CAMBRIDGE, England--April 10, 2002--Global Graphics announced today that its software division has signed an agreement with Hewlett-Packard Company to make available a range of printing software technologies for HP digital publishing solutions. The agreement propels Global Graphics further into the growing market for digital on-demand printing with one of the industry's key systems suppliers. Global Graphics' truly scalable Harlequin RIP (a Raster Image Processor that converts computerised text and images into printable form) technology consumes print jobs fast enough to run HP Indigo digital presses at full speed even when processing large or complex files where the content may vary page by page. During independent tests conducted to compare the performance of the Harlequin RIP with other RIPs, the Harlequin RIP was consistently several factors faster. This agreement has already resulted in the installation of multiple Harlequin RIPs into HP Production Flow - a digital print solutions platform - to boost the `horsepower' of HP Indigo digital presses. This technology is being unveiled today at IPEX, a major print and digital solutions exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham, UK. The Harlequin RIP interprets PDF files directly (without the need to convert to PostScript) allowing for a faster and more accurate rendition of the file. It also provides numerous colour management options including support for industry standards on colour as well as custom controls. Its distributed architecture (called SOAR - Scaleable Open Architecture RIP) allows customers to combine one or more Harlequin RIPs into a high performance engine that can adapt to a wide range of printing output devices. Jim Freidah, Global Graphics Software's president and chief operating officer, said, "We are very excited about the significance of this relationship and the opportunities it represents for us. It demonstrates the capability of the Harlequin RIP to drive high-speed devices and takes us into a fast growing segment of the print market. "The fact that the Harlequin RIP can drive nearly 100 different printing devices means that we have the opportunity to integrate our technology into a number of different products. It also demonstrates how our broad spread of printing software technologies and our expertise and track record in the high-end market open up segments outside of our traditional graphic arts customer base." "As part of our open solutions platform strategy, HP is pleased to welcome Global Graphics Software to our suite of RIP providers," said Jim Langley, vice president and general manager, HP Digital Press and Workflow Solutions. "The Harlequin solution gives HP dramatic flexibility and scalability at attractive pricing. "