Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, CA recently announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MacDermid ColorSpan Inc., a Minnetonka, MN-based manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers, from MacDermid Printing Solutions LLC, a subsidiary of privately held MacDermid Inc., Denver, CO. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

According to HP, the move extends its reach into sign shops and the quick-printing market and solidifies its position as a one-stop partner for print-service providers. “This acquisition broadens HP’s presence in the production space where the digitization of analog prints will happen,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP’s Imaging and Printing Group. “MacDermid ColorSpan is a respected innovator in UV wide-format printing and should achieve tremendous synergies with our complementary wide-format platforms.”

HP plans to provide lower-cost platforms and UV technologies to print-service providers that are expanding into outdoor applications and more industrial workloads. The company reports that the deal also enlarges its portfolio of digital presses and wide-format printers and amplifies its overall digital content creation and publishing platform.

“The combination of HP and MacDermid ColorSpan will provide our customers and channel partners with an expanded mix of quality, value, and choice that is unmatched in the digital-graphics-printing industry,” says Robert J. Wenzel, president of MacDermid ColorSpan, who will lead the new product line at HP. “Plus, MacDermid ColorSpan customers will continue to enjoy the same high levels of attention they are used to receiving.”

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Upon completion of the acquisition, MacDermid ColorSpan will be integrated into the Graphic Arts organization within the Imaging and Printing Group of HP.