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HP selects O'Neil Data Systems to test Site for color inkjet web press

Press release from the issuing company

Birmingham, U.K. – Los Angeles-based O'Neil Data Systems, the company that in 2008 became first print service provider (PSP) in the world to install HP's groundbreaking Color Inkjet Web Press technology, will install the new HP T200 Color Inkjet Web Press this summer.

Unveiled May 18 at the Ipex tradeshow, the HP T200 Color Inkjet Web Press is a 521-mm (20.5-inch) wide, full-duplex, four-color press in a single engine for high-speed, high-volume production printing.

O'Neil Data Systems' beta test of the press will provide HP with data on performance metrics related to high-productivity, high-quality direct mail and transactional/transpromo production. During the trial period, the company will also install and test two-up format finishing solutions from HP Graphics Solutions Partners.

"O'Neil Data Systems is a company that helped HP usher in a new age of digital production printing with the HP T300, and we are excited to be working with this world-class company again to bring the next solution in the HP Inkjet Web Press portfolio to market," said Aurelio Maruggi, vice president and general manager, Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions, HP. "With the support of O'Neil Data Systems and our partners, the industry will benefit from having a new, compact full-color solution for streamlined print and finishing workflows when the HP T200 becomes commercially available in 2011."

Proven success with HP Inkjet Web Press technology
The new beta agreement with O'Neil Data Systems follows the company's beta test and subsequent purchase of the very first 762-mm (30-inch) HP T300 Color Inkjet Web Press in December 2008. The T300 has proven to be a significant part of the O'Neil Data Systems production operation, exceeding expectations in terms of economics, productivity and reliability.

O'Neil Data Systems' HP T300 has achieved greater than 80 percent uptime, compared to an average of 60 to 70 percent for its other digital web presses. The press's high throughput and reliability helped the firm handle surging demand for the production of personalized insurance company welcome kit booklets during the 2009 open enrollment season. Company executives anticipate exceptional results with the HP T200 as well.

Extending high-volume digital color into new production environments
The HP T200 Color Inkjet Web Press extends reliable HP Scalable Printing Technology to a broader set of customers with a more compact machine designed to fit traditional digital workflows. It easily supports full variable color capabilities in two-up production mail and short-run or on-demand publications.

The press prints 821 four-color duplex A4 pages per minute and has a 23 million page monthly duty cycle. Its innovative new paper path makes the press small enough to fit in nearly the same space as a monochrome digital web press, enabling experienced digital PSPs to upgrade to full-color high-volume digital printing while eliminating less-efficient offset printing.

One of the first applications O'Neil Data Systems will run on the T200 is a new product called MarketSmith from William O'Neil + Co. Inc. MarketSmith is a tool that helps investors find, analyze, research and select stocks using a blend of fundamental and technical data. The MarketSmith print product will contain more than 2,800 data intensive charts with intricate use of color, all produced in a time-sensitive environment where charts of specific stocks will be identified, collated and printed within hours after the market closes for the week. The books will be prepared for overnight delivery to MarketSmith clients' homes or offices over the weekend, well before the opening bell.

"Augmenting our existing T300 system, the T200 will give us market-leading flexibility to achieve short-run variable color with the throughput necessary to meet incredibly fast turnaround times for products such as MarketSmith," said James T. Lucanish, president, O'Neil Data Systems. "Even better, we will be able to maximize our investments in existing workflow solutions that can be used with the T200."

Like the HP T300 Color Inkjet Web Press before it, the new press offers 1,200 x 600 addressable dots per inch (dpi) imaging with HP Bonding Agent to improve image quality on standard uncoated media. Both the HP T200 and T300 support the new Utopia Inkjet coated media from Appleton Coated and media featuring ColorPRO Technology – a quality standard for color excellence in digital printing.