PALO ALTO, Calif. – HP today announced a range of new educational opportunities introduced and presented at this month's PRINT 09 tradeshow.

The opportunities include new, free "THRIVE Live!" seminars to be presented during PRINT 09, as well as an expanded HP Graphic Arts Capture Business Success Program featuring new training opportunities and business development tools.

The THRIVE Live! educational executive workshops underscore HP's "Thrive" theme in booth No. 1229 at PRINT 09, a show where HP is exhibiting a complete range of solutions, including digital presses, large-format printers, inkjet imagers and end-to-end workflow solutions.

The HP Graphic Arts Capture Business Success program, one of the industry's most comprehensive business development offerings, offers print service providers (PSPs) a full range of resources to help them manage and grow their businesses. The program now includes eight new courses, as well as a new, free HP SmartPlanner 3.0 job estimator utility and an HP PSP Locator scheduled for release in 2010.

"Our commitment to high-quality training reflects HP's overall commitment to customer success," said Michael Hoffmann, senior vice president, Graphics Solutions Business, HP. "PRINT 09 presents the ideal opportunity to share with the industry how HP is determined to lead not only in its technology offerings, but in the ways it helps customers grow their businesses with digital."

THRIVE Live! with HP

The daily executive workshops in the HP booth at PRINT 09 will cover a variety of topics to help customers better understand key subjects that will enable them to succeed in today's business environment. Presented throughout the day, THRIVE Live! Workshops include sessions on: HP SmartStream Director; driving growth with the HP Inkjet Web Press; large-format opportunities for growth; and environmental leadership.

THRIVE Live! also includes an overview of the HP Graphic Arts Capture program, with details on program components such as the HP Indigo SmartPlanner and the Digital Solutions Cooperative (Dscoop) users group.

A schedule for THRIVE Live! sessions at PRINT 09 is available at www.hp.com/go/HPatPRINT09.

Expanded training curriculum

HP is also expanding its global training offerings under the HP Graphic Arts Capture Business Success Program to help customers successfully grow their businesses with eight new courses that cover business management, sales and marketing, and operations training for print service providers. The courses will be offered worldwide in several languages beginning in late 2009 and will include live, instructor-led seminars as well as self-paced eLearning modules.

HP's training curriculum covers solutions and applications from the HP Graphics Solutions Business portfolio and also addresses the additional skills needed to help PSPs and partners increase their managerial, operational and sales and marketing effectiveness. Each course in the curriculum focuses on innovations and cutting-edge practices in digital printing, including market trends, applications and business models. Courses are delivered as self-paced eLearning modules on the HP Graphic Arts Portal and as a series of face-to-face seminars.

Available in late 2009, these new courses will be delivered in local languages according to availability (English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish). Course content will also be customized to the country or region using local customer case studies and proof points.

HP Graphic Arts Capture Business Success for PSP profit opportunities

HP also is showcasing another important business development offering at PRINT 09, the HP SmartPlanner 3.0. This free tool, a newly enhanced job estimator and business planning utility for HP Indigo customers, calculates job costs for digital and conventional presses to aid production decisions and maximize profitability.

The HP SmartPlanner 3.0 calculates the total cost to the customer, including printing, finishing and supply chain parameters. New, automated features enable PSPs to import jobs from their management information systems to profile monthly production activity and develop plant-wide strategies for increasing overall profitability with digital printing.
Additionally, HP is announcing the development of a new online HP PSP Locator. Scheduled to be available in 2010, this tool will allow digital print customers to locate HP PSPs in their area for their print fulfillment needs. The HP PSP Locator will be available through the HP Graphic Arts Portal and MarketSplash.com and will include PSPs that provide digital printing services for a variety of applications, including large-format signage, marketing collateral and books.

See the industry's broadest portfolio and join in the conversation

At PRINT 09, visitors to HP's booth No. 1229 can experience the fresh ideas, latest innovations and new opportunities for growth designed to help customers experience progressive, profitable printing. HP's technology solutions on display at PRINT 09 include the new HP Indigo W7200 Digital Press, the HP Indigo 7000 Digital Press, the HP Indigo press 5500, the HP SmartStream Director end-to-end workflow solution and new HP SmartStream print servers.

Products from HP's industry-leading portfolio of large-format printers will also be shown, highlighting the ways graphic arts professionals can excel with HP in proofing, fine-art reproduction, signage, building and vehicle wraps, and point-of-sale graphics production applications. Large-format printers in the booth include the HP Designjet Z3200 and Z6100 water-based ink printers, the HP Designjet L65500 Latex Ink printer and the HP Scitex FB6100 UV ink printer.

More information about the HP Graphics Solutions Business (GSB) is available at www.hp.com/go/HPatPRINT09. Visitors to PRINT 09 can also get up-to-date information about HP's activities at the show through the HP_IPG GSB Twitter feed or by searching for #hpprint09 on Twitter.

HP offers flexible financing solutions for customers deploying next-generation HP digital printing technology through HP Financial Services, the company's leasing and lifecycle asset management services subsidiary. An HP Financial Services representative is on-site at HP booth No. 1229 during PRINT 09 to provide details of applicable offers. Information is also available at www.hp.com/hpfinancialservices.