HP Introduces World’s Most Versatile and Productive Digital Label Press

HP Indigo Digital Presses continue to lead the market for premium-quality color labels and packaging

BRUSSELS, Belgium

HP today announced the industry’s most versatile and productive digital label press, the HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press, which is capable of printing more than 40 linear meters per minute in full color and features a new in-line priming unit.

Other features for improved productivity include an improved white ink option and new solutions from partners for managing the complete digital production of labels and packaging.

HP also introduced the industry’s most productive entry-level solution for digital labels, the HP Indigo WS4600 Digital Press, with an option for full-color throughput of more than 21 linear meters per minute. Both the WS6600 and WS4600 deliver higher throughput via a new Enhanced Productivity Mode developed by HP.(1)

“With the Indigo WS6600, we can produce jobs of over 10,000 linear meters with the outstanding quality that our customers are demanding, and still deliver fast turnaround,” said Roger Gehrke, executive manager of Digital Printing at beta user RAKO ETIKETTEN in Wizhave, Germany.

Participants in a blind-test packaging industry label sample evaluation said they preferred HP Indigo print quality over flexography by a four-to-one margin.(2)

“There is increasing demand among top global brands to produce color labels and shrink sleeves on HP Indigo presses, based on their superior quality and rich color,” said Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, Indigo division, HP. “Now with the new productivity enhancements, our customers can use Indigo presses to achieve this level of color quality on almost any job length.”

HP is showcasing the new digital presses and solutions during Labelexpo Europe, the label and packaging industry’s largest conference.

Both the WS6600 and the WS4600 are available now. Many of the new options are planned to be available early next year as upgrade features for the HP Indigo WS6000 and ws4500 to protect and extend customer investments.

Take-back and recycling program expanded

HP also announced that its HP Indigo ink cartridge and imaging oil take-back and recycling program is now available in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, and is open to all HP Indigo customers in those countries. This convenient service, available at no additional cost, can be requested through the MyHPIndigo customer portal.

Leading the industry with a better brand experience

HP Indigo presses offer an all-digital production method that requires little in the way of make-ready, start-up time or minimum run-length requirements. This can help create greater shelf impact and increase customer profit through reduced waste and obsolescence, streamlined multi-SKU marketing and versioning, and faster implementation of new designs. HP Indigo’s proven and unparalleled liquid electrophotographic printing process meets top brands’ uncompromising demands for top-quality printing and packaging shelf appeal.

HP offers flexible financing solutions for customers deploying the latest HP digital printing technology through HP Financial Services, the company’s leasing and life cycle asset management services division. An HP Financial Services representative is onsite at Labelexpo to provide details of applicable offers. Information also is available at www.hp.com/hpfinancialservices.

More information about HP Indigo label and packaging solutions is available at www.hp.com/go/Labelexpo2011 and through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

(1) Compared to the HP Indigo WS6000 and WS4000 series presses printing at four-color speed.

(2) Survey of 229 visitors to the PACK EXPO tradeshow Brand Zone exhibit, November 2010.

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