BOULDER, CO--Dec 17, 2003 -- In a study released by IDC, a leading industry analyst firm, IBM Printing Systems ranked ahead of competitors such as Océ and Xerox in providing the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) for production printing customers in a maximum duty cycle scenario. The IBM Infoprint 4100 HS2, Infoprint 4100 HD3/HD4 and Infoprint 4000 IS2 took the top three positions in the category and provided the lowest cost-per-page in the study, at a mere $.0033 per page. IBM's Infoprint 4100 printers already provide customers with high-speed, high-resolution digital print quality. IDC's study shows that IBM goes beyond speed, performance and productivity to provide customers with the lowest total cost of printing available to maximum duty production printers. "Since announcing the Infoprint 4100 less than two years ago, IBM has increased its worldwide shipment market share of 201-plus ipm continuous form monochrome laser printers by over 10 points from 2001 to 2002, to a leading share of over 40%," said Riley McNulty, senior analyst for IDC. IBM recently signed on a number of customers such as Qwest Communications International, Experian International and Latin America-based Cargraphics, a division of Carvajal; to provide high-speed, high-quality digital printing solutions for books, financial statements and outsourced transaction documents. "Cargraphics was the first company in the world to use a 600 dpi continuous forms digital printing solution for making books, and IBM was the company that was able to supply us with the solution," said Esteban Guerrero, managing director of Cargraphics. "Cargraphics digitally prints more than 300,000 books per month in five different countries using the IBM Infoprint 4100 and Infoprint 4000. We've been very pleased with IBM's continued ability to provide us with a cost effective digital printing solution that delivers the print quality needed to satisfy our publishers' requirements." "The IDC study highlights an important foundation in helping customers lower their total cost of printing, and IBM builds upon this foundation to deliver ultimate savings to our customers," said David Dobson, general manager of IBM Printing Systems. "IBM takes TCO one step further than our competitors by providing customers with a services-based approach, because TCO is more than just lower hardware costs. By continually focusing on all elements of a print solution, including the AFP architecture, software, controllers and workflow, we help customers save on all of the hidden costs that come with the printing process -- not just the equipment." Developed using a comprehensive, standard measurement, IDC analyzed TCO in three different scenarios: Maximum Duty Cycle (more than 2.5 million impressions per month); High Monthly Volume (1.5 million to 2.5 million impressions per month); and Low Monthly Volume (1 million to 2 million impressions per month). Within each scenario, the printers were divided into two categories: 200-plus ipm printers and 100-199 ipm printers. Printing costs were analyzed for both 1-up, or simplex printing, and 2-up, or duplex printing. IDC rated both continuous-form and cut-sheet printers in each speed range. The Infoprint 4000 and 4100 series help commercial printers, direct mailers, service bureaus and enterprise data centers to increase printing speed and reduce operational costs while achieving superior print quality, through advanced features that save time and minimize operator intervention. Ideal for printing environments where throughput and printing speed are a critical factor, the Infoprint 4100 HD3/HD4 models allow printing at speeds up to 1,220 2-up 8.5"x11" ipm or 2,238 3-up 6"x9" ipm. All Infoprint 4100 printers include operator switchable resolution for producing 480 dots per inch (dpi) or 600 dpi output from 240/300/600 dpi input; switchable speed for printing on challenging media or with MICR; high-speed FICON and Gigabit Ethernet attachments for maximum productivity; integrated pinless and tractor feed paper path; and an enhanced operator console/GUI.