PALO ALTO, Calif. – HP today announced a new enhancement package for the HP Indigo WS6X00 series Digital Press that will significantly improve press performance and allow customers to produce more labels with less effort every month.

Touching all aspects of a label converting shop, the new capabilities improve press productivity and workflow efficiency, while opening new possibilities through an expanded range of high value applications. The enhancement package also helps to improve the return on investment of an HP Indigo Digital Press for new customers, and helps protect existing customers’ investments, as the new features are backwards compatible with existing presses.⁽¹⁾

These new features build on HP’s strategy of delivering continuous innovation to the market to help customers increase productivity, such as the Enhanced Productivity Mode (EPM) released last year.

“Label converters are increasingly taking advantage of the productivity and quality afforded by the HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press for medium-run label and packaging printing to meet the brand standards their customers demand,” said Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, Indigo Division, HP. “HP is committed to bringing to market new product features and capabilities that allow customers to improve productivity as well as print more jobs.”

New efficient workflow

The HP Indigo WS6X00 series Digital Press enhancement package features the new HP SmartStream Labels and Packaging Workflow Suite, version 4.0, powered by Esko, a solution for simplified color management and automated job preparation. The new offering enables time savings of up to 70 percent throughout the entire color management process in addition to enabling up to 20 percent more jobs per shift.⁽²⁾

Key features include:

• A new color engine that transforms existing workflow processes by automating common, time-consuming procedures. The result is quick, accurate color management with fewer manual workflow steps required for efficient, high-quality printing.
• New imposition and variable-data tools, including dynamic marks. These tools add flexibility in file preparation, by enabling to run various workflow steps in parallel instead of sequentially, resulting in a faster turnaround.
• An additional raster image processing (RIP) choice, the Adobe RIP, which was specifically developed and optimized for Esko and Indigo technology. The Adobe RIP has significantly improved processing speeds, by up to 90 percent.⁽³⁾

Flexible Technologies, a U.S.-based label converter and beta tester for the HP SmartStream Labels & Packaging Workflow Suite, version 4.0, experienced strong productivity improvements.

“This tool has enhanced the workflow in our shop, and provided us the ability to work with the color management interface in different ways, which saves us time,” said Maui Chai, president, Flexible Technologies. “Jobs that used to require a very specific process for color matching can now be completed more efficiently.”

Another beta user, Israel-based Shopen Ltd., had a similar positive experience with the new workflow solution.

“The tool is already having a significant effect on our business, in terms of time savings - and all with a simple and intuitive user interface,” said Moshe Shopen, chief executive officer, Shopen Ltd.

Helping customers increase press uptime

The enhancement package also includes software and hardware improvements that help maximize productivity and increase press uptime by up to 10 percent,⁽¹⁾ including:

• HP Indigo Print Care 2.0, a comprehensive toolset that offers on-press diagnostic and remote support tools to help press operators maximize overall productivity and minimize press downtime. The new version saves users time by offering a subsystem view that consolidates all tests, diagnostics, troubleshooting and external tools. A scan-and-send capability enables easy sharing of images with remote support.
• A new set of consumables, including a new charge roller that offers five times the lifespan of the current version,⁽¹⁾ new photo imaging plate (PIP) and PIP underlayer for improved ease and time of installation.

New high-value, high-quality applications now enabled

As part of the enhancement package, HP is introducing the industry’s first dedicated high-slip white ink for production of shrink sleeves,⁽⁴⁾ a market that is rapidly growing in terms of print volume and value. The new HP Indigo ElectroInk for WS6000 Series Presses White for Sleeves enables an even shrinking of printed sleeves without adding a high-slip spot varnish. The addition of white ink for shrink sleeves opens new business opportunities and applications for HP Indigo customers. 

In addition, the enhancement package includes a new Advanced Harmonic Topology Screen (HTS 210), which improves color uniformity and consistency for complicated jobs.

The enhancement package will be available in September 2013. Its features will be displayed in HP’s booth at Labelexpo Brussels.

Reducing the carbon footprint of HP Indigo

As a leader in environmental responsibility in the printing industry, HP has established a program to offset carbon emissions associated with the manufacturing and integration of new generation HP Indigo Digital Presses, including the HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press. Working with the Good Energy Initiative, HP Indigo supports projects in the community that offset the net contribution of carbon emissions from the manufacturing process. As a result, all HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Presses are and will be manufactured carbon neutral. Calculation of carbon emissions for HP Indigo presses has been performed by an independent third party consultant; carbon offset projects conducted by the Good Energy Initiative.

Additional information about the HP Graphics Solutions Business is available at www.hp.com/go/GSB, on the HP Graphic Arts YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts and through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter Feed at www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.