HP expands into the $24 billion copier market and selects only the best to launch its new product line.


PORTLAND, Oregon. (Nov. 24, 2003) - - Portland-based Associated Business
Systems (ABS) today announced it is one of only eight dealers nationwide
chosen by Hewlett Packard to launch its high-speed copier products. HP, the
market leader in printers, is gunning to capture a sizeable share of the $24 billion
copier market and has assembled only the best dealers to distribute and service
the powerful printers that double as copiers.

“We are privileged to have been chosen by HP. It affirms our position as a leader
in Oregon and our industry,” said Craig Knouf, president of ABS. “Our customers
will benefit from HP’s new product offerings coupled with ABS’s proven sales and
service teams.” ABS’s territory includes Oregon and Northern California.

Poorly managed printer, copier, and fax fleets represent one of the biggest
opportunities for cost-cutting measures within companies, according to
Peter Grant, Gartner Analyst. HP’s new line of products and services will help
companies improve productivity with fewer machines used more efficiently.
Companies spend an average of $800 per employee annually on printing and
copying. HP’s networked approach will reduce costs by as much as 30 percent.

“As more content and business processes go digital, there is a tremendous
opportunity for companies to harness the power of the network to improve
productivity and reduce the operating costs across their imaging and printing
environments,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of Imaging and
Printing Group, HP. “HP’s printing heritage and network management expertise
puts us in a unique position to help companies take advantage of these new
opportunities.”

About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses, and institutions
globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and
access devices, global services, and imaging and printing for consumers,
enterprises, and small and medium businesses. For the last four quarters, HP
revenue totaled $71.3 billion. More information about HP is available at
www.hp.com.

About Associated Business Systems
Portland, Oregon-based Associated Business Systems supplies and services
document imaging systems including printers, copiers, fax machines, archival
and retrieval devices, and scanners. ABS was recently named to Inc. magazine’s
list of the fastest-growing private companies in America for the second
consecutive year. It boasts a five-year sales growth of 338 percent with revenues
of $17 million in 2002. It has also been ranked as one of Oregon’s fastest-
growing companies for the last four years. ABS has offices in Portland, Salem,
Eugene, and Bend, Oregon. More information about ABS is available at
www.associatedbusiness.com.

For more information on ABS, please contact Ashton Burridge at (503) 997-9158,
or by email, ashtonburridge@comcast.net.