Inkjet & Digital Printing
HP Highlights Progressive, Efficient High- and Mid-volume Converting with HP Indigo Solutions at Labelexpo
Friday 12. September 2008 - HP today announced that its suite of solutions for labels and flexible packaging - currently on display at Labelexpo Americas - is enabling customers to reach new levels of cost-effective productivity for a range of work that represents approximately 80 percent of the jobs label converters typically produce.(1)
At the show, the high-volume HP Indigo WS6000 Digital Press is making its North American debut, alongside HP SmartStream workflow solutions, partner finishing systems and the worlds best-selling digital label and packaging production press, the HP Indigo press ws4500.
HP booth 3223 at Labelexpo features technologies to help drive revenues and profits for label converters worldwide. HP Indigo presses are capable of the seven-color process and PANTONE-licensed spot-color printing needed to meet essential brand image requirements on labels and packaging.
HP Indigo presses and HP SmartStream workflow components – including the new HP SmartStream Director, also making its North American debut at Labelexpo – help converters produce more jobs per shift compared to analog devices. HP is highlighting this process in a “Tower of Power” demonstration at Labelexpos multi-vendor Digital Label Experience exhibit, where an HP Indigo customer is producing actual jobs in a live showcase of HP Indigo presses versatility.
“Since the introduction of the first Indigo press 15 years ago, HP has achieved a leadership position in labels and packaging by helping our customers achieve profitable growth,” said Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, Indigo division, HP. “Our presses productivity and unmatched color quality not only build converters businesses, they reinforce and enhance brands. With our newest solutions enabling higher volumes, converters and their clients in the consumer product, pharmaceutical and other industries will gain significant benefits.”
Next generation of HP Indigo technology and best-selling digital converting press
Advancing the companys legacy of innovation, value and productivity, the new HP Indigo WS6000 Digital Press enables converters to address longer-run needs on jobs up to 13,000 linear feet, a figure that represents approximately 80 percent of jobs produced by label converters.
The press is designed for high-volume users and offers total cost of ownership advantages with high-quality production capabilities up to 1 million linear feet per month. At Labelexpo, the press is being shown with a new flexible packing rewinder option.
The HP Indigo WS6000 Digital Press prints at 98 feet per minute in four-color mode and is compatible with a broad range of media – from thinner flexible packaging substrates, to label and shrink sleeve media, to folding carton material. A larger 38.58-inch repeat length permits greater productivity and lower costs per label.(2)
New HP Indigo Print Care offerings on the WS6000 model help users gain remarkable uptime through advanced diagnostics and troubleshooting, and through remote communication tools such as customer-managed service center access to the press on-board computer.
The HP Indigo press ws4500, a leading technology in the worldwide converting industry, provides cost-effective, high-quality production on jobs up to 6,500 linear feet. The press virtual elimination of makeready and streamlined processes for changeover enables it to print a large number of jobs per month.(3) The HP Indigo press ws4500 is featured both in HPs Labelexpo booth and in the shows Digital Label Experience exhibit.
The WS6000 and ws4500 models share a number of key features unique to HP digital converting technology, including: printing in up to seven colors; PANTONE-licensed mixed inks with on-press fast ink replacement for changing spot colors with virtually no downtime; and HP Indigo One-Shot printing, which ensures both superior registration and compatibility with a wide range of self-adhesive label stocks, shrink sleeve media and packaging films.
North American debut of HP SmartStream Director
HP also offers a full range of HP SmartStream workflow and print server solutions, including HP SmartStream Director, an integrated and open workflow solution developed through a new original equipment manufacturer (OEM) relationship with business flow automation technology provider Press-sense. HP SmartStream Director offers an integrated production framework for managing jobs – from online submission through printing and fulfillment – based on Press-senses new iWay version 5.0.
Additional HP SmartStream components in the HP Labelexpo booth include HP SmartStream Labels and Packaging Solutions, a series of products created in collaboration with EskoArtwork for optimized prepress, color management and variable-data/barcode production. Solutions for smart label and packaging production place unique identifying 2-D barcodes or color tiles on pharmaceutical labels to enable e-pedigree and track-and-trace supply chain management.
Finishing solutions from AB Graphic
HP also will showcase a range of finishing partner solutions at Labelexpo, including products from AB Graphic. HP Indigo customers can efficiently offer a range of finishing features on their label work using the AB Graphic Omega Digicon series, including flexo varnishing, over-laminating, hot-foil stamping, semi-rotary die-cutting, matrix stripping, slitting and twin product rewinding.
AB Graphic products for HP Indigo label and packaging presses are available in-line or near-line, and also include the Omega Digicoat for media priming and the Digilam device for lamination of food packaging substrates.
The HP Label Awards honors top-quality work
The extensive color gamut, broad media compatibility and superior registration available with HP Indigo presses make them a preferred solution in the converting industry for high-quality labels. In 2007, an HP Indigo-printed label won Best of Show honors in a national quality competition that also judged entries printed on flexographic and offset presses.(4)
This year, HP will once again honor some of the worlds best label printing at its own HP Label Printing Awards Gala on Sept. 10. Selections from the more than 140 entries in this worldwide contest of HP Indigo label printing will be in display at the HP booth throughout Labelexpo.