HP today announced that visual communications company Classic Color Non-HP site installed an HP Indigo 7600 Digital Press, expanding its services to include digital printing.

Chicago-based Classic Color manages and produces eye-catching creative content for top national brands, supporting everything from printing to studio production and animation. With the addition of the HP Indigo 7600 Digital Press, Classic Color can digitally print a variety of unique, customized applications in-house, such as posters, brochures and direct mail.

"The HP Indigo 7600 is capable of more creative, more craftsman-like prints. It is not just your average four-color press," said Jeff Hernandez, vice president, Classic Color. "It helps us add value to our clients and differentiates us among competitors with short-run, high-quality printing."

Classic Color chose the HP Indigo 7600 Non-HP site based on its array of extended capabilities, including embossed-style textures, raised print, and seamless in-line finishing integration. Since the press's installation in April, Classic Color has used HP Indigo ElectroInk White to print on a rainbow of colored media and synthetic substrates while maintaining unprecedented print quality. The HP Indigo 7600 Non-HP site is compatible with many specialized media including dark, transparent, metallic and recycled papers as well as paperboard, plastics and polyvinyl.

Short runs for test markets
By cost-effectively handling shorter runs, the HP Indigo 7600 allows Classic Color to easily produce prototypes for test markets before implementing complex campaigns. The company uses the press to pilot different messages in varying market areas and collects the results to ensure its materials resonate with the target audience.

Classic Color also takes advantage of HP Indigo's variable data capabilities to produce fully customized materials that were not possible using offset printing. Using the data it manages for clients, Classic Color can easily create materials targeted to specific individuals.

"Print runs are more targeted today. Now we can cut quantities to home in on a particular market and match every type of person," said Hernandez. "With the HP Indigo 7600, we can actually touch each one of the consumers."

The company expects to grow with the installation of the HP Indigo 7600 Digital Press. Looking ahead, Classic Color is interested in the additional capabilities of the expanded HP Indigo portfolio announced at drupa 2012, including the larger B2-format presses, and opportunities to expand its in-house digital printing production.

Additional information about HP Indigo digital printing solutions is available at www.hp.com/go/gsb, on the HP Graphic Arts YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts Non-HP site, or through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter Feed, www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts Non-HP site.