QUALITYLOGIC COMPLETES WORLDWIDE INK AND TONER RELIABILITY COMPARISON STUDY FOR HP

With 3.5 Million Pages Printed, Most Extensive Study of Its Kind Compares OEM to Remanufactured Supplies

MOORPARK, Calif., November 12, 2003 - QualityLogic Inc., one of the largest independent quality assurance organizations in the imaging market, today announced the completion of a robust study that expands traditional print cartridge reliability testing methodologies to address a wider array of user experiences. The QualityLogic Reliability Comparison Study, commissioned by HP, looks beyond out-of-box failures and offers the industry a new perspective on testing print cartridge reliability based on faulty cartridges, print quality consistency and user interventions. QualityLogic's comprehensive analysis compared leading brands of remanufactured aftermarket cartridges with HP original inkjet and LaserJet cartridges.

"This study offers a broad insight into the types of reliability issues printer users are faced with every day," said Gary James, QualityLogic co-founder, director and VP of business development. "Cartridge buyers should be aware of the hidden costs associated with reliability problems."

In addition to establishing the testing methodology, QualityLogic procured a sample of leading worldwide aftermarket remanufactured cartridge brands. The studyfocused on evaluating the reliability of black and color inkjet and monochrome toner cartridges.

"This study was the largest, most ambitious and thorough independent analysis of laser and ink jet consumables ever conducted," said James Mater, QualityLogic president and CEO. "The QualityLogic team worked for over one year to conduct extensive testing, and meticulously analyze and compile results -- 3.5 million pages were printed and over 1,700 ink and toner cartridges were consumed."

All brands were tested on the following criteria:

Out-of-the box failures -- cartridges that produced 10 or fewer acceptable pages
Premature failures -- cartridges that printed less than 75% of the average number of pages produced by the cartridges tested for that brand
Print quality consistency -- Cartridges that produced a high number of unacceptable pages -- would have required reprinting of 1 out of 10, or more, pages

In the final analysis, QualityLogic's study demonstrated that HP original cartridges are significantly more reliable than leading aftermarket remanufactured supplies for ink and monochrome toner brands.

"Increased reliability and print quality consistency have a direct correlation and impact on productivity and the overall cost of printing for consumers, whether they work with a single system from home or with multiple systems in a network environment," said Pradeep Jotwani, senior vice president of Supplies, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "QualityLogic's study further reinforces our claims that HP original supplies offer superior reliability, quality and value over aftermarket brands."

While different aftermarket brands had different kinds of problems, all brands had notable problems in at least one category. Key highlights are shown below:

QualityLogic Reliability Comparison Study - Key Highlights:

Overview

On average, original HP monochrome LaserJet toner and black inkjet print cartridges were more than 9 times more reliable, and original HP color inkjet print cartridges were more than 50 times more reliable than the leading remanufactured brands tested.

Failures

On average, 4 percent of the remanufactured monochrome toner cartridges failed out-of-the-box or failed prematurely.
On average, over 40 percent of the color and 17 percent of the black remanufactured inkjet cartridges failed out-of-the-box or prematurely.

Print Quality Consistency

On average, the remanufactured brands had 8 times more cartridges that produced a high number of unacceptable pages.

About QualityLogic

QualityLogic is a full-service outsource testing and software Quality Assurance company. The Company's comprehensive menu of offerings includes software, computer system, peripherals and wireless test services; test tools for printer and facsimile technologies; and enterprise-wide consulting and quality management services. QualityLogic's services and test tools are used today by hundreds of OEMs in the computer and communications industries, and many QualityLogic test tools have become accepted as de facto standards for testing. Visit QualityLogic's Web site, www.qualitylogic.com, or call 800-436-6292 ext. 105.

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