Cambridge, UK and Hauppauge, NY; December 5, 2001 - Xaar plc, the innovative inkjet development company, and Hilord Chemical Corporation, the leading OEM manufacturer of solvent-based electrostatic and piezo ink jet inks, have made public their ink partnership agreement. Under the agreement, Hilord has been working closely with Xaar to develop and manufacture a series of inks for XaarJet printheads. XaarJet printheads are used in diverse industrial applications, often requiring specially formulated inks for specific customers or substrates. Hilord's expertise in dye-sublimation inks will provide unique solutions for XaarJet customers. The public announcement of Xaar and Hilord's partnership coincides with the announcement of the XaarJet-55X00 ink series. Available for use with Xaar's XJ128 family of printheads, the XaarJet-55X00 is a set of dye sublimation inks developed for use on a wide range of polyester-containing materials such as clothing, flags and banners. These low-odor, low-volatility inks are manufactured using uniform-density disperse dyes for high performance and are available in process colors cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan and light magenta, orange and green. Xaar's CEO, Jan Fineman said: "We are enjoying a highly productive working relationship with Hilord and believe that the combination of skills involved will continue to provide innovative solutions for our printhead customers." Donald H. Balbinder, President and CEO of Hilord Chemical Corporation said: "Our association with Xaar, will enable both companies to develop and deliver very unique industrial applications for the XaarJet heads."