In anticipation of drupa, HP has announced a brand new portfolio for HP Indigo digital labels and packaging designed to accelerate digital printing. HP Indigo has launched new presses, along with color and workflow automation products, to efficiently deliver diverse, on-demand print orders with low waste. 

In a major step toward extending analog-to-digital conversion, HP has unveiled the HP Indigo V12 digital press, the first HP Indigo built on next-generation HP Indigo LEPX architecture. The first of Indigo’s Series 6 platform, the narrow-web label press provides Indigo’s quality and versatility at higher speeds. As a result, the HP Indigo V12 can print as fast as analog with greater production agility, redefining digital label printing.

Key benefits to be offered by the HP Indigo V12 digital press include:

• Print up to six colors at 120 linear m/m(400 fpm), using six inline imaging engines running simultaneously. Produce up to 130,000 linear meters per day with one operator.
• New high definition (HD) imaging: HD Imaging System on press offers native to 1600 dpi resolution.  . 
• Up to 12-colors on press. Change inks on the fly and create any combination of colors.
• Print digitally on a range of substrates, from 12 micron film to 450 micron (18pt) board. Support pressure sensitive, sleeves, flexible packaging, tubes, IMLs and more.
• One-pass, nonstop high-speed finishing capabilities to be provided by AB Graphic International.

The drupa portfolio also introduces the new narrow web HP Indigo 6K and HP Indigo 8K digital presses for labels, the HP Indigo 25K for flexible packaging and labels, and sheetfed HP Indigo 35K and roll-to-B1 sheet HP Indigo 90K for folding cartons. Value packs with various upgrade options will allow the existing customer base to benefit from new features and capabilities.

Additionally, the HP Indigo 6K digital press is the new model of the versatile HP Indigo 6000 series. The press can deliver more applications using higher opacity white for shrink sleeves, new inks including silver, fluorescents, invisible red and green for brand protection applications and new varnishes from leading partners for higher durability. The HP Indigo 8K offers increased productivity, reduced waste and easier transitioning between media types and jobs. High-capacity label production and flexible packaging on the new mid-web HP Indigo 25K digital press are supported with a new slitter for labels, making it easier to diversify into new and lucrative applications. 

The new HP Indigo 25K digital press is designed to help converters meet brand needs with an attractive total cost of ownership, a wider media range to deliver compostable and recyclable pouches and more choices to create a digital pouch factory.  

“The digital labels and packaging market is growing and evolving as converters move to support market needs for on-demand production, SKU diversification, customization and printing with reduced waste,” says Alon Bar-Shany, general manager, HP Indigo. “Labels and packaging converters using HP Indigo are growing their Indigo volume four times faster than the market and are consistently generating new opportunities. The new labels and packaging portfolio unveiled today is a blueprint for customers to create a digital print factory so they can stay ahead of the curve and deliver a wider range of jobs faster, with less labor, all while keeping the environment top of mind.”

Since drupa 2016, more than 1000 HP Indigo labels and packaging presses have been installed at converters worldwide.

A new color automation solution, Spot Master, will enable converters to reach brand colors within minutes. Spot Master enables converters to deliver high color consistency and uniformity across the entire print frame using a new patented algorithm for fast and accurate color matching, ensuring every package looks the same no matter when or where it was printed. Spot Master will be available for the HP Indigo 35K, HP Indigo 25K, HP Indigo 6K and HP Indigo 8K presses.

Brand Beat, a new application offered in HP PrintOSX, delivers real-time color reports directly to converters and brands.

PrintOS Production Pro for Indigo Labels and Packaging, featuring HP Indigo’s fastest HP Indigo Raster Image Processor (RIP), is seamlessly integrated with the new Esko Automation Engine for HP Indigo, allowing converters to process more jobs per day. HP PrintOSX unites the cloud platform applications with AI-driven service and support infrastructure to help customers get the most out of their press investment. 

With HP Indigo Secure and partner solutions, converters can provide brand protection solutions using special inks, anti-counterfeiting marks, micro-text fonts and protected track and trace solutions. Digital embellishment solutions from HP Indigo and partners offer ways to stand out, including the inline Kurz DM-JetLiner digital metalization solution, HP Indigo ElectroInk Silver for metalizing the color gamut, and HP Indigo GEM, a digital print-and-embellish, one-pass solution integrated with the HP Indigo 6K digital press.