The programme involves printers partnering with HP to allow customers to produce items such as brochures, business cards, newsletters and posters through HP-branded stations either in-store or online for collection.

The scheme was painted as an attractive environment for customers to create their print product from the ground up, including access to HP's image and template libraries, design software, as well as print and finishing.

However, although 57 such stations have been opened to date in EMEA, HP has decided to terminate any further development of the scheme "for strategic planning reasons".

It said in a statement: "All future related activities will therefore be partner-led starting 1 November 2011.  However, all legal commitment for HP's financial fourth quarter will be honoured, and stores that were scheduled to open will be unequivocally supported by HP, as per prior legal agreement."
 
HP confirmed that it would grant all existing stations the right to use the HP co-branding until 31 Oct 2012, free of charge. However it said that partners were "encouraged" to use the time to shift their branding and marketing away from HP co-branding to the company's own marketing.
 
Nottingham-based John E Wright was the first UK company to join the project in June this year, with HP saying at the time that it planned to roll out 10 similar stations by the end of 2011.