BOEBLINGEN, Germany, 15 February 2008 - HP today announced that its Specialty Printing Systems (SPS) division will present its range of solutions for the pharmaceutical and packaging industries at Interpack 2008, 24 - 30 April, in Düsseldorf, Germany, on stand 8AD25 in hall 8a.

HP SPS is extending its offering to the pharmaceutical market with the addition of the new HP Pharma Black CB935A Inkjet Print Cartridge which is being exhibited in Europe for the first time. Available now for incorporation in OEM partner technologies, HP Pharma Black was developed from safe ingredients specifically for oral dosage printing (tablets and capsules). HP Pharma Black can be used for branding, dosage, security or other purposes by enabling individual capsules and tablets to be marked.

The precision of 600dpi barcode symbologies can help pharmaceutical companies track products securely, fight counterfeiting and increase dosage accuracy. In healthcare environments, the use of 1-D and 2-D barcodes on tables and capsules can provide an additional level of product security and customer safety when used in an overall program of dosage monitoring and verification.

HP Pharma Black complements HP SPS's existing thermal inkjet (TIJ) technologies that enable the fast, accurate and cost-effective coding and marking of pharmaceutical packaging.

HP SPS's TIJ technologies are complementary to the comprehensive HP Product Tracking and Authentication (PT&A) solutions for supply-chain management. HP PT&A solutions like HP Pharma Black provide traceability and secure product tracking and authentication capabilities throughout the pharmaceutical value chain - for all product package levels from unit dose (e.g., tablet or vial) to pallet quantities.

These solutions integrate HP's latest advances in product tracking and authentication, integrating them into a complete, end-to-end solution that can help companies gain better visibility on their products and reduce counterfeiting and diversion.

"With more than 20 years of digital printing to HP's credit, our inkjet expertise enables us to break new ground in tablet and capsule imprinting," said Kathy Tobin, vice president and general manager, HP SPS. "With this solution, HP sets a new standard by reducing costs, meeting expanding market needs and enabling solutions that exceed heightened security requirements."

The HP Pharma Black CB935A Inkjet Print Cartridge is evidence of HP's ability to provide innovative solutions that are simple to use, accessible and ensure high quality. The cartridge, which comes in a 20ml size, offers production advantages over traditional contact-printing on pills and tablets and has other benefits, including:

a. Reduced breakage and contamination with non-contact printing
b. Increased efficiency and reliability, with reduced maintenance intervention and downtime
c. Serialisation for product tracking, anti-counterfeiting and prescription/dosage accuracy
d. Compliance with California 2009 "ePedigree" pharmaceutical requirements when used with the HP PT&A Solution
e. Self-contained cartridges for cleaner maintenance and replacement
f. Printing speeds of up to 500 feet per minute at 150 dots per inch (dpi)
g. High-quality 600dpi imaging for precise, uniform printing of variable data, barcodes and logos on a variety of dosage-form shapes
h. Ready-to-use formulation with no solvents to mix or handle.
Visitors to the HP stand at Interpack will be able to learn about HP SPS's versatile reliable technologies as well as seeing applications from HP SPS's partners including, aps - Alternative Printing Services, inc.jet, Sontheim Industrie Elektronik GmbH and REA Elektronik GmbH.