HP launches new digital packaging systems
Ahead of the SuperCorrExpo, HP Inc today launched a new wave of innovation for its HP PageWide corrugated solutions portfolio, which it says will help drive scaled and profitable production of digitally printed packaging applications.
HP says its PageWide corrugated packaging converters continue to lead digital production in the corrugated market with the highest production volume worldwide, recording a growth rate of more than 60 per cent in 2021 compared with 2020.
HP is unveiling the HP PageWide T1195i Press for preprint corrugated printing featuring new printhead technology. HP says the new HP Thermal Inkjet printheads on the 110-inch wide HP PageWide T1195i Press “are designed to deliver more robust and economical production for roll-fed presses, to drive mainstream production and enable converters to move more jobs from flexo preprint and litholam to digital.”
According to HP, the printhead technology incorporates thermal control features to enhance preprint system performance and help reduce operational costs, while delivering consistent high quality at high speeds. Using these printheads, the press features improved paper handling capabilities to support a wider range of liners and applications.
Carles Farre, vice president and general manager, HP PageWide Industrial said: “Supply chains are facing pressures never experienced before, with market trends accelerated by the pandemic requiring converters to deliver faster and flexible packaging solutions. Digital packaging can fundamentally transform the corrugated supply chain for brands in high-volume and mainstream production, especially for e-commerce, food and household products.
“Time-to-market can be reduced from weeks using analogue methods to only days with HP digital, in addition to sustainability advantages of reduced waste, and higher shelf impact with greater design versioning.”
Using HP Thermal Inkjet technology and true water-based inks, HP PageWide serves the corrugated market with both preprint liner and post-print direct-to-board digital presses. The preprint HP PageWide T1195i Press and HP PageWide T470S Press and post-print HP PageWide C500 Press all deliver vibrant graphics, offset-quality and food-compliant applications.
Corrugated packaging inks for the HP PageWide C500 have completed tests and received certification for compostability in home and industrial systems. Din Certco of Germany, a leading global independent certifying body for compostable products, certified the HP PageWide C500 CV150 HP inks with a “mark of conformity” for the composting process, confirming the inks are “additive harmless to the composting process".
HP says compostability certification for HP PageWide C500 allows converters and brands to improve their sustainability profile for corrugated packaging and contribute to a circular economy, in addition to printing on-demand quantities, reducing inventory waste, and lowering overall environmental impact.
The successful testing verifies HP PageWide C500 press prints can be used as packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation in accordance with leading standards, such as EU regulation EN 13432. HP PageWide corrugated inks were also tested and found recyclable by Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) of Germany using standard processes.
HP water-based inks can be used for food and sensitive product packaging and meet leading global food safety and environmental guidelines, such as Nestlé guidance, Swiss Ordinance, and EuPIA. The inks contain no UV-reactive chemistries, requiring no additional barriers for food packaging applications.