HP has unveiled new presses that allow print service providers (PSPs) to apply digital printing’s supply chain, inventory and product marketing advantages to the sizes common in packaging production.

The 30-inch/762-millimeter (mm) wide, web-fed HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press and the 29.5-inch/750-mm wide, sheet-fed HP Indigo 30000 Digital Press use the same high-quality, versatile printing technology that brands choose for label and packaging production on HP Indigo WS6000 series digital presses.   

“HP Indigo digital printing already has transformed the label market, and the larger format and higher throughput brings the unique benefits of digital to other segments of this market,” says Christopher Morgan, senior vice president, Graphics Solutions Business, HP. “With these new presses, we can help packaging printers offer their customers the benefits of digital printing and redefine what is possible for the brands they serve.”

HP will demonstrate the new presses in May at drupa as part of a full portfolio of packaging solutions from HP.  The new portfolio also features an HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press compatible with a broader range of synthetic substrates, as well as HP Scitex FB7500 and FB7600 Industrial Presses that have a new white ink option for corrugated packaging.
The HP Indigo 20000 press’s 30-inch/762-mm media width and 44-inch/1,100-mm repeat length accommodate most flexible packaging format sizes. With up to seven-color printing, including white ink, and printing quality that matches gravure production, the press can meet brands’ stringent color and quality requirements. The HP Indigo 20000 runs at 88.6 linear feet/27 linear meters in five-color mode (full process color plus white) and at 147.6 linear feet /45 linear meters per minute when running in Enhanced Productivity Mode.

An inline priming unit on the press helps to ensure compatibility with nearly any standard flexible packaging substrate from 10 to 250 microns thick. Materials printed on the press are compatible with dry lamination and comply with food packaging regulations when used with good manufacturing practices.

The press will feature an EskoArtwork print server and upstream prepress tools that integrate into the entire EskoArtwork system of production workflows for high quality and efficiency. Compatible third-party workflow solutions provide complementary capabilities such as web-to-print, management information systems services and printed content inspection/verification.