In a pre-Drupa event held in Tel Aviv, Israel, this past March, HP introduced a score of new digital printing systems and technology modifications, including a new white ink and White Ink Kit plus Automatic Loader for its HP Scitex FB7500/7600 flatbeds, as well as the HP SmartStream Production Analyzer and the first 29-inch-format HP Indigo press.

Designed to work with HP FB225 process color Scitex inks and HP Scitex FB7500/FB7600 printers, the new HP FB225 White Scitex ink is ideal for a wide range of applications, reports HP, including backlit signage, window displays and short-run corrugated packaging. Existing FB7500/FB7600 presses include extra printhead beams, allowing the White Ink Kit to be added retroactively. The White Scitex ink is scheduled to be available in May.

To help print service providers increase efficiencies, HP is also expanding its portfolio of workflow solutions, introducing the Hostert Automatic Loader a partner solution developed specifically for the Scitex FB7600 and FB7500 presses. The automatic media loader is engineered to allow high-volume print shops that produce long repeating runs to reduce production costs, improve turnaround time, and create an automatic working environment with stack-to-stack operation.

Another efficiency modification: New Scitex FB7600 presses now have the ability to load thin and flexible media down to 6.2 pts (130 gsm) using the printer’s three-quarter automated loading capability instead of manual mode.

HP also announced its SmartStream Production Analyzer for Scitex, designed to help medium to large print providers perform real-time monitoring and data analysis and improve production efficiencies. Expected to be available in mid-June, the cloud-based tool is compatible with various Scitex machines that have HP Scitex Print Care installed, and will offer: current and historical reports on presses, operators, and shifts, such as ink and media consumption; a Web-based dashboard view that provides real-time information on what each machine is doing, who is operating it, how it is being utilized, and if it’s meeting targets and goals; and monitoring of production operations virtually anytime, anywhere with a cloud-based tool that’s compatible with most mobile devices and has the ability to send event reports by e-mail or SMS.

In addition, HP announced the following:
• Three next-generation 29-inch-format HP Indigo presses – the HP Indigo 10000, Indigo 20000, and Indigo 30000 – all designed to allow print providers to expand into applications not previously addressable by digital printing, as well as to print more productively and economically for increased profitability.

• Three updated models of the current HP Indigo portfolio – the Indigo 7600, Indigo 5600, and Indigo W7250 – with higher speeds in Enhanced Productivity Mode (EPM). The 7600 now has a top speed of 160 pages/min and also adds features including automated detection of print defects in real time, special on-press effects for high-value applications (such as raised print and textured effects that simulate embossing), and light black ink for improved monochrome photo images.

• Three higher-speed HP Inkjet Web Press models – the HP T410 and T360 Inkjet Web Press systems and the HP T230 Inkjet Web Press – all featuring nanotechnology pigment inks advanced ink improved printhead technology.

HP
www.hp.com