HP has introduced a new upgrade package for the HP Scitex XP2300 printer. The Scitex XP2300 now offers new billboard print modes for printing directly on inexpensive banner materials, which could previously be used only with solvent technologies. With these print modes, designed for HP Specialty Billboard Scitex Inks, customers can achieve a glossy or matte finish using one ink and reduce the time spent switching inks between print jobs, HP reports. Users installing the upgrade also begin receiving support through HP Scitex Print Care, a set of tools and services designed to anticipate technical issues, enable remote diagnosis, and provide performance information. The upgrade package is scheduled to be available in mid-September.

In addition, HP has announced a free software application for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that enables users to generate large-format photo negatives for the production of high-quality, black-and-white silver-halide photo prints. The Large Format Photo Negative software package includes a paper preset for the HP Designjet Z3200 series that allows users to print a digital negative from a film, scanned, or digital-capture file onto a transparent substrate; once printed, the large-format photo negatives can be used as masters to produce high-quality, black-and-white fine-art prints through a contact process. The final print size is the same as that of the transparency, allowing a 35mm negative to be blown up as large as a 44-in. print. The solution can be used with any silver-halide papers, including fixed or variable grade, and can be used to produce large-format prints from 35 mm images, enhance images from old or damaged negatives, or archive digital files physically on film and paper. Available in September.
HP
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