HP has announced plans for FESPA Digital ’08, which include stand space commitment, key product announcements, and its continued position as corporate sponsor of the exhibition and of the Digital Print Awards.
HP’s product showcase will be demonstrated on stand D30, as well as on partner stands, and features a full range of digital solutions designed to help print service providers (PSPs) evolve their business strategies to meet changing industry demands.
“As part of our strategy to help PSPs leverage their digital difference by extending their application range and delivering enhanced services to customers, our objective is to deliver the most innovative technology and customer driven products possible,” said Yariv Avisar, vice president and general manager, Large Format Printing Industrial Solutions, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “HP is truly the one-stop shop for virtually all large format printing solutions. Our portfolio offers the right digital solution for any large- to super-wide need: for customers who are printing indoor, POP or outdoor graphics of any size, ink type or media.”
For the first time in Europe since the acquisition of MacDermid ColorSpan in September 2007, HP will be presenting a consolidated range of UV-curable inkjet printers, designed to enable sign shops, quick printers and other small to mid-size sign-making and screen-printing businesses to produce high-quality cost-effective display graphics.
Through the acquisition, HP plans to provide lower-cost platforms and UV technologies to PSPs that are expanding into printing on rigid output, including POP displays, 3D POP stands, in-store promotions, open-box packages and displays. In this way the acquisition furthers HP’s Print 2.0 strategy to digitise analogue prints by extending the company''s overall digital content creation and publishing platform.
Outdoor applications at market-leading speeds
On show for the first time in Europe will be the HP Scitex XL2200 super-wide format industrial printer, a top-of-the-line digital UV system, maximising speeds and cost- effectiveness for end-users. Capable of printing 400 sqm/hr (4,300 sqft/hr) in 2-pass mode, and designed for 24 x 7 production with minimal operator intervention, the HP Scitex XL2200 printer is the most productive digital solution with market-leading speed(1) for billboards and building wraps, and higher quality outdoor signage. These capabilities make the HP Scitex LX2200 a strategic investment for digital printers, screen printers, and printers who want to enter the outdoor advertising market.
The HP Scitex XL2200 is the flagship of a new UV printer series, offering PSPs a UV technology growth path to meet their evolving customer needs. The XL2200 features the new HP Scitex X2 printhead, which combines proven silicon-based MicroElectro MechanicalSystems (MEMS) technology utilised in semi-conductor manufacturing and innovative piezoelectric inkjet technology from HP. The horizontal printhead carriage includes 128 unique HP Scitex X2 drop-on-demand piezoelectric inkjet printheads to maximise speed and efficiency.
The printer uses dedicated environmentally-responsible UV-curable HP Scitex UV221 Supreme inks. With two-year(2) outdoor durability, the new water- and abrasion-resistant UV inks are light-cured and do not require large drying systems, improving workflow efficiency and saving space.
Maximising potential with two-sided printing
At FESPA Digital, HP will also be demonstrating the recently launched double-sided upgrade for existing and new HP Scitex TJ8300/TJ8500 printers which enable users to target a broader set of applications, including indoor and outdoor displays, exhibition booth decorations, banners, and other digital and screen printing applications.
The printer package includes a combination of hardware, software, installation, and training. With a quick and easy process to switch between roll-to-sheet and sheet-to-sheet printing, the upgrade enables complete workflow management by a single operator. In addition, it provides even greater differentiation and versatility in service offerings with the added capability to produce accurate, high-quality two-sided prints and maximising printer utilisation.
Fully automated flatbed capability
Also on the stand will be the HP Scitex FB6700 flatbed industrial digital inkjet press, further extending the productivity and durability of rigid applications. The press brings the advantages of digital processes to rigid-media printing, making it ideal for the production of POP and POS displays, samples, short-run packages and exhibition stands.
Fully integrated in a single-system workflow that extends from substrate loading all the way to finishing, the machine is available with an in-line laminator which helps solve the finishing bottleneck, and enhances the look and extends the life of rigid applications printed on the HP Scitex FB6700.
Driving large format creativity
HP is changing the way professional photographers, digital fine artists, graphic designers and prepress professionals create large format images. Graphic professionals can now create colour profiles in minutes instead of hours and obtain exact colour matches throughout the printing process.
The HP Designjet Z6100 Printer series with HP Vivera pigment inks delivers vivid, high-impact prints at maximum print speeds – all with HP''s remarkable level of intuitive colour management. The series is ideal for indoor and short-term outdoor banners and large format applications such as photos and fine art prints, drawings, maps and renders. The Z3100 Photo Printer series on display on the stand, provides an automated colour management experience that enables professional photographers to print museum-quality colour and black and white photos up to 44 inches wide with 200 years’ photo permanence(3). The HP Designjet Z3100 Photo Printer series uses a 12-ink HP Vivera pigment system, including the HP 70 Gloss Enhancer and HP Quad-Black inks to create rich black and white prints and achieve truly neutral greys under different lighting conditions.
The HP Designjet Z Photo Printer series features HP DreamColor technologies, a certified system of colour technologies and sciences that make it easy to produce accurate, predictable and consistent colour across a series of digital colour devices. The series also offers break-through colour consistency with an embedded spectrophotometer, utilising Eye-One Color Technology from X-rite, to achieve consistent, accurate colour printer to printer and print to print.
HP will be continuing its support of FESPA Digital as a corporate sponsor, in addition to its sponsorship of the Digital Print Awards for the second year running.
“The Digital Print Awards are an excellent opportunity to showcase exceptional examples of large format printing in Europe, and inspire other PSPs to push the boundaries of what they currently produce for their customers,” said Avisar.
(1) Compared to the large-format inkjet printers between $100,000 and $500,000. Based on the fastest rated speeds as published by manufacturers as of February 2007. Test methods vary.
(2) According to the ASTM-D2565-99 standard.
(3) Display permanence ratings: Water resistance and interior in-window display ratings by HP Image Permanence lab on a range of HP media. Hp interior in-window predictions based on test data under Xenon-Arc illuminant – for fine arts and photo papers data collected by Q-Lab Corp; for sign and banner media based on test data for similar ink/media combinations; calculation assumes 6,000 Lux/12 hr day. Display permanence rating for interior displays/away from direct sunlight by HP Image Permanence Lab, and by Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc on a range of HP media. For details: www.hp.com/go/supplies/printpermanence
