HP expands design services with acquisition

Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday announced plans to acquire privately held Arteis, the parent of two graphic design services companies: Logoworks, which offers graphic design services to small businesses for things like business cards, Web sites, stationary and brochures, and LogoMaker, a Web-based do-it-yourself design service.

Financial terms of the deal, expected to close in the third quarter, were not disclosed. HP said it plans to incorporate Logoworks and LogoMaker programs to expand and enhance its marketing tools and design offerings at a reduced cost to clients. The news follows reports that HP, the No. 1 PC manufacturer, is experiencing rapid growth as rival Dell sees shipments going down.