Over 200 HP Indigo digital printing engines throughout Australia smashed through another record in October racking up a total output of over 123 million A3 impressions.
The new benchmark comes as the emphasis of digital printing work continues to shift from variable data and personalised printing to straightforward offset transfer. More and more traditional printing jobs are moving across to digital.
The record month follows a powerhouse year of HP Indigo installations for the Currie Group both in Australia and New Zealand where there are currently over 40 machines in service.
The shift in demand is set to increase with the arrival of the new generation HP Indigo 10000, the B2-size presses. This year the first went in to Bambra Press after PacPrint with more orders in the pipeline. The grunt of the new larger size press will tip the printing equation even more in digital’s favour.
According to David Currie, the rate of offset transfer is only going to increase as printers face the difficulty in sourcing skilled offset printers. “When you see Brunswick closing down and all that equipment disappearing from training you have to ask, how you’re going to provide a four-year apprenticeship? On the other hand, a two-week course for a smart young person gets them a certificate to operate a digital press,” he said.
“Of course there are good digital operators and bad ones but the relevance is in the technology now. A good smart young operator can be up and running in a very short space of time.”
Currie makes the point that the increase in impressions is not all due to the increase in the number of new HP Indigo being installed. Many established digital printers are experiencing solid growth in the numbers of impressions going through the machines. "The offset transfer will only continue as digital engines become faster and bigger.