HP announced a series of new solutions and product upgrades for its digital press portfolio, enabling PSPs to expand capabilities and help increase profitability, at China Print 2013.
The company demonstrated a new red-fluorescing invisible ink for the HP Indigo 7000, 7500 and 7600 Digital Presses. Currently available on the HP Indigo 5600 Digital Press, HP Indigo ElectroInk UV Red is valuable for tracking and anti-counterfeiting features. It is expected to be available worldwide in September.
HP also demonstrated 600-micron (24mil) one-shot printing for the HP Indigo 5600 Digital Press, which enables PSPs to produce high-margin synthetic applications such as mono-core cards and signs. This capability is expected to be available worldwide in October.
Both features build on the capabilities HP introduced last year for the industry-leading HP Indigo 5X00 and 7X00 series Digital Presses to offer PSPs greater application versatility, increased productivity and improved automation.
The company also introduced Enhanced Productivity Mode (EPM) for the HP Indigo 3550 Digital Press. EPM, which was introduced on all other HP Indigo Digital Presses last year, gives customers a competitive edge by reducing turnaround times and production costs. With EPM, colour jobs use only three inks instead of four, without compromising print quality. This capability is expected to be available worldwide in June 2013.
New solutions for HP Inkjet Web Presses
HP is developing new solutions designed to help PSPs maximise their return on investment in production inkjet equipment. New workflow and colour management solutions include:
HP SmartStream Composer, a variable data printing (VDP) composition server for HP SmartStream Designer templates. Currently available for HP Indigo Presses, HP SmartStream Composer is now optimised to run at inkjet web press speed for a variety of applications. It is targeted at printers who generate personalised print products and are looking for a cost-effective VDP composition solution for HP Color Inkjet Web Presses.
HP SmartStream Web Press Color Studio, a comprehensive suite of tools and solutions for the HP Color Inkjet Web Press family, enables optimal inkjet colour print quality by allowing PSPs to accurately check colour quality before going to print. Using the solution helps PSPs achieve consistent colour results from design through print. It includes soft proofing, the ability to create ICC colour profiles, spot colour matching aids, installation and on-site colour training. The HP SmartStream Web Press Color Proofer also is available as an option for hard-copy proofing using an HP Designjet Z3200ps proofing device.
The company has also announced continued market acceptance of the B2-format HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press, which is helping print service providers (PSPs) worldwide grow their businesses through increased efficiency and a wider range of digital print applications.
Installations of the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press are now complete in 11 countries. Examples of customers that have recently adopted the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press include:
Avery Dennison added HP Indigo 10000 Digital Presses to its China plant to strengthen regional operations and increase productivity to better service its customers in the retail apparel industry.
Netherlands-based Digital4 installed the press to take advantage of its wider format and bolster its digital print capabilities.
The Matlet Group, based in the United States, acquired the press to produce commercial and packaging applications, and to deliver new innovations to its customers.
Momentum of the entire HP Digital Press Portfolio continues, with more than 6000 HP Indigo Presses and 100 HP Inkjet Web Presses installed worldwide as of the end of January.
Since the introduction of the HP Inkjet Web Press in 2009, many customers have adopted multiple presses to drive their business transformation. This includes O’Neil Data Systems, which has seven presses, CPI with six HP Inkjet Web Presses, and Communisis and Courier, which have four HP Inkjet Web Presses each.
Widespread adoption of these solutions, including explosive growth in the Asia Pacific and Japan region (APJ), has driven the analogue to digital transformation in the graphics industry and contributed to the strong growth of high-value digital pages.
PSPs are facing immense pressure to expand their services and add new capabilities to remain competitive in the marketplace, said Stephen Nigro, senior vice president, Graphics Solutions Business, HP. HP’s expanded graphics portfolio, introduced one year ago at drupa 2012, is fuelling the industry transformation from analogue to digital printing by helping our customers expand their range of applications, go after high-value pages and grow their businesses.
