MIAMI BEACH, FL., Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) today introduced four new dot matrix printersspecifically designed to make forms and business document printing quiet, fast and simple. Announced here at the XPLOR 2000 conference, the Lexmark Forms Printer 2400 series includes four enhanced 9- and 24-pin dot matrix printers delivering high-speed performance, versatility and exceptional reliability for printing forms and other business documents. The printers are extremely quiet and operate at a noise level comparable to some laser printers, making them ideal for use in a variety of office environments. The Forms Printer 2400 series helps customers protect their technology investments by supporting legacy and existing network environments. "For users who need solid, dependable forms printing -- particularly in industries, such as transportation, retail, government, education, insurance and banking -- the Lexmark Forms Printer 2400 series offers the reliability, dependability, speed and flexibility to get the job done without any hassles," said Paul Rooke, Lexmark corporate vice president and president of the Business Printer Division. The Forms Printer 2400 series supports multipart, continuous feed and cut sheet forms as well as labels and envelopes and offer multiple paper paths, allowing users to choose the best path for their selected media. For thick, multipart or continuous-sheet forms, users can select the standard tractor. For cut sheets, the printers include an easy manual, front-load single sheet feed. There's also a bottom feed path to handle high-volume continuous forms easily from the carton. In addition, the Lexmark Forms Printer 2400 series prints on labels, postcards and envelopes and supports seven commonly used bar code fonts, including U.S. Postal Service POSTNET. Both the wide- and narrow-carriage models print on media sizes ranging from short and narrow (3 x 5.5 inch) to extra-long (22 inches). The new printers offer Tractor 2, a dual-tractor option, allowing customers to easily switch between two separate forms with the touch of a button. This feature is perfect for customers printing labels and forms at the same workstation and ideal for applications for which two forms are commonly used. The line includes four new printers: Model 2480 (9-pin narrow carriage), Model 2481 (9-pin wide carriage), Model 2490 (24-pin narrow carriage) and Model 2491 (24-pin wide carriage). In fast draft mode at 12 characters per inch (cpi), the 9-pin 2480/2481 models print up to 510 characters per second (cps), while the 24-pin 2490/2491 models print up to 465 cps. The 2480 and 2481 models can print up to six-part forms. The 2490 and 2491 models can print up to four-part forms. All new models have an estimated Mean Time Between Failure rating (MTBF) of 12,500 power-on hours at 25 percent duty cycle. Based on a large population of printers, MTBF is the anticipated interval of power-on hours a printer will operate before requiring service. The family offers two printer ribbon options. The standard yield ribbon is interchangeable with previous 2300 plus series printers, allowing users to save money by efficiently managing supplies inventories. A new high-yield ribbon is available for the new models. The new printers include a two-year LexExpress* Warranty. Under the terms of this warranty, LexExpress guarantees 24-hour shipment of a replacement printer at Lexmark's cost.