NEW YORK, September 5, 2007 – HP today announced that R and R Images, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based marketing services provider that also specializes in digital printing, has installed an HP Indigo press 5500 , which it is using to embark on a new level of high-end photobook production. The press, which enables high-definition digital printing in resolutions up to 1,200 dots per inch in up to seven colors, is producing a new line of upscale consumer photo books for a key R and R client, Couture Book.
Launching today, Couture Book features top-quality digital printing coupled with old-world binding techniques and innovative, fashion-influenced designs. The true offset quality of HP Indigo presses and liquid HP ElectroInk , combined with the hand-sewn bindings developed for the line, are designed to appeal to the high-end and professional buyer. Following today's launch, displays featuring the Couture Book line are scheduled for installation in select department stores.
"The new print application from R and R Images/Couture Book shows an evolution in the print ecosystem where consumers can demand and expect the very best quality," said Rich Raimondi, vice president and general manager, U.S. Graphic Arts Organization, HP.  "The HP Indigo press 5500 is built to combine the offset look and feel essential to high-end books with the on-demand production of custom and dynamic content, such as personal photos, on demand."
The new line follows another successful HP Indigo-based collaboration between the founders of Couture Book and R and R: CMYK books, a photobook production service for professional photographers.  Couture Book co-founder Rodrigo Coelho launched CMYK books in 2004 after seeing the type of digital printing possible with R and R's HP Indigo equipment.
Toner 'not an option' in high-end work
"From the beginning, the other digital presses in the marketplace were not even an option," said Coelho. "We could not have a high-end book where you look at it from an angle and see toner buildup.  The HP Indigo presses match the offset quality you need for a truly high-end book."
R and R Images' foray into the photobook market fits its existing photography expertise. The company has a complete photo studio onsite, capturing images for catalogs and other commercial printing work.  R and R also prints larger-format work for Couture Book and other clients on a recently installed HP Designjet Z series photo printer.
The company's digital presses, which also include an HP Indigo press 5000 and an HP Indigo press 3050 , are linked to a customized web-to-print workflow for uploading images from Couture Book.  Through its workflow solution, Couture Book and its clients can submit images and order books online. HP servers and storage systems installed at R and R's and Couture Book's facilities provide the IT framework for management of the large image files needed in higher-end digital photographic printing.
"We have an eye on quality in everything we print, and our work has to express our clients' creativity," said Rod Key, president, R and R Images. "Our HP solutions help us establish that position in the marketplace and separate ourselves from everyone else."
The HP Indigo press 5500 is HP's new flagship digital press, delivering increased utilization and reduced operating costs for high productivity and profit potential. The press supports an expanded range of economical, off-the-shelf media, including leading brand standard offset uncoated papers, and prints on all media within specifications at press-rated speeds.  An on-press fast ink replacement feature enables near-zero downtime in spot-color changes for the optional 5th, 6th and 7th color stations.  HP DreamColor Technologies on the 5500 press and the HP Designjet Z series printers provide greater consistency and more accurate color matching.