PALO ALTO, Calif.---Feb. 24, 2003--HP has captured 59 percent of the overall printer market in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2002 -- maintaining its No. 1 position and extending its market share growth for the third consecutive quarter -- according to IDC's U.S. Quarterly Printer Tracker issued today. The most notable growth areas were the inkjet and color page printer categories in which HP gained 15 and 12 points in unit share year over year, respectively. "HP's results from the holiday season were phenomenal and demonstrate that our photo printers, business ink and color laser printing systems provide an extremely competitive combination of technology and value. We clearly remain the printer company of choice," said George Mulhern, senior vice president, HP Imaging and Printing Group. "These numbers are important indicators of HP's sustained market leadership and more importantly show that printing is increasingly viewed as a critical component of the overall IT environment." The IDC U.S. Quarterly Printer Tracker shows that the HP Color LaserJet 2500, HP's first sub-$1,000 color laser printer series, expanded HP's leadership position to 61 percent unit share, a growth of 12 points year over year. Low-priced color page printers, such as the HP Color LaserJet 2500 that entered the channel in the fourth quarter of 2002, are credited with driving volume growth in the overall color page printer segment. The HP Color LaserJet 2500 printer provides businesses an industry-leading combination of price and performance. In the inkjet segment, HP maintained its position as the market leader with 58 percent market share, which is up 15 points year over year and is also the third consecutive quarter of gains. HP offers a wide range of devices in this category ranging from value-priced single function printers to HP Photosmart and business-level inkjet printers, in addition to brands from Compaq and Apollo. HP also maintained its monochrome (black and white) leadership position with 72 percent market share in a consolidating market.