VISUAL IMPACT: HP

The new HP 630 W print and cut system with white was front and centre of the HP stand, in its first public showing in Australia, with the company describing it as a turnkey solution.

Jeremy Brew, HP, said, “The white option means you can print on any of the myriad new coloured, metallic clear media now coming through and get the same pop as if you were printing on a white media.

“Or you can use it as a spot colour, or as an overflood if you're going to put it on the inside of a window. It's a way to create something completely different.”

All the printers on the stand, and in fact HP’s entire portfolio, are now latex print, the environmentally-friendly water-based material. Brew said, “Latex inks are a water based pigmented ink that cured to produce a durable print. When the print comes out the front of the printer, it's dry, there's no outgassing. You can apply it straight away. You can cut it straight away, you can laminate it straight away. And you get to do that without any of the smells or potentially harmful effects of chemicals that we've seen in some other inks.”

He said, "The beauty of water based inks is that they are exceptionally safe, and you're not having to aggressively clean printheads every day. And, they're completely odourless. So it's these are things that operators really appreciate about running these printers every day.”

Brew said the HP 630 printer series is designed for smaller sign makers or businesses adding a wide-format printer for the first time, including franchise stores. He also said the durability of the latex prints is a key factor, with an ability to resist wear and tear.

HP also had its latex 800 W printer on the stand, a bigger version of the 630 and designed for longer production runs, and more unattended printing. It uses the same ink technology, and the same printhead technology, which HP now uses across its entire latex portfolio, which is now in its fourth generation since its initial launch in 2008.

Brew said the market for display print is continuing to grow in ANZ, he said, “If you look at the applications we've got on display here, we've got decoration prints, we've got wall coverings, you know, we've got stickers, we've got labels, posters, point of sale, large format is much more than just signage. And what we're seeing is all of those adjacent markets are growing as well. We're seeing customers buying printers, to just do labels, we're seeing customers buy printers to just do wallpaper or just do window frosting and things like that. We're seeing still solid price pricing in the signage market, but all of those adjacencies are growing as well. I think Australia is a market where customers want to be able to fulfil a myriad of applications.

“One of the messages we like to give customers is, let's say you've had a latex printer for a year or two, and using the same equipment you've got you can already enter into a lot of these adjacent markets. The learning curve isn't actually that steep. Because if you think a lot of those applications like wall coverings, it's really just like printing a series of banners. The skill comes in the application techniques because it's different applying say wallpaper than it is applying vinyl. So, in fact, it's more around the finished application rather than the preparation of the files and the printing of the files. It doesn't really require any more of a skill level.”

Brew says HP provides assistance and insight into that, in part through its HP Print OS software suite. And you know within printout OS, which is available from your mobile phone or from your web browser on your computer, to anywhere you've got an internet connection. Brew said, “All of our customers have access to a tool called HP learn. And in that learn software, we've got videos, we've got our self-paced training courses, we have webinars that will enable customers to learn how to produce a particular application, or how to get the most out of their job, or how to enter into a new market that they might consider.

“We're always focusing on that constant education. And now you know the newest training that we're doing. We're doing much more in three to five minute videos which we know are easier for people to digest. I can pull my phone out, I can watch that five minute video. And then I know where to start to produce that application.

“That’s the advantage of great graphics experience centres that we have in Asia, in the US in Europe, and we've got a lot of expertise there, that ANZ customers can access.

“And also our customer base worldwide. We're constantly learning from our customers. They're giving us ideas, they give him feedback on training, they'd like to see content they'd like to see created, and we've got a full-time team of content developers that are creating that training and putting it onto that platform. It helps to have a big network of customers, and a big network of HP staff that can be constantly creating inspirational and practical content.”