PALO ALTO, Calif., August 4, 2008 – HP today announced that Portland Color, an innovative Portland, Maine-based digital printing company specializing in retail graphics and fabric printing, has expanded its large format capabilities with the addition of an HP Scitex FB6100 Printer. The new flatbed printer complements the company's existing portfolio of HP Scitex and Designjet technology and allows Portland Color to remain competitive by dramatically reducing its cost of materials without sacrificing quality.

"Portland Color has been a pioneer in the large format printing market and continues to be on the forefront of digital printing technology with the addition of the HP Scitex FB6100," said Ziki Kuly, director and general manager, Large Format Industrial Solutions, HP North America. "This installation will enable Portland Color to achieve the level of quality and throughput their customers demand, while maintaining a competitive cost advantage."

With the addition of the new flatbed printer to its line-up, Portland Color is able to exceed customer expectations with impressive print quality and fast turnaround time on point-of-purchase displays and other flexible and rigid applications. Equipped with one of the largest flatbed imaging areas available, the HP Scitex FB6100 Printer delivers speed and versatility to print service providers with instantly curing HP Scitex UV inks and the ability to easily convert from a roll-fed to a flatbed printer.

"We feel a high quality UV-curable printer is a necessity to compete in the large-format signage market," said Andrew Graham, president, Portland Color. "The HP Scitex FB6100 is the cornerstone of our growth; it enables us to quickly turnaround high-quality results and is a viable technology for the foreseeable future."

Innovation in Large-format Dye Sublimation

In addition to its new HP Scitex FB6100 Printer, Portland Color's product line-up also includes an HP Scitex XL1500 Printer with Dye Sublimation upgrade for fabric printing. The combination of high-quality digital technology and the company's commitment to providing inventive, detail-driven applications enables Portland Color to complete unique, high-profile jobs, such as Speaking of Home,a project on display in the busiest skyway in Minneapolis, Minn. from Aug. 4 – Oct. 31, 2008.

Using the HP Scitex XL1500 Printer, Portland Color printed 22 black-and-white photographs with dye sublimation on a13'x10' sheer, transparent banner fabric that was installed consecutively in the skyway window frames. The public artwork project is comprised of family photographs that answer the question: "What does home mean to you?" and marks Minnesota's 150th year anniversary and the city's history of immigration and rich diversity.

"Portland Color was selected for this project based on our history of innovation and our success with dye sublimation applications," said Graham. "We rely on HP's large-format technology to provide our company with the competitive advantage that enables us to attract and retain prominent clients from across the country."

For more information about HP Graphic Arts, please visit: http://www.hp.com/go/graphicarts.