Lucerne, Switzerland – HP is presenting live demonstrations of its digital solutions offering high-volume, full-color variable-data printing (VDP) for the production of innovative direct marketing, transactional and transpromotional, large-scale direct mail and publications applications on stand P08, at Hunkeler Innovationdays 2011.

HP is demonstrating two presses that address modern data handling requirements: the HP Indigo W7200 Digital Press and the HP T200 Color Inkjet Web Press with the Pitney Bowes IntelliJet 20 high speed printing solution for transactional and transpromotional printing.

In addition to the presses, HP Specialty Printing Systems (HP SPS) is showing the C400 Color Print Module and a new solution from DJM that uses the HP mPrinter 4000. These thermal inkjet applications enable highly reliable, low-cost coding, marking, personalization and addressing solutions for direct mail and converting applications.

HP Indigo W7200 Digital Press

The HP Indigo W7200 Digital Press is printing high-value book and direct mail products on the stand that are finished with an inline Hunkeler POPP6 sheeter-stacker. The Indigo W7200 is being used by more than 20 customers worldwide, spread across all continents other than Africa, to print unique, high-value applications to drive growth and profitability.

The more than 30 presses already installed are producing diverse applications including transpromo, direct mail, books and photo specialty products. The selection of the HP Indigo W7200 has been driven by its unique combination of true sheetfed offset print quality, high productivity, low total cost of ownership and capability to print full VDP or "every page is different" applications.

Using established HP Indigo technology and HP ElectroInk, the HP Indigo W7200 can print at speeds up to 14,400 full color pages per hour (up to 57,600 pages per hour monochrome) and supports a wide range of formats and applications.

The Indigo W7200 is driven by the HP SmartStream Production Pro Print Server – a modular and scalable digital front-end that can handle the most demanding production tasks. Production Pro supports multiple presses, providing a single control point to manage all jobs. Its open architecture enables enhanced productivity and automation, using HP SmartStream Software Developer's Kits.

To support the growing need of high-quality and targeted direct mail and transpromotional applications in Advanced Function Presentation environments, on the stand, HP SmartStream Production Pro is integrated with a Pitney Bowes P/I Output Manager that receives multi data streams formats and generates HP Indigo-native, JLYT/ICF page files. The tight, bi-directional connectivity will enable high data integrity and page-by-page production control. The result is a robust solution for high-quality transpromotional printing.

HP T200 Color Inkjet Web Press

Exhibited in conjunction with Pitney Bowes as part of its IntelliJet printing solution, the HP T200 Color Inkjet Web Press offers a 20.5 inch (520 mm) print width with speeds up to 400 ft. (122 m) per minute mono, or 200 ft. (61 m) per minute color. High-quality text, images, and graphics can be printed with 100 percent variable content at full press speed at a resolution of 1200x600 dots per inch (dpi). Original HP pigment inks and printheads deliver excellent results on regular offset stocks using HP Bonding Agent, reducing the need for more costly inkjet treated papers.

Transactional documents will be printed on the HP T200 press on the stand in a roll-to-roll configuration using a Hunkeler POPP6 rewinder. Rolls will be finished on the Pitney Bowes stand, combining innovative HP technology with Pitney Bowes' renowned Production Intelligence software to deliver a powerful, highly productive, fully optimized solution.

New coated papers for the high-speed inkjet market

Sappi Fine Paper Europe is presenting new coated papers developed with HP for the high-speed inkjet market. Jaz silk is a coated paper for high-quality graphic applications such as direct mail or commercial print. This means that good looks can now be combined with the efficiency of digital printing to produce vibrant, personalized customer communication.

New European HP T300 installation

A new installation of an HP T300 Inkjet Web Press began production at the beginning of the year at CPI's Konninklijke Wöhrmann facility in Zutphen, The Netherlands. The monochrome press will produce books in short runs primarily for the Dutch market, complement existing sheetfed and web offset capabilities. This follows the success of a similar press installed last year at CPI's Firmin-Didot plant in France.

"As in other European book markets, the requirement is for shorter runs of books," said Anthony Morin, group marketing director, CPI. "This press enables us to produce very good quality books in small quantities – print runs below 3,000 copies. The T300 press gives us the technology to meet this demand and to print at an acceptable cost."

More than 20 HP Inkjet Web Presses are now installed at some of the world's leading book manufacturing, print fulfillment and commercial printers worldwide and were used to print 1.46 billion letter-size pages in 2010. Three press models are now available, the HP T200, the T300 with a 30 inch (762 mm) web width, and the new HP T350, a faster version of the T300, with speeds up to 600 ft./min. (182 m/min.), or approximately 3,900 letter-size pages per minute.

HP SPS at Hunkeler Innovationdays

HP SPS, the HP division that licenses HP thermal inkjet technology, with partner DJM, is demonstrating full color imprinting with the new HP C400 Color Print Module, on a typical roll-to-roll direct mail application.

The HP C400 can be used for variable printing on documents and envelopes and integrates easily into the print workflow. The HP C400 Color Print Module images at 600 dpi (600 x 300 dpi optimized from 300 x 300 dpi input) at up to 400 ft./min. (122 m/min.) with four 4.25 inch (107mm) print heads.

Also shown is the IPAS425i (HP mPrinter 4000), from DJM, with integrated intelligent RIP and data streaming design software. The IPAS425i inkjet printer uses HP print head technology, with a print swath of 4.25 inches (107 mm).

"If Hunkeler Innovationdays demonstrates anything, it is the importance and power of partnerships," said Paul Randall, marketing manager, HP Indigo and Inkjet Web Press Solutions, for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "These new variable-data presses require capacious and versatile front-end systems, dependable print engines and sophisticated finishing solutions to deliver accuracy, reliability and print quality for the highly demanding marketplace. All the solutions on show from HP illustrate how leaders in the graphic arts can work together to respond to the challenge."

More information about HP digital printing solutions is available at www.hp.com/go/gsb or through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter feed.