and 32MB of standard memory. The HL-5250DNT adds a 550-sheet total input capacity via a second 250-sheet paper tray, the company said.

Finally, the HL-5280DW includes a built-in 802.11b/g wireless interface and a three-color LCD to view status and change printer settings.

Further details are available at www.brother.com.

o Lexmark International Inc. this past February also introduced a new monochrome printer–the E120n laser printer for small office/home office customers and small workgroups.

This networked unit features an estimated street price of $149 and prints at speeds up to 20 ppm, said Lexington, Ky.-based Lexmark. “The E120n is also one of the quietest and most compact laser printers in the market, which makes it ideal for offices where space is at a premium,” the company said.

“With networking as a standard feature, customers can easily share this device between multiple users, maximizing office efficiency,” said Paul Rooke, executive vice president and president of Lexmark's Printing Solutions and Services Division.

Further information is available at www.lexmark.com.

o Xerox Corp., in a product targeted for larger agencies, brokerages or insurance home offices, this year introduced the Xerox 4590 digital copier-printer, providing scanning and printing for large networked offices.

The new unit features 2400 x 2400 dpi resolution and scanning speeds of up to 100 double-sided ppm, said the Rochester, N.Y.-based Xerox. The product prints and copies up to 90 ppm, and the system is “engineered” to produce from 75,000 to 175,000 pages per month.

The Xerox 4590 also features a 250-sheet automatic document handler that “holds 150 sheets more than competing devices and has up to eight paper trays for up to 8,225 sheets of paper,” the company said. It can scan up to 10 jobs while simultaneously printing.

The company added that users can use the unit to capture, store and share documents, sending them directly to e-mail, a network file server, or to a hard drive for later printing or copying.

Pricing for the Xerox 4590 copier-printer starts at $59,100, the company said.

o Eastman Kodak Company last month introduced the KODAK Scan Station 100, a device that could help offices move toward being paperless. Using a color touch-screen, this desktop unit allows users to convert paper documents–color, black-and-white and grayscale–into digital images.

According to Rochester, N.Y.-based Kodak, these images can be shared via e-mail, routed to network folders, sent to networked printers or copiers, or saved on portable USB drives.

“While sharing paper documents in a digital environment shouldn't be difficult, a lot of copier-based multifunctional peripherals make it that way for the average user,” said Erwin Schwarzl, vice president of Kodak's Graphic Communications Group. “The Scan Station 100 is designed to improve the user experience and office productivity by keeping a simple office function just that–simple.”

The company added that the Scan Station 100 does not require a dedicated computer, additional software or training to operate, because it connects to existing networks and offers “intuitive” features–such as a preview of scanned images prior to sharing–from the touch-screen.

“It can image a wide variety of paper documents of up to 34 inches in length–as well as smaller and thicker items including plastic insurance cards or driver's licenses,” said Kodak.

The Scan Station 100 carries a list price of “under $3,000″ and will be available in the middle of May, the company said.