News release

HP Creates New Book Publishing Opportunities for Professional and Aspiring Authors

HP's on-demand printing empowers writers to publish their books affordably with superb print quality

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 8, 2003 – HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced that its highly sophisticated line of HP Indigo presses is helping to revolutionize the book publishing industry by making professional-quality print runs affordable.

In the past, book publishing has been an expensive undertaking because of the setup costs and labor associated with large printing presses. A print run for one book title had to be published in the thousands in order to be cost effective – much too expensive for an aspiring author or for niche publications. Traditional printing presses are not designed to publish just a few or a single copy of a book; HP Indigo digital presses can.

One company successfully implementing print-on-demand technology is Lightning Source Inc., a provider of a comprehensive suite of digital fulfillment services to more than 2,300 publishing partners, including major online and retail booksellers. Using HP Indigo presses, Lightning Source has a streamlined order fulfillment process so that books can be printed within 24 hours on an as-needed basis. Lightning Source can also distribute books directly to consumers, improving delivery times, enhancing customer service and practically eliminating inventory overhead.

"A mother wanted to publish a book written by her daughter for a school project titled 'My EXtra Special Brother,'" said J. Kirby Best, president, Lightning Source. (The brother in the story has Fragile X syndrome, a leading cause of mental retardation.) "With our new HP Indigo Press 1000, we were able to produce just the few needed copies for her. Since then, with publicity she received, we have run more than 2,000 copies. On-demand printing is becoming a mainstream option in publishing, and it is creating new opportunities for businesses and consumers."

"HP print-on-demand technology, with its superior print quality, speed and cost per page solutions, is opening doors to anyone who has ever wanted to publish a book," said Rafi Maor, vice president and general manager, HP Indigo Division. "HP digital technology brings unmatched flexibility and efficiency into the printing process to make this dream a reality."

Using breakthrough image tracking technology, the HP Indigo Press 1000 delivers uncompromising image quality at affordable prices. Features include high-resolution imaging, up to six-color printing (including spot and fluorescent colors), numerous and diverse media support, as well as HP Indigo Yours Truly Designer software to create variable data files.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium businesses. For the last four quarters, HP revenue totaled $71.8 billion. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.