Palo Alto, Calif. – HP today announced that Stevenson, The Color Company, a family-owned signage and graphics service provider based in Cincinnati, has installed the HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer to produce high-quality point-of-purchase (POP) displays for its major national retail customers.

Stevenson chose the HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer over competitive offerings for its fast turnaround times, high-quality printing and reliability. Previously, Stevenson outsourced much of its wide-format work to silk screen service providers because the shop's offset and wide-format digital printers could not accommodate the size or speed required. With the addition of the HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer, Stevenson can handle the majority of its wide-format work in-house.

"When we realized that HP's wide-format digital printer could provide the high quality and speed that our customers demand, we knew it was time to acquire a new digital printer," said Andy Stevenson, executive vice-president, Stevenson, The Color Company. "We've never bought a piece of equipment that was as productive as the HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer. It takes half the number of people to run the machine than a traditional silk screen press."

To accommodate the high demand for wide-format work, Stevenson is already running one to two shifts, six to seven days per week on the HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer. The new solution produces a range of POP displays as large as 5 x 10 feet in different shapes, single- or double-sided and on a variety of substrates, including 18 pt. C2S and Styrene. Printing up to four posters on one sheet, the HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer also enables Stevenson to produce wallpaper panels that department stores use as promotional murals.

"Stevenson's experience is a great example of how our digital printers help companies expand into new applications and grow their business," said Jan Riecher, vice president and general manager, Graphics Solutions Business – Americas, HP. "With the high-quality and cost-effective output of the HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer, Stevenson was able to move the wide-format work of its large retail customers from silk screen to digital printing easily and with a very fast return on investment."

The HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer delivers a powerful combination of high throughput, cost-effective production and high output quality for a variety of wide-format applications. Supporting a resolution of up to 600 dpi and prints at speeds as high as 480 sqm/hr (5,166 sqft/hr), the HP Scitex TJ8550 Printer opens new opportunities for almost any printing shop-screen, digital and offset-by reducing operational costs and helping drive business growth.