Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor01.11.16
Digital printing has experienced mainstream implementation in the label printing market, and HP anticipates this growing trend to continue. Following a successful 2015, the company expects another banner year in the industry.
HP Indigo saw double-digit page growth in the labels and packaging segment in 2014 and continued the momentum in 2015 in labels and new packaging markets. The installed base of the HP Indigo WS6000 series doubled to 1,000 units in the two years between Labelexpo Brussels 2013 and 2015. HP Indigo digital presses helped further expand the Share-A-Coke campaign globally. Since 2013, it has reached 50 countries, including the US, with more than four billion total labels printed.
The company has seen many converters adopt its HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Press. The press operates at speeds up to 196 fpm (in 1- or 2-color mode) and can handle a wide range of pressure sensitive labels, sleeves, IML, wrap-around labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons.
In labels and packaging, HP sees the continuation of consumer- and brand-driven trends in 2016, such as SKU proliferation and product versioning (smell, texture, size); mass customization (recent Bud Light campaign, for example); micro-segmentation (seasonal, regional, event-based); and interactive and smart packaging (linked content, expiration date labels).
According to Avi Basu, director of marketing and business development, HP, the company will also have a large presence at drupa 2016. HP’s announcements regarding its business and the show are expected to come in March. “We are planning to bring a lot of those prototypes to Dscoop,” explains Basu. “Many folks in North America are not able to make it to drupa, so essentially we try to bring and recreate the drupa experience in a mini-way at dscoop.”
“2015 was an interesting and important year for many reasons,” says Basu. “We had what used to be HP Co. and now we have two companies. Since November 1, this is a new company that this business is a part of and we’re focusing on only the printing side of the house, which includes labels and commercial, as well as office and home printing, as well. It’s a very good and profitable business for HP.”
The Dscoop conference focuses on primarily Indigo users, including customers of labels and other commercial areas. In 2015, HP announced that the company is no longer requiring a membership fee to Dscoop as long as the individual is an HP Graphics customer. “In the market, there were people who were label printers, people who were commercial printers, people who were mailers, people who were book publishers, and now we are seeing that those boundaries are pretty much disappearing,” says Basu. “As that happens, many commercial printers are looking to diversify and they are trying to get into the label business and vice versa.”
DscoopX took place in Washington, DC, USA, from March 5-7, 2015. The event exceeded 2,000 attendees, and there were 116 partners present to display their latest technologies. With 20 new partners and over 50 new applications, there was an opportunity for networking and product demonstrations. Short-run digital printing emerged as one of the hot topics. “We participate fairly big in the short run market,” explains Basu. “We’ve had great success with many of the brands adopting this technology once they figure out what they can do with it.”
HP also enjoyed a successful Labelexpo Europe 2015, which was held in Brussels, Belgium. One of its main announcements focused on an investment deal with Rako. The Rako Group purchased 11 HP Indigo presses, which included nine WS6800 Digital Presses. “That’s a great customer that shows where their business is going with digital technology,” adds Basu. “There were also some other deals, obviously not that size, but all in all it was a very good show for us.”
HP SmartStream Mosaic won the Innovation Award at Labelexpo Brussels, as well as a Graph Expo 15 Must See ‘Ems Award. The proprietary software, which helps produce millions of customizable designs, was used in large campaigns by global brands, including Bud Light and Oreo in North America.
HP recognizes the continued growth of the digital printing market, and has noticed small-to-large companies releasing equipment for various market segments. “I would say we are definitely past the early adoption stage and definitely now in the mainstream,” says Basu. “We definitely see robust growth, and that also has to do with competition. There is definitely competition, especially with inkjet technologies that are playing in a slightly different area, but sometimes you need competition to validate a marketplace. For a long time, in digital certainly, HP was one of the main players and there were some smaller players. Now, we see much more players and a lot of them are trying different technologies, including electrophotographic, as well as inkjet. To us, that validates the market and grows the size of the pie. I think that’s a good, positive indicator and a sign of market growth.”
HP Indigo saw double-digit page growth in the labels and packaging segment in 2014 and continued the momentum in 2015 in labels and new packaging markets. The installed base of the HP Indigo WS6000 series doubled to 1,000 units in the two years between Labelexpo Brussels 2013 and 2015. HP Indigo digital presses helped further expand the Share-A-Coke campaign globally. Since 2013, it has reached 50 countries, including the US, with more than four billion total labels printed.
The company has seen many converters adopt its HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Press. The press operates at speeds up to 196 fpm (in 1- or 2-color mode) and can handle a wide range of pressure sensitive labels, sleeves, IML, wrap-around labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons.
In labels and packaging, HP sees the continuation of consumer- and brand-driven trends in 2016, such as SKU proliferation and product versioning (smell, texture, size); mass customization (recent Bud Light campaign, for example); micro-segmentation (seasonal, regional, event-based); and interactive and smart packaging (linked content, expiration date labels).
According to Avi Basu, director of marketing and business development, HP, the company will also have a large presence at drupa 2016. HP’s announcements regarding its business and the show are expected to come in March. “We are planning to bring a lot of those prototypes to Dscoop,” explains Basu. “Many folks in North America are not able to make it to drupa, so essentially we try to bring and recreate the drupa experience in a mini-way at dscoop.”
“2015 was an interesting and important year for many reasons,” says Basu. “We had what used to be HP Co. and now we have two companies. Since November 1, this is a new company that this business is a part of and we’re focusing on only the printing side of the house, which includes labels and commercial, as well as office and home printing, as well. It’s a very good and profitable business for HP.”
The Dscoop conference focuses on primarily Indigo users, including customers of labels and other commercial areas. In 2015, HP announced that the company is no longer requiring a membership fee to Dscoop as long as the individual is an HP Graphics customer. “In the market, there were people who were label printers, people who were commercial printers, people who were mailers, people who were book publishers, and now we are seeing that those boundaries are pretty much disappearing,” says Basu. “As that happens, many commercial printers are looking to diversify and they are trying to get into the label business and vice versa.”
DscoopX took place in Washington, DC, USA, from March 5-7, 2015. The event exceeded 2,000 attendees, and there were 116 partners present to display their latest technologies. With 20 new partners and over 50 new applications, there was an opportunity for networking and product demonstrations. Short-run digital printing emerged as one of the hot topics. “We participate fairly big in the short run market,” explains Basu. “We’ve had great success with many of the brands adopting this technology once they figure out what they can do with it.”
HP also enjoyed a successful Labelexpo Europe 2015, which was held in Brussels, Belgium. One of its main announcements focused on an investment deal with Rako. The Rako Group purchased 11 HP Indigo presses, which included nine WS6800 Digital Presses. “That’s a great customer that shows where their business is going with digital technology,” adds Basu. “There were also some other deals, obviously not that size, but all in all it was a very good show for us.”
HP SmartStream Mosaic won the Innovation Award at Labelexpo Brussels, as well as a Graph Expo 15 Must See ‘Ems Award. The proprietary software, which helps produce millions of customizable designs, was used in large campaigns by global brands, including Bud Light and Oreo in North America.
HP recognizes the continued growth of the digital printing market, and has noticed small-to-large companies releasing equipment for various market segments. “I would say we are definitely past the early adoption stage and definitely now in the mainstream,” says Basu. “We definitely see robust growth, and that also has to do with competition. There is definitely competition, especially with inkjet technologies that are playing in a slightly different area, but sometimes you need competition to validate a marketplace. For a long time, in digital certainly, HP was one of the main players and there were some smaller players. Now, we see much more players and a lot of them are trying different technologies, including electrophotographic, as well as inkjet. To us, that validates the market and grows the size of the pie. I think that’s a good, positive indicator and a sign of market growth.”