CHICAGO--Sept. 9, 2005-- HP today announced new HP digital printing products and relationships with key industry partners to drive the digital transformation of the graphics arts industry. Announced at PRINT 05, the offerings address the growing demand for one-to-one marketing pieces, on-demand communication, outdoor graphics, and short-run commercial print jobs. In addition, the company has formed a new Graphics and Imaging Business Unit to enable commercial printers and other graphics professionals to offer a more robust product portfolio while working with HP as the single source supplier for virtually all digital print communication requirements. Highlighting the news and following HP's recent entry into the super- wide format printing market with the acquisition of Scitex Vision, HP has entered an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Seiko I Infotech. The relationship covers the joint development and marketing of low solvent-based large-format printers primarily for the outdoor graphics printing market, including such applications as signs, banners, and vehicle graphics (See the related news release in an online press kit at www.hp.com/go/graphicarts/Print05.) HP also introduced solutions and relationships with companies such as Creo Inc. to accelerate the adoption of HP Indigo digital presses by commercial offset printers. Finally, the company unveiled the HP Indigo press w3250, which is expected to be one of the world's fastest, most productive and cost- efficient digital color presses, and the HP 4000M Imager, a digital print engine used by OEMs for direct mail variable imprinting, which costs up to 75 percent less than competitive solutions. "Our new dedicated Graphics and Imaging Business Unit together with HP's expanded print solutions portfolio put us at the forefront of the digital transformation of the graphic arts industry, targeting the 88 percent of the pages that are still produced on analog devices," said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "Not only can we now address new pages that were previously beyond our reach, but we can empower our customers to produce higher quality, higher value pages more efficiently and cost- effectively than ever before." HP helps commercial printers bridge the gap between digital and offset To accelerate the adoption of HP Indigo digital presses into the commercial offset printer market, HP is introducing new advanced color server and connectivity solutions that enhance capabilities surrounding PDF usage, color management and other aspects of commercial print workflow production. HP and Creo are pursuing an OEM relationship for the creation of a product intended to enable users of Brisque(R), Prinergy and Synapse(R) front-end solutions to integrate with HP Indigo digital presses. HP will also integrate its digital presses with the industry's most popular workflow management solutions: Agfa :ApogeeX and Heidelberg's Prinect system. Together with HP's own digital front ends, these solutions would enable commercial printers to create high-efficiency analog and digital workflows based on open standards, while maintaining offset quality for higher value digitally produced pages and realizing new business opportunities. Two new HP Indigo solutions contribute to the digital/analog offset convergence enabled by HP Indigo presses. Digital Matte HP ElectroInk, an on-press digital printing solution for spot-coating effects, adds value to high-end applications such as marketing collateral, direct mail and catalogs. With software provider HumanEyes, HP is introducing the HP Indigo Lenticular 3D Application - a comprehensive system for short-run lenticular (3D) prints that enables digital printers to quickly enter new specialty markets with high profit potential. New business opportunities targeted with high-quality, high- productivity digital presses The web-fed HP Indigo press w3250 is geared for commercial printing, direct mail, postcards, books and manuals publishing. It offers in- line priming to accept standard offset media, improved print quality and in-line and near-line finishing options. Designed to be one of the world's fastest digital presses, the w3250 will deliver print speeds of up to 136 pages per minute (ppm) when printing four colors and up to 272 ppm when printing two colors. HP also introduced an enhanced version of the HP Indigo press 5000 that includes accelerated monochrome printing (up to 16,000 A4 pages per hour), gang stackers for unloading while printing, an HP RIP Expansion Rack for expanded processing capacity, improved print quality and a simplified user interface. Additionally, a new set of customized Look Up Tables have been provided by Pantone for the HP Indigo press 5000, allowing it to accurately produce Pantone colors using only CMYK - a process known as 4-Color Pantone Emulation. The HP Indigo press w3250 and enhanced HP Indigo press 5000 are currently in beta testing. HP plans to make both products available in early 2006 and is designing both products to be backward- compatible for existing HP Indigo customers. HP Designjet wide format printer bundles offer better color consistency and accuracy Always exploring new ways to improve the printing experience, HP launched in North America two color management solutions for creative professionals: the HP Designjet 90gp and 130gp. These solutions include roll-fed versions of the HP Designjet 90 and 130 large-format printers bundled with colorimeters including high- value display calibration and profiling software based on GretagMacbeth(TM) Eye-One Display technology optimized for HP workflows, plus generic ICC printer profiles powered by GretagMacbeth technology. Both products help creative professionals, including graphics designers and professional photographers, better manage the color workflow, specifically with screen color accuracy and screen-to-print consistency. HP 4000M Imager drastically lowers cost of variable data imprinting A pioneer in thermal inkjet print technology, HP is making it easier than ever for OEMs to integrate HP's low-cost thermal inkjet technology into a variety of variable printing applications. The new HP 4000M Imager helps OEMs develop low-cost, fast, high-resolution solutions for the digital imprinting market. The print engine of the HP 4000M Imager is designed with a full suite of components, including imaging module, imager controller and ink delivery system, making it easy and cost-effective to integrate into specialized printing systems. As a print engine, it is designed to be integrated as part of a mail table, high-end inserters, offset presses, finishing equipment and other paper paths. The 4000M Imager can print at speeds up to 600 feet per minute or at print resolutions up to 1,200 dpi with a 4.25-inch print swath. High- quality imprinting capabilities make this print engine ideal for personalized addressing and direct mail messaging, forms and catalogs, barcodes, statements and bills, and lottery and gaming tickets. All the solutions and partners described above and much more are being showcased in three locations at PRINT 05: Booth Nos. 12005 and 14037, McCormick Place North, Level 1, and at the Wide Format Pavilion at Booth No. 8345, McCormick Place North, Hall C, Level 3. More information on HP's presence at PRINT 05 and its solutions for the graphics industry is available in an online press kit at www.hp.com/go/graphicarts/Print05.