HP Seeks Customers Who Have DeskJet Printers with Paper-feed Problem; HP Offers Free Paper-feed Cleaning Kit that Solves Problem.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 1995-- Hewlett-Packard Company is trying to reach customers in Europe, the United States and Canada who have DeskJet or DeskWriter printers that may not consistently pick up and feed paper into the printing mechanism.

Only DeskJet 550C and 560C printers, and DeskJet and DeskWriter 520 and 510 (Europe only) printers produced between June 1993 and March 1994 are affected. No DeskJet printers on dealers' shelves today have this problem.

HP said it has developed an easy-to-use paper-feed cleaning kit to solve the problem. The kit will be available beginning January 16. The company will send the kit automatically to all potentially affected customers who sent in their registration cards before July 1994. The kit is free, takes about 20 minutes to use and should be needed only once or twice during the life of the printer.

HP also has set up a special 800 number to handle customer calls on this specific problem. U.S. and Canadian customers who did not register their printers before July 1994 and who want to request a free paper-feed cleaning kit, or who have questions about the cleaning process, should call HP at [phone]. Use of the 800 number by customers will allow HP to provide expedited service to affected users. Customers who prefer to contact HP by fax can send correspondence to [phone]. Only printers with serial numbers beginning with US3 through US43 are expected to have the problem. All of these units carry an industry-leading limited, three-year warranty.

After customers receive the kit, they can restore roller traction easily by inserting the kit's cleaning plate into the paper tray, putting the accompanying diskette in the computer and following some simple instructions. The rollers rotate over Scotch-Brite abrasive patches; the patches clean the rollers and restore their ability to pick up paper.

HP changed the rubber specifications on the rollers of some DeskJet printers in June 1993. The company since has found that this rubber sometimes loses its ability to pick up and feed paper consistently. A combination of use, humidity, paper dust and temperature may cause the rollers over time to become slick and to lose their ability to pick up paper. With the discovery of the problem, HP immediately switched back to the original rubber specifications.

The company believes that warranty accruals are adequate to meet expenses associated with this problem. Therefore, HP expects the program's costs to have minimal impact on its financial results in fiscal 1995.

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 98,400 employees and had revenue of $25 billion in its 1994 fiscal year.

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Note to Editors: Scotch-Brite material is a product of 3M.

CONTACT: Hewlett-Packard Company

             Jeremy James, 619/592-8438
             Copithorne & Bellows PR for HP
             Kristin Vais, 408/988-2100