Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Aldus Form Marketing Alliance

Dow Jones News Service

October 22, 1986

PALO ALTO, CALIF. -- HEWLETT-PACKARD CO., ALDUS CORP. AND MICROSOFT CORP. SAID THEY FORMED AN ALLIANCE TO MARKET THEIR PRODUCTS AS A COMPLETE DESKTOP-PUBLISHING SOLUTION.

UNDER THE ALLIANCE, THE COMPANIES WILL DEVELOP AND MARKET A DESKTOP-PUBLISHING SOLUTION COMPRISING NEW AND EXISTING PRODUCTS FROM EACH FIRM.

PRODUCTS THAT WILL BE USED INCLUDE THE ALDUS PC VERSION OF ''PAGEMAKER'' PAGE-COMPOSITION SOFTWARE; HEWLETT-PACKARD'S LASERJET PRINTER FAMILY, VECTRA PERSONAL COMPUTER AND NEW LASERJET PUBLISHER KIT; AND THE MICROSOFT ''WINDOWS'' GRAPHICS-OPERATING ENVIRONMENT AND MICROSOFT ''WORD'' WORD-PROCESSING SOFTWARE.

ALDUS' PC VERSION OF PAGEMAKER IS PRICED AT $695. THE LASERJET PLUS PRINTER IS $3,995 AND THE NEW HEWLETT-PACKARD LASERJET PUBLISHER KIT IS $2,295. THE MICROSOFT WINDOWS ENVIRONMENT AND MICROSOFT WORD PACKAGE ARE $99 AND $450, RESPECTIVELY. AN ENTRY-LEVEL VECTRA PERSONAL COMPUTER IS $3,099.

THE COMPANIES ALSO HAVE AGREED TO SPEND MORE THAN $2 MILLION ON MARKETING ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING A ONE-YEAR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN, AIMED AT PROMOTING THE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.

Copyright (c) 1986, Dow Jones & Co., Inc.