SAN FRANCISCO, CA - K/P Corporation is thinking big these days - really big. The West Coast-based printing, mailing and fulfillment company recently added three large-format digital presses to its facility here, expanding its digital printing capabilities to new proportions. The new equipment, three HP 5000 Designjet printers, represents the latest large-format, digital color device on the market and an investment of $200,000. The devices are capable of printing images up to 60 inches wide and 300 feet long, and are used primarily for banners, posters and other large-scale signage. The machines are best suited for small print runs of one to 500 pieces, or variable print runs where each piece is different. Digital printing has grown in popularity over the last five to 10 years due to its relatively low cost and quick production time. K/P was one of the first companies on the West Coast to install digital color presses when the technology was emerging in the early '90s. "We installed two Indigo digital color presses here eight years ago and another last year," said Steve Kurtela, president of K/P's San Francisco division. "Customers then started asking us to do more large-format, digital production so we decided to invest in the capability ourselves instead of farming it out. "The new presses are perfect for high-quality, short press runs or fast-turn runs. They can produce pieces with a high percentage of variability where each piece can be different from the next. This application is ideal for retail promotions or special event support. "The new machines are amazing. Images of this size used to take two hours to process-they now take 10 minutes. We're working with several national retailers to produce in-store signage and event-related banners and point-of-purchase materials. These projects used to require a two-week lead time, but now we're able to provide customers with a 24-hour-turnaround," Kurtela said. K/P Corporation provides a single resource for customers who need printing, mailing and fulfillment services - or a complete program combining all three. The company operates 10 facilities in four states and is headquartered in San Ramon, Calif.