ABC Imaging announced today it has added HP Indigo Digital Press technology to the company’s production capability as part of a continued major investment in technology.

“Indigo’s advanced printing technology will enable us to print remarkable materials—books, brochures, and posters—for our customers,” said Medi Falsafi, President and CEO of the Washington, DC-based printing and document technology company.

“Our purchase of Indigo technology illustrates our commitment to invest and deploy state-of-the-art technology to meet our customers’ needs,” Mr. Falsafi said. “And we’ve made this commitment in spite of the economy to position ourselves to be ready when the economy improves.”

The Indigo includes a seven ink option with the ability to print white ink. According to Mr. Falsafi, the white ink option lets us print on dark media or print white-on-white for some truly special effects.”

“We expect to have our system in production by the early September,” said Reza Arvin, ABC Imaging Vice President of Vendor Relations. “Our staff is finishing installation of the systems that support the Indigo.”

Both Mr. Falsafi and Mr. Arvin stated that the Indigo purchase represents one of the most significant capital expenditures in the company’s history. Both believe Indigo quality and versatility will enhance print offerings for existing clients and attract new clients.

HP Indigo printers use a unique digital offset printing process that eliminates the need for the plates used in typical offset printing presses. This “plateless” process also eliminates platemaking supplies and equipment, making the Indigo a more environmentally friendly process.

The Indigo prints a maximum image size of 12.5 x 17.7 in. at resolutions up to 2400 x 2400 dpi in High Definition Imaging. The Indigo’s versatility includes the ability to print on hundreds of different media in paper weights up to 130 lb for coated cover stock.

Since the Indigo uses digital technology, print operators can switch seamlessly from one job to another. With a color rating of 1.5M letter size pages a month, the Indigo system may become “the small format production workhorse of ABC Imaging” according to Mr. Arvin.