There was a buzz on the HP stand at Drupa 2008. Among the regular assortment of digital presses and software suites was a monster of a machine that gave a glimpse into HP's future and proved to be one of the stars of the show. The Inkjet Web Press was the machine in question and represented a significant leap forward for HP in terms of technology and applications.
Nearly two years on and the press has a name - the T300. While digital technology has matured over the past decade, there is still plenty for the company to play for, explains Aurelio Maruggi vice-president and general manager of Inkjet High-Speed Production Solutions (IHPS) at HP. "There are around 53 trillion pages in the market and HP is addressing less than 10% of that number. We have invested big time to grow that share of the market," says Maruggi.
Despite growing acceptance of digital print, there are still many analogue pages out there that are ripe for digital and HP hopes the T300 can win over the market. To illustrate the point, when asked about rivals in the sector, Maruggi prefers to target the litho players rather than just the usual suspects in the digital market.
The T300 has been built on the back of HP's reputation for high-quality digital print, encompassing its Indigo range, and its thermal printheads used in its desktop and wide-format printers. At Drupa, the press was used to create a raft of products ranging from books to transactional print.
"We sent a message to the market," explains Maruggi. "For more than 25 years we have developed products for the home, office and industry. In the early 2000s we started up the graphic arts sector and now we are accelerating."
Last year, the machine was launched in its current guise at Chicago's Print 09. It's been rigorously beta-tested and HP now has seven units operational worldwide, including one at book printer CPI in France. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Communsis is the first UK customer to buy one.
Range of applications
It's easy to see why a book printer and a transactional specialist would make such an investment - the T300 very much caters for the industrial space. It has a scalable web width of up to 30in (762mm) and a web speed of 122m per minute. The resolution is 1,200x600dpi and the range of media it can handle ranges from 40-350gsm - this is one reason why the press can handle a wide range of applications.
"You have an asset for a multitude of jobs," says Maruggi. "It is our intention that this product will go head-to-head with high-volume production conventional presses. In the book market, for example, it can print from one book to 1m."
What HP believes gives the T300 the edge in the market is a unique bonding agent incorporated during the production process. "This is a sixth colour that we spray on the substrate," explains Maruggi. "Inkjet inks are pigment and water-based. What usually happens is that you lose optical density - you can see through the other side of the paper and you can have very dull colours. It's a negative result. The bonding agent drops a pigment onto the paper and this is a unique technology."
Essentially the bonding agent is a colourless liquid technology that improves optical density, reduces strike-through and improves pigment adhesion to the paper. HP claims that this results in improved appearance and durability. The HP inks also improve the green credentials of the machine.
According to HP, the inks are non-flamable and non-combustible, emit low levels of VOCs, produce no ozone and contain no hazardous air pollutants. Maruggi is also quick to point out that digital print also produces less waste.
"Conventional printing is more wasteful," he says. "There is waste in the printshop and in the supply chain. This isn't just in terms of cost, but also in terms of environmental impact. In the book market, for example, excess titles are held in a warehouse or are pulped."
In addition, the T300 has a capacity of up to 70m letter-sized four-colour images per month. Productivity is assisted through an arched paper path, which stabilises the web as it goes through the press. According to HP, this improves image quality, alignment and image registration.
Maruggi also points out that productivity is enhanced by the scalable printing technology. The T300 employs modular printheads in 10 rows of seven 4.25in inkjet heads. These snap into an overlapping pattern forming the press's 29.1in print width.
"Nozzles fail with any inkjet technology," he adds. "But we have eight times the number of nozzles. That hides any defect and means the press produces a consistent quality."
As with any digital press, the front-end takes on greater importance. At Drupa, the prototype was powered by the SmartStream workflow helping the press to run flat-out to demonstrate its impressive productivity. HP enlisted the aid of several partners to help it in this endeavour, including GMC and Optimus.
The T300 enables HP to start edging into new markets, such as transactional and newspapers. However, the transpromo market is of particular interest.
"This definitely addresses that market," says Maruggi. "In adopting this new technology, users are able to create more value. It is able to streamline the production of a statement and you are printing off the shelf to a single step process - there is now a genuine capability to print on white paper."
Early days
As for newspapers, Maruggi adds that it's too early to say whether that market will take off for HP. There are signs that it could, as Oce, Screen and Kodak will testify. HP was printing newspapers on its stand at Drupa, but there are other areas that the T300 can capitalise on. And Maruggi believes that the press can narrow the gap between digital and litho.
"We believe that there is a break-even point between digital and offset and a much larger number of pages can be digitally printed," he adds. "It is an acceleration that will to continue to grow at a faster pace."
With a list price of $3.4m (£2.25m), the T300 certainly doesn't come cheap. But as Scott Schiller, HP director for market and business development, IHPS points out, this figure can change. "The list price is generally advised, but it's very important to note that this is a bespoke machine and can vary depending on a customer's requirements," he adds.
While Maruggi suggests there are no direct rivals to the T300, the reality is that the major digital press manufacturers are all putting some of their eggs into the inkjet basket. HP is one of a pack of big names breathing hard down the necks of their litho competitors. It remains to be seen how quickly they can eat into that sector, but the signs are that they will give conventional print a run for its money.
Specifications
Web width
762mm
Speed
linear metres per minute: 122
Speed
A4 ppm: 2,400
Type
water-based thermal drop-on-demand inkjet
Applications
Direct mail, transactional, books, newspapers
Price $3.4m (£2.25m)
Contact HP UK 0845 270 400 www.hp.com
THE ALTERNATIVES
Infoprint 5000
Based on the Screen Truepress Jet 520, the 5000 is designed to drop into existing mono environments.
Web width 520mm
Speed linear metres per minute: 64/A4 ppm: 862
Type drop-on-demand piezo inkjet
Price £1m for twin engined duplex machine
Contact Infoprint Solutions 0800 774 68464 www.infoprintsolutionscompany.com
Kodak Prosper 5000XL
Kodak will launch its first colour press based on its Stream technology at Ipex in May. The Prosper 5000XL can handle stock from 45-175gsm.
Web width 648mm
Speed linear metres per minute: 200/A4 ppm: 3,600
Type Stream
Price £1m-£2.7m ($1.5m-$4m)
Contact Kodak 020 8424 6514 www.graphics.kodak.com
Kodak Versamark VL2000
Kodak's first drop-on-demand competes with the T300, but can cost as little as half as much as the HP machine.
Web width 474mm
Speed linear metres per minute: 75/A4 ppm: 250-1,000
Type drop-on-demand piezo inkjet
Price from £920,000
Contact Kodak 020 8424 6514 www.graphics.kodak.com
Océ JetStream 1100/2200
Depending on specifications, the JetStream is designed to support monthly page volumes from 4.8m to 80m.
Web width 521mm
Speed linear metres per minute: 100 (750/1500); 150 (1100/2200); 200 (3000/3100) A4 ppm: 675 (750); 1,010 (1100); 1,350 (1500); 2,020 (2200); 2,700 (3000)
Type drop on demand piezo inkjet
Price £1.27m (750); £2.95m (2200)
Contact Océ 0870 600554 www.oce.com
Screen Truepress Jet 520
A single-engine two-up with duplex option or twin-engine duplex with speeds to match requirements.
Web width 520mm
Speed linear metres per minute: 128/A4 ppm: 420-1,680
Type drop-on-demand piezo inkjet
Price £850,000-£1.9m
Contact Screen UK 01908 848500 www.screen.co.uk
Xerox 490/980
This is toner-based rather than an inkjet device. Xerox claims the machine can use a wide range of substrates.
Web width 495mm
Speed linear metres per minute: 69/A4 ppm: 900
Type flash-fused dry toner
Price not supplied
Contact Xerox UK 0870 873 4519 www.xerox.co.uk
