HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced new printing solutions that enable small businesses to affordably produce marketing collateral in-house, increase productivity and better manage their printing environments.

The new HP Officejet business inkjet line delivers up to 50 percent lower cost per page than competitive laser printers.(1) The expanded portfolio also includes new color HP LaserJet printers, supplies and accessories as well as new monochrome HP LaserJet multifunction printers.

“Our goal is to offer a complete and affordable small business marketing solution,” said Nor Rae Spohn, senior vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “Today’s launch builds on our Print 2.0 (http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2007/070530xa.html) strategy, which will allow customers to print when and how they want – in-house, at retail or through a print service provider.”

Improving in-house marketing

HP’s new color printers and expanded line of specialty papers make it easy for small businesses to produce professional-quality color documents quickly and affordably in their offices.

In most cases, small businesses can save more than 50 percent by printing in-house versus using a quick printer.(2) Over the next year, HP plans to make color printing even more affordable with new color HP LaserJet printers that deliver monochrome printing for the same price as in-class monochrome laser printers.

Additionally, HP has developed the Marketing Impressions Portal (http://hp.com/go/marketing), an online destination designed as a one-stop shop to help small businesses market and grow their business and interact with others through an online community, tools, guides and templates.

New color printing solutions optimized for small business marketing include:

• HP Officejet Pro L7590 All-in-One and HP 88 Officejet ink cartridges: High-performance printing for cost-conscious small businesses – professional color quality and up to 50 percent lower color cost per page than comparable laser printers.(1) Designed using HP’s Scalable Print Technology, the All-in-One prints laser-quality documents at fast speeds and offers duplexing, convenient flat-bed scanning, copying, faxing and built-in networking.
• HP Color LaserJet CP1515n/CP1518ni Printer series and HP Color LaserJet CM1312 MFP series: Industry-leading print quality with newly formulated HP ColorSphere toner (http://www.hp.com/sbso/product/supplies/colorsphere.html) that provides a wider range of colors, higher gloss and improved photo resolution. Printers also ship with marketing resources such as HP Print View software that allows customers to view elaborate print jobs in advance and estimate document costs to avoid the frustration of unanticipated costs and reprints.
• HP Color LaserJet CP1215: Priced at $299,(3) HP’s lowest-ever priced desktop color laser printer also features new HP ColorSphere toner.
• HP In-house Marketing Starter Kit: Available with select HP printers, the kit includes a sampling of paper types commonly used for marketing collateral such as photo, glossy presentation and matte brochure papers, as well as a Business Marketing Design CD containing templates, images and coupons to provide a jumpstart in creating professional marketing collateral.
• HP 88 Officejet Brochure Value Pack: Specially priced pack includes HP 88 Officejet Color Ink Cartridges, HP Glossy Brochure and Flyer Paper and a Business Marketing Design CD containing everything needed to create professional quality marketing collateral in-house, including free professional design templates, photo images and exclusive offers from StockLayouts, iStockPhoto and Logoworks.
• HP Glossy Brochure and Flyer paper: Improved dry-time is designed to work with HP inkjet printers and enables easy, timely and inexpensive customization of marketing collateral.
• HP Presentation Covers: Durable and professional finishing that elegantly binds proposals and other collateral without the expense of using additional equipment.

HP Officejet Printing System

HP also unveiled a new branding strategy for its business ink portfolio. Now through fall 2008, packaging for all HP Officejet and Officejet Pro hardware and appropriate supplies will be identified with the “HP Officejet Printing System” name.(4)

All hardware and supplies packaging for the HP Officejet Printing System will feature a dark green bar across the top of the box to signify that the entire system – from hardware to ink and media – is designed together to provide small business customers with more affordable solutions to produce professional color documents at up to 50 percent lower cost per page than competing laser printers.(1)

Driving productivity and managing the print environment

New productivity enhancing HP business inkjet and monochrome LaserJet multifunction printers include:

• HP Officejet J6400 All-in-One: Feature-rich printer/flatbed scanner/copier/fax with embedded wired and wireless networking(5) and automatic two-sided printing.
• HP Officejet J4580 All-in-One: Delivers high-quality color documents for less than laser printers when used with HP Officejet inks(6) and offers convenient printing, copying, faxing and flatbed scanning in one device.
• HP Officejet J3600 All-in-One: Dependable printing, copying, scanning and faxing.
• HP LaserJet M1319f MFP: HP’s lowest-priced monochrome laser MFP with print, scan, copy and fax capabilities.
• HP LaserJet M1522 MFP series: Delivers higher-end MFP features at a low price, such as fast print, copy, scan and fax speeds, a 50-sheet automatic document feeder, flatbed color scanning and built-in networking.

To help small businesses better manage their print environments, HP Easy Printer Care software 2.5i (http://www.hp.com/go/easyprintercare) monitors between two and 20 HP printers, both laser and ink, with a single tool. Now supporting most HP business inkjet devices,(7) the software makes it easier to maintain and quickly view the status of multiple devices, set up printer and supply alerts, generate basic usage reports and reorder supplies with the click of a button.

Small businesses can enjoy high-quality, highly reliable printing using HP technologies. In fact, a recent report from QualityLogic notes that HP LaserJet monochrome toner cartridges consistently outperform remanufactured cartridges.(8) According to the report, one in three of the remanufactured monochrome toner cartridges tested had some kind of reliability problem, while none of the tested HP cartridges experienced issues.

Special offers

HP is currently offering a variety of special rebates (http://www.hp.com/go/instantsavings) for its top-selling printers. Rebates and promotional dates will vary by printer model.

Additionally, Staples retail stores across the United States are making it easy for customers to recycle their old printers and purchase a new HP printer. Through this program, which runs from March 16 - May 3, 2008, customers can bring their old printer, regardless of brand, model and condition, to their local Staples store. Staples will recycle the printer for free and provide customers with a $50 discount toward the purchase of a new HP printer priced at $159 or above.(9) Visit www.staples.com to find a nearby Staples store.

More information

For pricing and availability, and additional details on today’s announcement, including images, customer testimonial videos and product fact sheets about HP’s new imaging and printing solutions for small and medium businesses, visit the online press kit at www.hp.com/go/ColorInTheOffice.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $107.7 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2008. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.

Note to editors: More news from HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/.

(1) For majority of laser AiOs less than $750, printers less than $300, HP Officejet Pro products with XL cartridges. More details are available at www.hp.com/go/officejet.

(2) InfoTrends, “The Cost of Print in the United States: An Analysis of In-House vs. Print Shop Costs,” Aug. 27, 2007.

(3) Estimated U.S. street price. Actual price may vary.

(4) There will be some HP Officejet products in the market in the fall that will not have Officejet branded inks. All new Officejet products (with only a few exceptions such as mobile products) as of March 2008 will have Officejet branded inks.

(5) Wireless performance is dependent upon physical environment and distance from access point.

(6) Compared with laser AiOs under $750. More details are available at www.hp.com/go/officejet.

(7) For a detailed printer compatibility matrix or to download the HP Easy Printer Care Software 2.5i, visit www.hp.com/go/easyprintercare.

(8) A 2007 independent study (“Reliability Comparison Study: HP LaserJet Toner Cartridges vs. North American Remanufactured Brands”), performed by QualityLogic Inc. and commissioned by HP, compared Original HP LaserJet print cartridges with nine brands of remanufactured toner cartridges sold in North America for the HP LaserJet 2300 (Q2473A) and HP LaserJet 4350 (Q5407A) printers. Twenty-four cartridges were tested for each brand in the study. More details are available at www.qualitylogic.com.

(9) Offer is only valid on recycled desktop machines; copiers, fax machines and floor standing units are excluded from this offer.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected results; and other risks that are described in HP’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2007. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

© 2008 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.