A 40-inch wide printer, without any product name branding, was shown running on the HP booth at Sign & Digital.

Visitors were also able to learn more about HP’s plans for the product, but only if they signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement). HP will reveal further product details in early April.

The PageWide technology is a development of the inkjet heads used in HP’s T-series high-speed inkjet web presses.

The wide-format implementation involves a static array of printheads, with the substrate moving at speed under the head.

On the device shown at Sign & Digital, eight five-inch wide printheads formed the print bar. Detailed technical specifications were not made public.

Product manager Victor Marti claimed the new printer would be “the fastest and most efficient printer on the market”.

“There will be no need to differentiate between black-and-white and colour workflows. The cost of printing black-and-white and colour will be exactly the same,” he stated.

Marti said the use of pigmented inks made it very versatile and said the printheads were very long-lasting. He cited applications including technical drawings and CAD printing, as well as poster printing and point-of-sale.

Sample prints from PageWide printer

The demo device was shown printing roll-to-sheet A1-format paper maps, CAD-type plans, and colour images and posters. Solid colour and four-colour halftone quality appeared adequate for quick turnaround, short-lifespan promotions.

Prime Group managing director Jon Tolley visited the show to check out the new device. He said: “It’s an interesting bit of technology and has the potential to be very disruptive as it’s extremely quick. We’ll be keeping a close eye on it.”

Pricing details for the printer were not revealed.

HP will be showing the PageWide device at Fespa in Cologne in May.