Hewlett Packard has promoted two executives to lead the global marketing effort of its Graphic Solutions Business (GSB) unit. Sumeer Chandra, previously vice president, strategy and planning, for the HP Imaging and Printing Group, is now GSB vice president worldwide marketing and strategy. Francois Martin, formerly GSB marketing director for the EMEA region as well as EMEA business manager for the HP Indigo division, is now GSB director of worldwide marketing.

“Digital color printing has created new, effective business models with personalization, on-demand production, simplified supply chains and improved sustainability for print,” says Chandra. “As a leading digital color printing solutions provider, HP is helping print service providers and their customers understand the distinct advantages of digital technology and how it can transform their business.”

“The market is rapidly becoming aware that HP’s digital printing solutions are changing the industry in a way that affects how printing companies and their clients look at printing. Ideas now can take any shape – virtual or tangible, mass communicated or personalized,” said Martin. “Our goal now is to clearly establish HP’s industry leadership and market the benefits of digital to an expanding audience – from print service providers and technical design professionals to creative agencies and brand owners.”

Digital color printing continues to be the significant growth factor in the global graphic arts industry. Overall volume for HP-printed digital color pages, says Chandra, has continued to achieve sizable increases, particularly when compared to trends in the analog printing market.

HP’s marketing strategy focuses on application areas where digital printing’s benefits can have the greatest impact, including: advertising, marketing and direct mail; publishing; labels and packaging; signage and display; and technical design.