HP launched the its WallArt service, which is powered by AVA's design and file preparation software, at Heimtextil 2013 on a one-year free trial basis alongside a modular range of media, printing and finishing options for the digital wallcoverings market.
In the past 12 months more than 1,100 customers from 66 countries have signed up to the service, which HP Latex users can integrate with their websites to allow their customers to design customised wallcoverings online.
Users can enter precise room dimension, including fittings, choose from a range of images or upload their own content for backgrounds, objects and text, and view a realistic visualisation prior to ordering.
The wide-format manufacturer announced yesterday (7 January), that the cloud-based service would remain free for new and existing HP Latex customers following the completion of the successful trial period.
New features include an HP WallArt iPad application and easier production of canvas prints, including a multi-panel option and automatically generated installation instructions.
HP has also announced an alliance with the Fotolia stock image archive - giving HP WallArt users access to its library of more than 26m images - as well as new substrate and finishing options.
These include a new HP PVC-free Durable Suede Wall Paper - aimed at high-traffic commercial aread and available from BMG in Spring 2014, and two automatic winding systems from Fotoba International to provide ready-to-pack wallcovering rolls directly from a cutting device.
These are the REW104 for media up to 1,040mm wide and the REW160 for media up to 1,600mm wide.
In order to help meet international wallcovering standards, HP has had its HP Latex Inks tested and certified to EN233 for washability and colourfastness, the Euro Class B standard for flame retardancy and the CE Mark. The tests were performed by authorised third-party labs on a range of substrates.
HP is demonstrating its expanded HP WallArt range at Heimtextil 2014 where the industrial and interior designer Markus Benesch has created a digital wall decor showroom using the complete HP WallArt modular suite.
"My goal is to encourage spectators to think outside of the box and see the unusual ways in which digital printing can dramatically alter a space, as well as the design workflow," said Benesch.
"HP digital printing technologies create a world where designers no longer need to print large batches of wall décor at once, but where they can be fast as light, moving immediately from idea to design to production to delivery."
