HP on Monday announced it would pony up $117.5 million to buy NUR Macroprinters, an Israeli maker of industrial wide-format digital inkjet printers. The purchase is part of HP’s Print 2.0 strategy of next-generation printers designed to position it ahead of the curve in its bread-and-butter market.
NUR Macroprinters is a leading supplier of UV-curable and solvent inkjet printers for displaying graphics, serving commercial printing companies, screen printers, media and billboard companies as well as photo labs and digital print service providers.
“This acquisition marks another milestone in HP’s growth strategy to ignite the transition from converting analog pages to digital pages,” Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP’s Imaging and Printing unit, said in a prepared release.
“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 wide-format printers,” he added.
In August, HP launched its Print 2.0 campaign, a strategy that includes a mixture of online and offline services and new printers for consumer and business customers.
For the much-coveted small- and mid-sized businesses (SMB), Print 2.0 features tools to build their brands and also free customizable templates to print business cards, letterhead and brochures.
Its Designjet T1100 MFP targets graphic arts and technical professionals while its Scitex XL2200, featuring the printhead technology needed to increase print speeds and lower the total cost for high-volume commercial markets, is geared for commercial and industrial customers.
In September, HP acquired MacDermid ColorSpan, another maker of wide-format digital inkjet printers.
HP said once the deal closes, NUR Macroprinters will be folded into its Large Format Printing Business unit and will allow it to offer additional midrange UV platforms and print technologies.
HP shares inched up 21 cents, or less than 1 percent, to close at $51.96 a share in Monday trading.
