Chicago, Illinois March 4 2008  - The 2008 Digital Solutions Cooperative (Dscoop) Annual Conference, which ran February 21-23 at the San Diego Marriot Hotel and Marina in San Diego, succeeded by every measure. Attendance increased 70 percent from 2007 with 1,200 attendees, partners and HP representatives. The Solutions Showcase exhibition also set new benchmarks for Dscoop with 57 industry partners highlighting their products and services. Since the inaugural conference in 2006, attendance at this annual event has quadrupled.

"I am thrilled with how well the conference performed in terms of attendance as well as program quality and execution," said Todd Kalagher, Dscoop chairman and president of Finlay. "It all starts with our members' enthusiasm to grow their business and share their experiences with each other. There's no doubt we have an exceptional community with a wealth of knowledge to impart to one another so that we can all benefit."

Conference attendees chose from 61 educational sessions and two pre-conference seminars that addressed important business topics such as sales and marketing, data managing, sustainable practices and multi-channel communications.

"Dscoop opened my eyes to where the digital printing industry is headed," said Scott Buswell, conference attendee and vice president of Printing Specialist Corporation. "It is a brave new world and having a peer group that can help you navigate through it is vital. Dscoop is the map."

Keynote speaker Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 Olympic U.S. hockey team, set the tone for the conference with an inspirational speech about how his father instilled in him the values of hard work, believing in yourself and surrounding yourself with good people. "Heart. Pride. Commitment. These are intangibles that you can't measure," Eruzione said. "But if you understand the value of work, then at some point in your life, you'll be successful."

HP had a strong presence at the conference, including serving as host to one of two pre-conference seminars, HP Capture Knowledge Center. The center showcased resources that can help customers better manage and grow their business.

Top HP executives Vyomesh "VJ" Joshi, executive vice president, HP Imaging and Printing Group; Stephen Nigro, senior vice president and general manager, HP Graphics and Imaging Business; Rich Raimondi, vice president and general manager, HP U.S. Graphic Arts; and Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, HP Indigo Digital Press Division, spoke during the Saturday morning general session. Joshi spoke about trends in the digital print industry, including Print 2.0 and the importance of converting analog pages to digital to capture additional market share.

Additional details on the 2008 Dscoop Annual Conference – including a daily event blog, photos and session information – can be found on the Dscoop Web site atwww.dscoop.org.

"This year's conference was the best event I have ever attended," said Francis McMahon, director of marketing, HP U.S. Graphic Arts. "When we work together with our customers toward a common goal, everybody wins."

The fourth Dscoop Annual Conference is being planned for 2009. An announcement will be coming soon regarding dates and a location for this event. Visitwww.dscoop.org for the latest information.