When HP launched its Latex series of wide-format printers in 2008, it offered a highly flexible alternative to solvent printers, as Latex units could print on a wide variety of materials, including textiles, in the days before dye sublimation was demystified. The ability to print on vinyls and other rollfed media as well as fabrics gave shops a lot of versatility in the kinds of applications they could produce, and in my interviews with display graphics providers over the years, it was not uncommon to hear one or more Latex machines referred to as a “workhorse.” At the same time, the odorless, water-based inks provided a greener solution to solvent and UV inks.

Last winter, when HP updated its Latex line, they identified the primary Latex application areas they track, notably décor, packaging, soft signage, fleet graphics, retail, events, and PVC banners and billboards. (See “HP Introduces New Latex and PageWide XL Portfolios.”) So…most everything.  

A point of clarification when it comes to terminology, and the difference between “Latex” and “latex.” Wikipedia defines “latex” as the “stable dispersion (emulsion) of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium.” Latex can be natural or synthetic and many plants exude a natural latex. Synthetic latexes are used in gloves, balloons, and many other products—like inks. Most readers probably know this by now, but just for the record: latex inks are perfectly safe for people with latex allergies.