Adds Ingram Micro and Tech Data Corp. Wholesale Distributors to Reach New Customers
WILSONVILLE, Ore., June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix, Inc. (NYSE:TEK)
today reduced the price of its market-leading Phaser(R) 350 color laser-class printer to further drive the trend toward color printing in business.
Already one of the most affordable color laser-class printers in the industry's history, Tektronix is lowering the price of the Phaser 350 color printer today. The estimated U.S. selling price is now $2,995. Tektronix will continue to offer free black ink to Phaser 350 color printer customers, in order to bring down the cost of printing for all types of documents, both monochrome and color.
The Phaser 350 color printer price reduction, teamed with today's announcement of the new high-performance Phaser 560 color laser printer, reaffirms Tektronix' continuing commitment to make color printing as easy and affordable as monochrome printing is today. (Please see accompanying Phaser 560 color printer release)
"We want to put a color printer in every office and own the market for business color printing," said Jean Nassar, vice president of worldwide marketing for Tektronix' Color Printing and Imaging Division. "By lowering prices and expanding our channel, we're leading the ongoing transformation to color printing. People want to express themselves in color -- they'll choose color printing naturally when they get the right speed, reliability and price. We intend to make their choice a Tektronix color printer."
Channel Expansion
Tektronix also announced today new wholesale distributor relationships with Ingram Micro and Tech Data Corp., and increased numbers of authorized reseller locations worldwide. These new relationships augment established relationships with MicroAge, Inacom and Access Graphics, giving Tektronix incremental reach into a broad reseller base.
"Today, more and more resellers are asking for color printing solutions. In this area, we expect to see the largest growth in color laser printers," said Al Mann, vice president of purchasing for Santa Ana, Calif.-based Ingram Micro. "We are pleased to add Tektronix to Ingram Micro's wide range of printing solutions."
"Tektronix is a very strong player in the specialty and business-class color printer markets," said Tech Data's Jeff Marinangel, vice president of peripherals product marketing. "Our resellers serve a broad range of end users, and are well-positioned to help Tektronix reach new customers throughout the U.S."
The channel expansion will make it easier for small and mid-sized businesses to obtain Tektronix' color laser-class printers and will enhance penetration of the Tektronix brand into the growing market for business color printing. Tektronix sales channels have grown by more than 30 percent in the past 12 months under the expansion initiative, with an additional 25 percent growth expected by the end of 1997.
Dual Technology Approach Captures Business Market
Tektronix is the only company offering two color laser-class technology choices to the business market, the affordable Phaser 350 solid-ink color laser-class printer and the high-performance Phaser 560 color laser printer.
Tektronix' dual technology approach, teamed with aggressive pricing and attention to performance value, are helping bring 'no excuses, no penalty' color to more kinds of offices every day, ranging from entrepreneurs to small businesses to corporate workgroups. (See accompanying white paper on office color printing)
Tektronix' solid ink and color laser technologies are versatile and highly scaleable. As a result, Tektronix' Phaser color laser-class printers have steadily dropped in price while performance and value have continued to go up. They are proven leaders and have captured approximately 35 percent of the market for business color laser-class printing. No other company sells more color laser-class printers than Tektronix.
The market for business color printing continues to grow. Analysts have charted a 39 percent expansion from 1995 to 1996, and various industry sources predict compound annual growth rates as high as 49 percent from 1996 to 2001.
Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM)
, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif. is the world's largest wholesale distributor of technology products and services, with 1996 sales of more than $12 billion. The company operates in 19 countries and distributes more than 36,000 products to over 100,000 resellers in 120 countries.
Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ:TECD)
is a leading full-line distributor of personal computer products serving more than 55,000 value-added resellers and retail dealers throughout the United States, France, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. The Fortune 500 company generated sales of $4.6 billion in its most recent fiscal year ending January 31, 1997. Tech Data offers product lines in software, networking and communications, mass storage, peripherals and computer systems. In addition to distributing more than 45,000 products from over 900 manufacturers and publishers, Tech Data provides extensive pre-sale and post-sale training, service and support plus a full range of electronic commerce solutions, including a comprehensive Web site at http://www.techdata.com/.
Contacting Tektronix
For more information on Tektronix color printers, call 800-835-6100 or 503-682-7377. Information is also available by fax through Tektronix' 24-hour worldwide Highly Automated Library (HAL) at 503-682-7450. For recent news releases and additional information on Tektronix color printers and products, visit the Tektronix World Wide Web site at http://www.tek.com/Color_Printers/.
Tektronix' Color Printing and Imaging Division (CPID) is dedicated to making color printing as easy as monochrome printing is today. Building on more than 15 years of market-leading research and development, Tektronix color printers lead the transition from black-and-white to color printing for businesses. With their award-winning speed, quality, reliability and usability, Tektronix products are bringing down the barriers to color printing in three key markets: office, graphic arts and on-demand printing. Tektronix' CPID had sales of $562 million in fiscal year 1996, up 23 percent over 1995.
Tektronix, Inc. is a portfolio of measurement, color printing, and video and networking businesses dedicated to applying technology excellence to customer challenges. Tektronix is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon, and has operations in 23 countries outside the United States. Founded in 1946, the company had revenues of $1.8 billion in fiscal 1996.
NOTE: Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. Phaser is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. for color printers and related products. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used here for identification purposes only.
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Source: Tektronix Inc.
CONTACT: Jennifer Jones, 503-685-3150, or jennifer.l.jones@tek.com, or
Susan Bierma, 503-685-3101, or susan.e.bierma@tek.com, both of Tektronix Color
Printing and Imaging Division; or Janell Herman of Insync Communications,
Inc., 503-226-8234, or janellh@insync-pr.com, for Tektronix