Inkjet & Digital Printing
New company, Artisan Books, Founded on Innovative Digital Printing Capabilities of HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press
Thursday 10. October 2013 - Book orders from company's first customers, contemporary painter Humphrey Ocean and British photographer John Swannell, immediately surpass financial year's targets
HP today announced the launch of Artisan Books, a new company established to provide creatives, artists, architects and corporates with affordable high-end books, utilising the innovative B2-format (75cm) and high print quality achievable with the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press.
Artisan Books has been founded by Francis Atterbury, partner in long-established, high-quality book printing consultancy, Hurtwood Press. Atterbury uses HP Indigo technology, almost exclusively, to produce the fine art, photography and other artistic books supplied by Hurtwood Press, and has been waiting eagerly for the arrival of a B2 HP Indigo Digital Press that could meet the discerning needs of his new company’s target market.
The new company is launching with its first customers’ books complete and with the orders for these first publications already exceeding Artisan Books’ targets set for the entire year.
“I wanted to start a business that would offer traditional, high-quality book production, complete with cloth covers and hand-bound pages, but I wanted to offer these books in the larger-size formats that are favoured by the creative industry. I also wanted them to benefit from the same bespoke consultancy and production typical of Hurtwood Press and all at an affordable price,” said Atterbury. “For years now, I have favoured HP Indigo digital printing technology due to its ability to deliver consistently high quality print and cost-effective short-runs and so, to start this business, I needed HP Indigo to develop a press that could print on B2 size sheets. Once I heard about HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press, I knew that it would be the solution with which I could launch Artisan Books.”
Although Artisan Books can be produced to order, Atterbury decided to create three standard book sizes – Large: 330mm x 330mm, Photographers’ Landscape: 230mm x 340mm and Standard: 235mm x 210mm. Keen to get started, Atterbury worked closely with HP Indigo 10000 beta customers to ensure that the B2 sheets would print these standard sizes efficiently, and that the system’s print quality met his high standards. He soon confirmed that the B2 sheet size enabled high productivity when printing books of these sizes and that quality achievable was every bit as good as previous HP Indigo press models.
“Since Hurtwood press was founded in the late 1970s, I have been working with many photographers, artists, and even famous musicians, to provide them with high-end books designed to showcase their photographs and artwork in a way that does justice to the beauty of the original image,” Atterbury explained. “As such, quality is crucial and, in my opinion, HP Indigo digital technology has no competition when it comes to print quality.”
Humphrey Ocean and John Swannell become first customers for Artisan Books
Prior to the launch of Artisan Books, renowned contemporary painter, Humphrey Ocean, and one of the biggest names in British photography, John Swannell, approached Atterbury to produce high-end books that would collate their work in a unique and visually impressive way.
“Humphrey and John were impressed with the new Artisan Books concept and we proceeded to create the company’s first publications,” said Atterbury. “The success these first books have seen is testament to the gap in the market that Artisan Books is bridging for both creative professionals and the art enthusiasts that purchase their titles.”
Despite the challenges the book printing industry faces today as a result of alternative digital media, Atterbury is in no doubt that now is a good time to be making books.
“Working with this industry for as long as I have has enabled me to see the value this sector places on high-quality books, not only as a source of revenue but as a precious memento – capturing memories or a life’s work in a way that only a well-printed book can,” said Atterbury. “In the same way that radio survived the development of television, books will remain in demand for the foreseeable future. HP’s latest innovations in digital printing are helping the publishing market to adapt, create new revenue, or even entire business opportunities and stay profitable, continuing the development of this important industry.”
Humphrey Ocean’s A Collection and John Swannell’s Portraits will be on display at a celebratory launch event for Artisan Books, being held tonight at the Riflemaker Gallery, London.