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Hewlett-Packard Co.'s plans to bring a desktop color laser printer to market this fall for as low as $7,000 may trigger a price war and fuel market acceptance of the high-end peripherals.
The dominant PC printer vendor is preparing a color desktop version of its highly successful LaserJet printer that will be priced far less than competitors' products and will open the door for usage beyond graphics and presentations. One of the most popular color laser printers on the market today is QMS Inc.'s ColorScript Laser 1000, which carries a $9,999 list price.
"When we see lower price points, you will see them for QMS, but I don't expect to see real price drops until 1995," said Terry Harbin, QMS' marketing director.
While the high-end color printer market has been insulated from the price wars that have taken their toll on other segments of the market, HP's price advantage is expected to evaporate quickly. Color laser technology, under development in Japan, could drive prices for...