HP Shows new Printer technologies
Do you fancy printing 2,600 A4 pages a minute?. HP have just revealed their new Inkjet Web Press machine which will do just that. It will also print up to 30 inches wide. This will never sit on your desktop, but is targeted at replacing printed pages coming from traditional offset presses. A traditional offset press takes hours and it’s not possible to print on demand, you have to create a physical plat with an image etched on it, which is then sent to the printer. With the Inkjet Press platform, hitting the print button sends the image directly to a printer, making high-volume printing more productive by eliminating analogue elements like the plate.
HP is the market leader in the inkjet business and its research is now trickling down into many consumer and enterprise spaces. Following the launch of their ‘Print 2.0′ last year and their commitment to increase the amount of printing actually produced on HP printers this is a logical progression for them to move to. HP estimate that in 2009, 53 Trillion documents will be printed, of which 9 percent will be digital and they want some of that.
How about an ink cartridge that can withstand snow and rain, and will last up to 3 years outside?. I don’t think this will be coming to a Deskjet printer near you in the near future, but HP have just presented their water-based Latex Ink. The ink is specially formulated to embed in a surface and become part of a media print and will be useful for the large-format media used in billboards and outdoor signs.
The Latex Ink includes a specially created formula, called latex polymer, that provides the print surface its durability and colour, according the HP. Water based ink ejected carries the latex polymer and pigment particles to the surface. The inks are 70 percent water and 30 percent additives and other inks. Unlaminated outdoor displays using the ink can last up to three years, while unlaminated in-window displays can last up to five years. The printer cartridge uses recyclable material and the company has developed new recyclable substrates for the ink to make printing environmentally friendly, HP said.
