The 2.5m-wide Latex R2000 hybrid production printer is HP's first hybrid to use Latex technology and will be commercially available from June. It is designed to print at a lower temperature in order to allow for a wider choice of media, and a fluid overcoat has been added to the inks for improved scratch resistance.
The R2000 debuts HP’s Latex White ink, designed as a "true, glossy white" that maintains its colour over time without yellowing. An offline rotation chamber is included to prevent waste when inks are not being used during jobs.
It has a 14-zone vacuum belt and prints at up to 88sqm/hr on media up to 50mm thick and runs an automated optical system to correct for movement.
Kuss Medienproduktion in Germany and Easy Signs in Australia have been revealed as two of the first users of the R2000.
Owner of Potsdam-based Kuss Medienproduktion, Ronny Kuss, said: “I have never before seen such a brilliant and easy to use white ink, incomparable high colour gamut and image quality as well as the very accurate belt driven system”.
Joan Pérez Pericot, HP global head for large-format production business, said: “This machine provides unprecedented quality, with the new Latex ink giving amazing performance on rigid and also flexible substrates. It enables broader versatility and media breadth.
“It is a completely new standard in terms of quality and maintains the material’s touch and feel when working on speciality materials such as wood, glass and metal.”
While detailed pricing was not revealed, Pericot said the price range would be “closer to £200,000 than £100,000”.
HP has also used its Fespa stand (3.2-C20) to unveil nine additions to its DesignJet range of roll-ro-roll printers in its Z Series. Three Z9+ and three Z6 machines were added at 610mm and 1.1m width, allavailable from June. Dual-roll versions of both 1.1m editions will be available from July. Z9+ machines print up to 73.9sqm/hr and the Z6s go up to 85.1sqm/hr.
An additional three production printers were added under the Z6X10 umbrella, with the Z6610 and Z6810 sized at 1.5m, alongside a 1.1m version of the latter. This more robust range prints at speeds ranging up to 140sqm/hr.
They feature 'automated pixel control' – billed as “the world’s first truly digital colour pipeline”, which controls the colour of every pixel to ensure consistent image quality.
Designed for faster, simpler printing at 2,400dpi, the machines can be configured with an optional vertical trimmer. While prices were not disclosed, HP said the machines will compete with Canon’s imagePrograf Pro-4000 and Epson’s SureColor P7000 and P9000 printers.
Global head for large-format design printing Guayente Sanmartin said: “More and more pictures are being taken every day and photo merchandising on large-format is a growing market. Printers want more productivity and better processing.
“We have introduced these Z Series printers as a new milestone of innovation with a reinvented, high quality portfolio that has a photographic focus. It will provide premium photo quality for print service providers.”
Alongside its new printers, HP also unveiled its Poster Design Application which can be used by printers and end users to create posters from an online bank of templates and presets; its own 370gsm canvas, made entirely from recycled water bottles, to work with HP’s aqueous inks; and finally the Latex 3800 Jumbo Roll Solution, which can boost the capacity of HP’s Latex 3000 series by taking a roll up to 1.2 tons in weight and 1.2m in diameter.
