HP Unveils Eight Digital Presses in Run-up to drupa

For gamblers, seven may be considered the luckiest number, but for HP Inc. and its worldwide commercial printing customer base the number eight holds great significance. That’s because HP introduced eight new digital presses during a pre-drupa press and analyst event in Kiryat Gat, Israel, in late March — five HP Indigo digital presses and three HP PageWide continuous-feed inkjet presses.

Alon Bar-Shany, GM of HP Indigo, gave a pre-drupa sneak peek and showed print samples from new Indigo presses.

Representing what HP hails as the most significant HP Indigo Liquid Electrophotography (LEP) technology breakthroughs in 20 years, the HP Indigo portfolio includes three new cut-sheet presses — the HP Indigo 12000, 7900 and 5900 digital presses; the oversized B1-format duplex HP Indigo 50000 rollfed digital press; and the HP Indigo WS6800p digital press for photo specialty applications.

Expanding the High Definition Nozzle Architecture (HDNA) technology-powered HP PageWide Web Press portfolio, new HP PageWide T490 HD, T490M HD and T240 HD web presses provide increased print quality and higher productivity than previously possible.

Based on the market success of the HP Indigo 10000 first announced at drupa 2012, the HP Indigo 12000 incorporates dozens of integrated enhancements, including:

• Higher print quality via the 1,600-dpi High Definition Laser Array (HDLA);
• Improved color accuracy and consistency through an in-line spectrophotometer for automated color management;
• New on-press priming technology that provides increased adhesion on standard offset and specialty papers;
• New high-value substrate options, including synthetics (One-Shot), metallic and canvas;
• The ability to increase throughput up to 40% per shift with HP Indigo Optimizer, which supports non-stop printing with on-press job sequencing and proofing during production; and
• New HP Indigo ElectroInks, including fluorescent pink.

Based on the success of the Indigo 7000 series, the new HP Indigo 7900 digital press includes many of the same enhancements offered with the HP Indigo 12000, as well as a new Light Light Black ElectroInk for photo applications.

For entry-level users, the new HP Indigo 5900 digital press features specialized print quality modes tailored to fit a variety of needs, new lines screens, extended applications for substrates up to 550 microns, new fluorescent pink and transparent Electro­Inks, and the HP SmartStream Production Pro 6.0 digital front end.

For high-volume users, the new HP Indigo 50000 is an oversized B1 (29.1x44˝) duplex rollfed press incorporating seven color stations that support OVG, photo inks and white. It prints at speeds up to 750 ppm in color, 2,280 ppm in mono. Designed for high-coverage applications, its duty cycle is up to 24 million color pages per month.

Also debuting, the HP Indigo WS6800p is a digital production line tailored for professional and consumer photo labs that can produce applications such as premium layflat books, covers, photo prints and more.

The improved HP Indigo 20000 flexible packaging and label digital web press is now equipped for commercial jobs, including canvas, posters and POP applications.

HP PageWide Delivers Offset-Class Quality

Advancing inkjet printing from niche applications to mainstream commercial printing, HP PageWide web presses are suitable for an increasing range of high-volume, offset-quality applications, including color trade books, journals, retail catalogs, brochures and marketing collateral.

The 42˝ HP PageWide web press T490 HD is a productive digital color duplex press, delivering up to 1,000 fpm in performance mode — a 67% speed increase — and 500 fpm in quality mode. Its monochrome variant, the HP PageWide web press T490M HD, offers high-volume trade book manufacturers equivalent offset-class digital monochrome productivity. Additionally, the HP PageWide web presses T470 HD and T480 HD now offer 500 fpm in quality mode, a 25% increase since introduction.

The new 22˝ HP PageWide web press T240 HD prints at speeds up to 500 fpm in performance mode — a 25% speed increase — and 250 fpm in quality mode. With a monthly duty cycle of up to 60 million pages, the T240 HD is designed for commercial, production mail and book printing providers requiring reliable color performance in a two-up production environment.

HP PageWide web press customers have produced more than 150 billion letter-size equivalent pages since 2009.

Shipping and Commercial Availability

The new HP Indigo portfolio will begin shipping in the second half of 2016, and new HP Indigo features are expected to be available as optional field upgrades in 2016. New High Definition Laser Array (HDLA) technology for the HP Indigo 12000 digital press will be available in 2017. Other new features offered in the HP Indigo 12000 will also be made available for the Indigo 10000.

The new HP PageWide web presses will be commercially available in 2016. Current duplex color HP PageWide web press customers can upgrade to the new technology in 2016.

All new HP Indigo digital presses and HP PageWide web presses will offer the new HP PrintOS cloud-based operating platform, which features a set of Web-based and mobile apps to simplify and automate production.

Print Beat provides press performance visibility and real-time, data-driven insights to drive continuous improvement through full transparency, key performance indicators and press performance benchmarking. Media Locator accesses a searchable database of certified substrates, enabling settings to be downloaded directly to users’ presses, whereas Substrate Manager centrally manages and shares all substrate properties, including ICC profiles, for more accurate, consistent color and to minimize errors.

The scalable HP PrintOS system can manage any number of jobs from submission to shipment, as well as connect users with fellow HP print service providers in other regions, enabling them to print and deliver locally.