New workflow and color-proofing solutions help improve productivity

HP today announced the first installations of B2 format (29.5-inch) HP Indigo 10000 digital presses at three beta customer sites, plus new color-proofing and workflow solutions for improved productivity.
 
The HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press is the first offset-quality digital press in a larger format (29.5 x 20.9 inches) suitable for printing nearly any size commercial offset job.
 
HP completed installations of the first HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press beta systems at U.S.-based Sandy Alexander, Israel-based Old City Press, and U.K.-based Precision Printing.
 
Continued HP Indigo customer momentum has driven strong sales of the new HP Indigo digital press portfolio, while increased productivity and application versatility has helped drive consistently higher print volume among the more than 4,000 HP Indigo customer sites worldwide.  HP now has installed more than 6,000 HP Indigo Digital Presses worldwide, and year-over-year page volume has increased about 20 percent every quarter for more than two years.
 
Additionally, the company has installed more than 80 HP Inkjet Web Presses worldwide which have produced a cumulative total of more than 18 billion pages. Currently, customers using HP Inkjet Web Presses produce a total of about 45 million pages each day.
 
HP also introduced a new color-proofing bundled solution for the HP Inkjet Web Press family which allows print service providers to check color quality offline without stopping the high-speed press and interrupting the production process.
 
HP made the announcements at Graph Expo 2012, which also marks the North American debut of two new HP Indigo Digital Presses, the HP Indigo 7600 and 5600 models introduced in March 2012, and now commercially available worldwide.  Additional highlights of HP's booth (#1227) include:

• New HP SmartStream production workflow and management tools helping PSPs profitably produce the growing number of increasingly complex jobs.
• HP Hiflex cloud-based software solutions, including MIS and web-to-print solutions.

"In today's economy, customers are constantly looking to improve productivity, add new capabilities and diversify applications so they can deliver more value to their clients," said Christopher Morgan, senior vice president, Graphics Solutions Business, HP. "With our billion-dollar investment in new technology since 2008, we have added new presses and workflow solutions for higher throughput, flexibility and color quality to help PSPs grow their business."   
 
Beta-testing underway for HP Indigo 10000

Sandy Alexander, a leading direct mail and commercial print provider, successfully installed the HP Indigo 10000 and SmartStream Production Pro print server in the company's carbon neutral digital printing facility in Clifton, NJ.  Sandy Alexander plans to use the new press to expand its business through offering new options for one-to-one marketing.
 
"We are excited about the impact HP Indigo 10000 brings to the graphic communication marketplace," said Mike Graff, CEO and president, Sandy Alexander. "The dramatically larger sheet size offers our clients both increased creativity and efficiency, providing them with a distinct competitive advantage. Combining the new format with One-to-One Marketing capabilities will increase our client's marketing ROI."
 
Additional beta sites include Consolidated Graphics (United States), Courier (United States), Elanders (Germany), Prol Gráfica (Brazil), Pureprint Group (U.K.) and Wing Hung Group (Hong Kong). All beta installations are expected to be complete by November 2012.  
 
In addition to the beta users, HP has experienced strong interest in the HP Indigo 10000 among leading companies such as Avery Dennison, Consolidated Graphics and The Matlet Group, which plan to install the system when it becomes available next year.
 
Because of its larger size and high productivity, the HP Indigo 10000 will help customers transition more work from offset to digital printing. It prints 3,450 sheets per hour in standard production mode, or 4,600 color sheets per hour using HP Indigo's unique Enhanced Productivity Mode (EPM).

SmartStacker from Japan-based Horizon International Inc. is on display in the Standard Finishing Systems booth (#1244).  It is a new B2-format cutter/slitter/stacker digital finishing system that can work in-line or near-line to the HP Indigo 10000.
 
Strong customer demand for the HP Indigo 7600 and 5600 Digital Presses

HP reports strong market acceptance of the HP Indigo 7600 and 5600 Digital Presses released earlier in the year, with hundreds of orders received worldwide for the presses in the past three months. Customers are taking advantage of new features for greater versatility and productivity of the presses and improved automation.
 
The HP Indigo 7600 has a top speed of 160 pages per minute (ppm) in EPM – a 33 percent increase over the previous top speed, making it the fastest two-page digital sheet-fed press available on the market. The HP Indigo 5600 is the enhanced version of the HP Indigo 5500, with a higher top speed of 90 ppm in EPM and new features for handling a broader range of applications.

New solutions to power digital workflows

New workflow solutions for HP Indigo presses that streamline image processing and production floor management include:

• HP SmartStream Designer 6.0, the next generation of HP Indigo's leading variable data tool. SmartStream Designer seamlessly integrates with Adobe Creative Suite 6 for the creation of sophisticated high-value pages. Available now, new features include drag-and-drop imposition and page selection, layer rules in fast mode, and built-in QR and 2D barcode generation.

• HP SmartStream Director 2.0, a web-to-print system for small-to-medium commercial PSPs, combines template-driven storefront creation with powerful JDF backend production automation to efficiently capture a wide variety of job orders with the highest level of end-to-end workflow automation. The new version, available in November, includes performance improvements and several new features including support for mobile devices.

• A new version of HP SmartStream Production Pro designed to meet the demanding production requirements of the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press will be available in 2013. It features a new, intuitive user interface that simplifies the operation of the press.

• An updated version of HP SmartStream Production Analyzer, a multi-press, multi-site monitoring tool for HP Indigo presses that provides real time status, historical production data.

• HP SmartStream Production Center, a new workflow management system that addresses the challenges of producing and delivering high volumes of short run jobs, reducing turnaround time and increasing profitability. It will be available in the first half of 2013.

HP also now offers HP Hiflex cloud-based software solutions that address most application areas, including commercial printing, sign and display, publishing, and direct mail.

Momentum with high-speed color inkjet printing

Since entering the market in 2009 with the first commercially available HP Inkjet Web Press, HP has helped leading book, transactional statement and direct mail PSPs improve productivity, reduce costs and streamline their supply chain.
 
More recently, PSPs have purchased HP Inkjet Web Press systems for high-volume general commercial applications. They include:  

• ANRO Inc. installed an HP T300 to produce high-quality full-color marketing pieces with 100 percent variability.
• Documation added an HP T200 to expand its services and meet increasing demand for custom black and white and color books and manuals.
• DS Graphics installed an HP T200 to bolster its variable data capabilities and help its clients create high-volume and affordable customized print campaigns.

HP's Graph Expo booth also will include print samples from the latest-generation HP T410, T360 and T230 Color Inkjet Web Presses, which feature new advanced inkjet printhead technology, nanotechnology pigment inks, and the new Production Elite print server for operating at higher speed without lowering image quality.(1)
 
The new HP SmartStream Web Press Color Proofer includes all prepress tools, software, training and guidance needed to help provide accurate, consistent and high-quality color results. HP now has a complete package for PSPs seeking "one-stop shopping" for soft and hardcopy proofing.  The soft proofing solution includes an HP workstation and color-calibrated monitor, and the hardcopy proofing solution for all press widths uses a 24" or 44" HP Designjet printer
 
Additionally, HP A50 Inkjet Web Press Inks recently achieved the Sustainable Product Certification from UL Environment, a business unit of Underwriters Laboratories (UL). The certification demonstrates the ink meets a range of stringent criteria related to human health and environmental considerations.
 
Extending the power of variable data to offset
HP solution partners, Adphos and GSS (booth #2044), will demonstrate HP Print Module Solutions for imprinting variable mono and color graphics, text, and barcodes, on preprinted documents. The color and mono systems print up to 244 meters (800 feet) per minute and provide breakthrough running cost.
 
Full-service financing on-site
HP Financial Services, the company's leasing and life cycle asset-management services division, is on-site, providing total solution financing for HP hardware, software and services, as well as for third-party hardware and software. With HP Financial Services lending solutions, PSPs can arrange customized payment options and flexible terms aligned to their business growth strategies.
 
Additional information about HP digital printing solutions is available at www.hp.com/go/gsb, on the HP Graphic Arts YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts, or through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter Feed, www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.