HP Announces First HP Indigo 10000 Installations, Momentum for drupa Portfolio

HP unveiled the first installations of B2 format HP Indigo 10000 digital presses at three beta customer sites, plus new color-proofing and workflow solutions for improved productivity during a press conference at GRAPH EXPO yesterday.

Sumeer Chandra, Vice President, Worldwide Strategy and Market Development, HP Graphics Solutions Business, announced the completion of the first HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press beta systems at U.S.-based Sandy Alexander, Israel-based Old City Press, and U.K.-based Precision Printing.

Sandy Alexander, a leading direct mail and commercial print provider, successfully installed the HP Indigo 10000 and SmartStream Production Pro print server in the company’s carbon neutral digital printing facility in Clifton, NJ. Sandy Alexander plans to use the new press to expand its business through offering new options for one-to-one marketing.

“We are excited about the impact HP Indigo 10000 brings to the graphic communication marketplace,” said Mike Graff, CEO and president, Sandy Alexander. “The dramatically larger sheet size offers our clients both increased creativity and efficiency, providing them with a distinct competitive advantage. Combining the new format with One-to-One Marketing capabilities will increase our client’s marketing ROI. 

Additional beta sites include Consolidated Graphics (United States), Courier (United States), Elanders (Germany), Prol Gráfica (Brazil), Pureprint Group (U.K.) and Wing Hung Group (Hong Kong). All beta installations are expected to be complete by November 2012.   

New solutions to power digital workflows

New workflow solutions for HP Indigo presses that streamline image processing and production floor management include:

• HP SmartStream Designer 6.0, the next generation of HP Indigo’s variable data tool. SmartStream Designer seamlessly integrates with Adobe Creative Suite 6 for the creation of sophisticated high-value pages. Available now, new features include drag-and-drop imposition and page selection, layer rules in fast mode, and built-in QR and 2D barcode generation.
• HP SmartStream Director 2.0, a web-to-print system for small-to-medium commercial PSPs, combines template-driven storefront creation with powerful JDF backend production automation to efficiently capture a wide variety of job orders with the highest level of end-to-end workflow automation. The new version, available in November, includes performance improvements and several new features including support for mobile devices.
• A new version of HP SmartStream Production Pro designed to meet the demanding production requirements of the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press will be available in 2013. It features a new, intuitive user interface that simplifies the operation of the press.
• An updated version of HP SmartStream Production Analyzer, a multi-press, multi-site monitoring tool for HP Indigo presses that provides real time status, historical production data.
• HP SmartStream Production Center, a new workflow management system that addresses the challenges of producing and delivering high volumes of short run jobs, reducing turnaround time and increasing profitability. It will be available in the first half of 2013.

HP also now offers HP Hiflex cloud-based software solutions that address most application areas, including commercial printing, sign and display, publishing, and direct mail.  

The new HP SmartStream Web Press Color Proofer includes all prepress tools, software, training, and guidance needed to help provide accurate, consistent and high-quality color results. HP now has a complete package for PSPs seeking “one-stop shopping” for soft and hardcopy proofing.  The soft proofing solution includes an HP workstation and color-calibrated monitor, and the hardcopy proofing solution for all press widths uses a 24” or 44” HP Designjet printer

Additionally, HP A50 Inkjet Web Press Inks recently achieved the Sustainable Product Certification from UL Environment, a business unit of Underwriters Laboratories (UL). The certification demonstrates the ink meets a range of stringent criteria related to human health and environmental considerations.

Extending the power of variable data to offset

HP solution partners, Adphos (Booth 2044) and GSS, are demonstrating HP Print Module Solutions for imprinting variable mono and color graphics, text, and barcodes, on preprinted documents. The color and mono systems print up to 244 meters (800 feet) per minute and provide breakthrough running cost.