PALO ALTO, Calif., November 14, 2006 - HP today announced that its digital press customers are now able to dramatically improve productivity and efficiency by using the newly available HP Indigo Production Stream Server, powered by Creo Print On Demand Solutions (PODS). The HP Indigo Production Stream Server combines HP's strong IT assets with a comprehensive graphic arts feature set for advanced color management and smooth connectivity to offset workflows, enabling customers like Norfolk, Neb.-based Marathon Press to increase productivity in its demanding, 5,000,000-monthly impression digital printing environment. The server enables faster raster image processing (RIPing) on image-intensive, high-quality work at Marathon, which often uses its HP Indigo presses to produce 32- and 64-page booklets that have as many as 16-20 photos per page. "Jobs that would have taken an hour to RIP in the past can be completed in five to 10 minutes with the new server," said Corey Windedahl, operations manager, Marathon Press. "The ability to RIP once and output to whatever press you need is a huge benefit. That way, a customer can ask for a small quantity of a larger offset order, and we can produce it by connecting to our existing offset workflow." Working in Marathon's PDF-based workflows, the HP Indigo Production Stream Server also enables streamlined production through the company's Kodak Brisque system. Now, Marathon's offset/digital hybrid workflow is consolidated down to a single prepress process. After processing in Brisque, jobs can be sent to a platesetter for offset printing, or to an HP Indigo press through the new server as a ready-to-print file. The offset-quality printing available with HP Indigo presses and liquid HP ElectroInk ensures that jobs are produced to the same high standard, regardless of the production method chosen. The RIP that enables hybrid print environments The HP Indigo Production Stream Server, available now, is a powerful digital color RIP and server designed for the HP Indigo presses 5000, 3050 and 3000. "The HP Indigo Production Stream Server can enable increased profitability and productivity, not just for Print Service Providers (PSPs) in hybrid production environments, but also for digital-only PSPs who need to offer the quality and imaging power of an offset print provider," said Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, Indigo division, HP. Leveraging HP's IT expertise Featuring HP's server computing technology, including an HP xw8200 Workstation with dual Xeon64-bit Intel processors, a DVD +R/W with HP LightScribe technology, and a 1-Gb, 8-port HP ProCurve Switch 2708, the server enables: - Seamless integration to establish hybrid offset/digital workflows for users of Kodak Prinergy, Brisque and Synapse workflows - Seamless integration with systems incorporating Creo PODS Networked Graphic Production and variable-data printing partners - JDF job ticketing - Full color management (ICC and GCR) - Spot-color editing - Pre- and post-RIP image enhancement - Comprehensive imposition and trapping - Support for Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML) and Variable Print Specification (VPS) formats Jobs processed through the HP Indigo Production Stream Server are delivered in a ready-to-print format that allows immediate reprinting without processing, as well as last-minute corrections without having to re-RIP files.