2012 DRUPA SHOWCASES NEW HP 10000 COMMERCIAL DIGITAL PRESSES
source: compart.com
Drupa 2012, one of the printing industries biggest tradeshows had a lot of exciting developments in inks and printers, but the dominance of commercial printing by digital machines continued unabated. Andrew Tribute has been involved in the printing industry as an expert and commentator for some 52 years.
ANDREW TRIBUTE PREDICTS FUTURE OF DIGITAL
He was one of the first people to predict the prevalence of digital in commercial printing applications. He thinks that the next Drupa will be the dominant technology: ““Come next Drupa, inkjet quality will be comparable to offset technology. Inkjet is a driving force in the industry, yet printers are only now realizing the power of it,”
Even as paper publications are having some troubles, the printing industry is shifting as new technologies allow printers more leeway on how they build their business. This includes things such as packaging, which inkjet technology has made even easier to print. This has made more traditional ‘ink on paper’ printers take notice, and they are now getting into areas which had been denied them before.
One of the new workhorses of the digital print wave is the new HP Indigo 10000. HP says that this B2 machine will provide the same print quality as traditional offset machines, and unlike most home printer ink cartridges will print up to seven colors.
Find HP ink cartridges here
HP 10000 PRINTS AS GOOD AS OFFSET
750 mm is about 29 inches; the HP B2 printer is designed to run standard paper sizes and can accommodate offset pallet feeding and works with conventional finishing equipment. HP is not the only company getting into the commercial digital print copy as prices continue to be squeezed on the consumer market.
Fujifilm, Jadason, Screen and others are all getting into the B2 market. Up to know, digital technology in the commercial market has mostly been used to short run, fast jobs but as the quality continues to grow, digital is expected to make huge inroads into the market in the next two to three years.
HP and Screen have already logged sales and trials of the new machines in the UK, and that is expected to spread quickly as well. The front end of the machine is also going through changes, such as HP’s 10000, which automates several systems, such as the Picture Imaging Plate, and a built in spectrophotometer which will help ensure consistent print technology.
hp 1000
Home printers are in all likelihood going to get more expensive. Technology continues to change quickly, and there is no doubt that the wholesale adoption of inkjet commercial presses will affect and improve the smaller printers that occupy the home. It is already pushing home printers to more color combinations, and many home printers now use 4 or 5 printer ink cartridges instead of the standard three. The move to more colors makes a dramatic improvement on print quality and shows a direct line between advances in commercial and art grade printing and the printer which is sitting next to your computer.
2013 is bound to be an exciting year for the print industry as the increased use of digital will also be opening new markets to commercial printers, as well as handling more traditional jobs such as brochures, posters, landscape and photo books and other products. Digital printing is much more nimble, and is excellent at small run publishing, specialty photo projects and more.
