Wet, Wet, Wet!

HP makes no bones about it. In the very near future, it wants everything that is printed digitally to be printed on one of its machines and to further that aim, the company has just announced a landmark release of technologies directed at the graphic arts sector, one of which will be directly impacting signmakers and digital print companies. Val Hirst reports

It isn’t very often that Sign Direction’s deadlines provide the opportunity for a scoop, but following the recent HP Press Conference in Israel, I can break some ‘hot off the press’, news on the company’s latest innovation. Although HP revealed the release of a host of new products, the most significant launch as far as signmakers and digital print companies are concerned is undoubtedly its new printer, which uses latex ink to offer a more environmentally responsible alternative for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor printed applications. You will doubtless be hearing a lot more about it at FESPA Digital Printing Europe in Geneva, at the beginning of April and then again at Sign & Digital UK, a couple of weeks later. However, HP is planning to save the official unveiling until DRUPA, in Dusseldorf, during May.



As yet, details on the unnamed printer are sketchy, although I did manage to learn that it will be a roll-to-roll machine, priced at around £50,000, but HP was much more forthcoming about its latex ink. Now, if the mention of the word latex, when used in relation to ink, has you imagining a goey, rubbery concoction, immediately dispel the notion from your mind. As HP painstakingly explained, in this context, latex is merely the term used to describe a stable, aqueous dispersion of microscopic polymer particles.

In fact, the new ink, which combines 70 percent water, 30 percent co-solvents for aqueous inks, plus additives, offers the high surface tension and low viscosity, which are ideal for use in HP thermal inkjet printheads. Further, the high concentration of water offers important benefits to commercial and industrial production environments, since it produces no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), requires no special handling, is non-toxic, non-flammable and non-combustible. In addition it is scratch-proof, smudgeproof and highly durable, but perhaps the best news of all, as far as users are concerned, is that HP printers using the ink will require no daily manual maintenance of the printheads and service station components.

Inside the printer, the liquid film of latex ink on the print media is exposed to radiant heaters and airflow in the print and curing zones. Thus, there is no need for any special ventilation equipment. The process simply evaporates the ink, causing the latex polymer particles to coalesce, forming a continuous polymer layer that adheres to the print media and encapsulates the pigment to form a durable colorant film, without producing any noxious odours.

In tests, prints using the latex inks, which can be used in conjunction with any low cost, uncoated media, but will provide optimum results when used in tandem with HP wide format media, offer the same level of permanence as prints produced using low solvent inks; up to three years unlaminated and up to five years with lamination. Indoor prints offer an in-window permanence of up to five years unlaminated and 10 years with lamination.

When used in an HP printer featuring Wide Scan Printheads, the inks produce a wide colour gamut, comparable to that achieved when using solvent inks and also offer vivid image quality. The HP Wide Scan Printhead design also makes it possible to produce high-quality output at fast print speeds, supporting an ink drop size as small as 12 picolitres.
To further boost the ink’s green credentials, the cartridge’s innovative design reduces material use and features an outer shell made of recyclable cardboard. The collapsible ink bag inside that contains the ink provides vapour and air barriers to minimise changes in ink composition during transport and storage and the internal cardboard component is also recyclable.

If you are in the market for a new printer and aim to do some research at FESPA Digital or Sign UK, then you may think that is worth delaying your final decision until DRUPA, when full details on the new HP machine will be released. However, if your need is more pressingly urgent, then you may also be interested to learn more about in the launch of HP’s updated and extended product portfolio, following its acquisition of NUR, which was showcased at the company’s new 13,000-sq.m manufacturing site in Caesarea, Israel.

There are now five new super-wide format printers to choose from, including the HP Scitex XP5300 Printer, formerly the NUR Expedio Revolution 5m, which offers a powerful combination of industry-leading print speeds and high-quality UV inks. Ideal for outdoor signage or other outdoor applications, it prints at industrial speeds of up to 300 m2/hr in Billboard Mode, using HP Specialty Billboard Scitex Ink, allowing fast drying and quick delivery. The HP Scitex XP5100 Printer, formerly the NUR Expedio 5000, combines the performance of traditional super-wide-

format printers with the media versatility, quality and speed of current UV ink printers to create both indoor and outdoor applications at production speeds of up to 150 m2/hr It features a multi-roll printing kit and vertical cutter for high versatility and productivity.
The HP Scitex XP2700 Printer, formerly the NUR Expedio Inspiration, delivers high-quality output on both flexible and rigid media at production print speeds of up to 110 m2/hr and superior image quality of up to 800 x 635 dpi (1,600 x 1,270 dpi apparent) for high-volume industrial printers that want to enter new markets for indoor and outdoor applications.

The HP Scitex XP2100 Printer, formerly the NUR Expedio 3200, combines the speed and versatility of a UV roll-to-roll printer with an optional easy-to-use flatbed module. Ideal for 3.2 m applications, it features an integrated inflatable collector and feeder, as well as an optional multi-roll printing kit, allowing print service providers to deliver results more efficiently. The HP Scitex XP2100 Printer produces both indoor and outdoor applications at productive print speeds of up to 120 m2/hr.

The HP Scitex FB6100 Printer, formerly the NUR Tempo Q, is a high-volume flatbed industrial printer designed
for industrial environments and providing 24x7 reliability backed by HP support. The device is equipped with one of the largest flatbed imaging areas (3.2 x 2 m /10.5 x 6.5 ft) available and can easily convert from flatbed to a roll-fed printer.

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