Dell puts the pressure on HP with printer launch

Dell is to launch another three printers, as its fight against HP heats up.

The new models - a laser printer, an inkjet printer and a low-priced multi-function device that acts as printer, scanner and copier - bring Dell's line-up to seven. Their release is scheduled to come three months after the direct PC seller launched its first printers as part of an effort to take on printer leader HP.

Like Dell's previous printers, the new devices are manufactured by Lexmark, the second-place printer maker.

Tim Peters, vice president and general manager of Dell's imaging and printing unit, said in a statement: "The reception by customers to our entry into the printer market has exceeded our own expectations."

A Dell representative said the company has sold twice as many printers as it had expected to sell, but would not say how many printers that was.

The new devices include a new top-of-the-line model for Dell: the Workgroup Laser Printer M5200n. The networked monochrome laser printer promises speeds of 35 pages per minute (ppm) and sells for $999.

The other models are aimed at individuals. The $99 Personal Inkjet Printer J740 is designed to work at speeds of up to 18 ppm for standard text, and 14 ppm for colour. Dell's Personal All-in-one A920 is an entry-level device that combines printer, scanner and copier functions for $89.

The products will be available in the US this week, and elsewhere in the world, later this year.

Ina Fried writes for News.com