HP Accelerates Analog-to-Digital Publishing Transformation
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 13, 2012 – HP announced new digital press solutions that offer greater flexibility and higher productivity to help print service providers (PSPs) and publishers meet growing market demand for customized, shorter-run and personalized publications.
The solutions, which HP will showcase May 3-16 at the drupa tradeshow, Düsseldorf, Germany, include:
— HP T360 and T410 Color Inkjet Web Presses, offering faster monochrome speeds (244 meters/800 feet per minute),(1) and an HP T230 Color Inkjet Web Press offering faster color speeds (122 meters/400 feet per minute),(2) for higher-volume book manufacturing.
— The HP Indigo W7250 Digital Press, a high-volume, roll-fed device offering 33 percent faster throughput(3) for one-off and short- to medium-run production of high-end color textbooks, journals, manuals and trade books.
— The HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press – the first offset-quality digital press in a B2 size format (750 x 530 millimeters [mm] / 29.5 x 20.9 inches) suitable for printing a very broad range of publishing applications, including book signatures. Available next year, it offers HP Indigo’s unparalleled print quality and extensive media flexibility.
— The HP Indigo 7600 Digital Press, a sheet-fed press offering greater versatility and productivity, improved automation(4) and exclusive special effects for book cover printing.
From niche publishing to mainstream production
The technology developments highlight print’s important, evolving role in the publishing industry transformation. As e-books and tablet-edition magazines reduce demand for hardcopy volumes, digital printing is becoming a mainstream solution for cost-effective publishing applications.
Publishers increasingly use digital printing to extend the number of backlist titles they can profitably offer in print. Plus, digital printing meets growing demand for personalized and niche publications, such as personalized children’s books ordered online.
The trends collectively drive significant growth: According to industry research firm INTERQUEST, digital book printing is expected to grow by nearly 30 percent annually through 2015.(5)
