HP introduces Series 5 and Series 6 HP Indigo platforms

In anticipation of the now-postponed drupa, HP Inc. made numerous announcements:

• Series 5 and Series 6 are two new HP Indigo platforms delivering large digital print volumes thanks to high speed and productivity.
• The new B2-format HP Indigo 100K Digital Press for commercial print, the first press in the new Series 5 platform, is engineered for higher productivity to deliver more than one million B2 duplex sheets per month. Printing at 6000 sheets per hour, the press is designed for offset players to adopt highly productive, on-demand printing with less waste.
• Announcing LEP^X, HP Indigo’s speed-focused architecture, which runs as fast as analog. The narrow-web HP Indigo V12 Digital Press for labels offers up to 12 colors on press, running at up to 120 meters per minute. The first in the Series 6 platform, the HP Indigo V12 offers up to 12 colors on press, a speed of up to 120 meters per minute (400 f/pm), and multiplies productivity performance to match analog speed.  A new, automated color-matching technology, Spot Master, provides the industry’s fastest time-to-color.
• Eight additional new presses slated for release in 2020: the B2 HP Indigo 15K, SRA3+ HP Indigo 7K and HP Indigo 7eco for commercial printing, as well as the  HP Indigo 6K, HP Indigo 8K, HP Indigo 25K, for labels and packaging, and HP Indigo 35K and B1 HP Indigo 90K  for folding carton and specialty applications.
• HP PrintOS^X update unites cloud platform applications with an AI-driven service and support infrastructure offering solutions and automated processes as a cornerstone to the print factory of the future.

“The need for high-quality, versatility and productive digital printing is crucial today, given the rising demand for same-day delivery, sustainability and customized print experiences,” says Santi Morera, general manager and global head of graphics solutions, HP Inc. “With the new portfolio, we’ve set the stage for our customers to grow and build the print factories of the future. In today’s fast-paced environment, where jobs can suddenly land on your doorstep, customers need the agility to react quickly so they can profitably cash in on those opportunities.”

“Over the last four years, HP customers have almost doubled business, generating $15 billion in revenue in the last year alone from over 100 million print orders,” said Alon Bar-Shany, general manager, HP Indigo. “We believe the dramatic innovations in our drupa portfolio will usher in a new era that will drive continued growth for customers over the next decade and beyond.”

Customer beta testing, launched before 2019 peak season, is now concluding at commercial PSPs globally, including offset players.

New LEP^X architecture unleashes the power of HP Indigo 

LEP^X releases the core physics of LEP technology, producing Indigo’s renowned, high-quality digital printing. In LEP^X architecture, six imaging engines operate inline simultaneously, instead of LEP’s single-engine, multiplying speed to match analog with the added benefits of digital printing. As a result, LEP^X offers the speed and efficiency for PSPs to profitably produce large print volumes than previously possible.

Highlights of the LEP^X:

• Operators can run jobs at a single predictable speed, regardless of the type of graphics, ink coverage or specialty colors.
• Up to 12-colors on press. Change inks on the fly and create any color combination.
• Crisp 1600 dpi native print resolution.
• The HP Indigo V12 narrow-web press prints at 120 linear meters/min (400 fpm) for any job with up to 6 colors, comparable to analog speed. The press also supports the digital label industry’s largest range of substrates, from 12 microns unsupported film to 450-micron (18 pt) board, using the integrated inline primer.

HP PrintOS^X platform for automation and excellence

Beyond the press, HP PrintOS^X unites cloud-platform applications with an AI-driven service and support infrastructure to enable customers to get the most out of their press investment, the company says. Based on PrintOS^X advanced technology, tools and know-how, customers can start building the “print factory of the future” and reach operational excellence, automate production, and innovate with high-value applications.

Launched at drupa 2016, more than 12,000 HP customers are now connected on HP PrintOS, using a range of applications that leverage big data on the cloud in real time for all types of production challenges.

The B2 HP Indigo 100K and HP Indigo 15K, SRA3+ HP Indigo 7K and HP Indigo 7eco for commercial, as well as the HP Indigo 6K, HP Indigo 8K, HP Indigo 25K, HP Indigo 35K, and HP Indigo 90K for labels and packaging are all scheduled to be available in June or later in 2020. The HP Indigo V12 Digital Press is scheduled for commercial availability in 2022.