Lexmark's key milestones

At its inception, Lexmark was headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., and maintained locations in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. The company has expanded its footprint and now has a presence in more than 170 countries.

March 1991: Lexmark was formed as a spin-off of IBM.

July 1991: Lexmark announced its first new products, the IBM Personal Printer Series II and IBM 4226 dot matrix printers.

July 1992: The first Lexmark and IBM co-branded product was announced: the IBM Personal Wheelwriter 25 and IBM Wheelwriter 35.

September 1992: Lexmark increased its sales force to begin focusing on the end user, selling directly to large accounts.

October 1992: Lexmark announced its first inkjet printer, the IBM Color Jetprinter PS 4079.

October 1993: Lexmark introduced its first inkjet printer with an internally developed engine (monochrome printing), the IBM ExecJet II 4076.

January 1994: Lexmark announced it would organize its sales and marketing areas into industry-focused teams, a pivotal move in increasing Lexmark's presence in vertical markets.

August 1994: Lexmark announced its first internally developed inkjet color printer, the ExecJet IIc.

October 1994: Lexmark introduced the industry's first true 1,200-by-1,200 dots per inch (dpi) laser printers: the Optra family.

January 1995: Lexmark went live on the World Wide Web.

April 1995: Lexmark announced the Medley in North America, the industry's first printer-fax-copier-scanner combination product with color printing capability.

November 1995: Lexmark became a public company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LXK.

September 1996: Lexmark moved its corporate headquarters from Greenwich, Conn., to Lexington.

April 1997: The industry's first inkjet device capable of printing 1,200-by-1,200 dpi is announced: the Lexmark 7000 Color Jetprinter.

September 1998: Lexmark Solution Services was launched to meet customer demands for comprehensive, customized printing solutions.

April 1999: Lexmark began selling its offerings in the area of managed print services, which included asset and consumables management, maintenance services and consulting services.

January 2000: Lexmark opened a bottle-assembly plant in Cebu, Philippines, to produce integrated printheads to meet worldwide demand.

September 2002: Lexmark announced a strategic alliance with Dell to develop and produce Dell inkjet and laser printers and related aftermarket cartridges.

January 2003: Lexmark introduced the Lexmark Document Solutions Suite, the software basis for Lexmark's customization and application capabilities.

April 2005: Lexmark introduced the Lexmark P4350, the industry's first all-in-one inkjet printer with a color LCD screen.

February 2006: Lexmark introduced its first open-architecture solutions platform, the Lexmark Embedded Solutions Framework.

October 2008: Lexmark began a major expansion and enhancement of its laser product lineup, announcing a combination of 38 new printers and multifunction products.

September 2009: Lexmark launched a full line of eight all-in-one (AIO) inkjet printers for small to medium businesses. The announcement included the world's first Web-connected line of inkjet AIOs and the lowest black printing cost in the inkjet industry.

June 2010: Lexmark acquired Perceptive Software to expand its market opportunity and strengthen its document workflow solutions portfolio.

October 2010: Lexmark CEO Paul Curlander announced he would retire in spring 2011, and he named Paul Rooke as his successor. Lexmark Genesis was announced, a powerful inkjet AIO.

November 2010: The company combined its two divisions, laser and inkjet printers, into a single operation.

July 2011: Lexmark posted a quarterly record for earnings per share and said sales of laser toner hit record highs during the first half of the year.

October 2011: Lexmark acquired Netherlands software company Pallas Athena in a cash transaction valued at $50.2 million.

February 2012: Lexmark announced declines in overall revenue and profit for its fourth quarter and all of 2011. The company also said it would eliminate hundreds of jobs, mostly overseas.

March 2012: Lexmark announced it had acquired two companies, ISYS Search Software and Nolij Corp., to bolster its growing software unit.

August 2012: The company announced it was cutting 350 full-time employees and 200 contractors in Lexington as part of 1,700 in overall job cuts. The company also said it would stop making inkjet printers as part of a plan to cut costs.

SOURCES: Lexmark, Herald-Leader archives

This story was originally published August 28, 2012 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Lexmark's key milestones."