hp today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire nur macroprinters ltd. (nurmf.pk), a manufacturer of industrial wide-format printers.

based in lod, israel, nur is a leading supplier of uv-curable and solvent inkjet printers for display graphics, serving commercial printing companies, solvent printers, screen printers, billboard and media companies, photo labs and digital print service providers.

the acquisition expands hps graphic arts portfolio of digital presses and wide-format printers and furthers hps print 2.0 strategy to digitize analog prints by extending the companys overall digital content creation and publishing platform. with the acquisition, hp will be able to offer additional midrange uv platforms and technologies.

this acquisition marks another milestone in hps growth strategy to ignite the transition from converting analog pages to digital pages, said vyomesh joshi, executive vice president, imaging and printing group, hp. the large-format print service provider market is growing rapidly, and with the acquisition of nur, hp is strategically building an even stronger portfolio of products and will continue to drive innovation and growth with our industrial large format printers.

the combination of hp and nur will provide our customers and channel partners with a vastly expanded mix of quality and service that is unmatched in the digital graphics printing industry, said david reis, chief executive officer, nur macroprinters ltd.

hps acquisition of nur is another step in hps graphic arts strategy to broaden the portfolio of digital presses and wide-format printers. in september 2007, hp announced the acquisition of macdermid colorspan inc., a manufacturer of wide-format digital inkjet printers and a key supplier to sign shop franchises, quick printers and other small to midsize sign-making and screen-printing businesses.

hp will be acquiring substantially all the assets of nur for $117.5 million. of this amount, $14.5 million will be held in an indemnity escrow account.

the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. upon completion of the deal, nur will be integrated into hps large format printing business within the companys imaging and printing group.