The new HP Latex R530 press. | Credit: HP
At it’s Amplify event, HP announced several new innovations for the wide-format space, including the new HP Latex R530 press and the HP PrintOS Production Hub. I had a chance to sit down with Oscar Vidal, the company’s global director, Product Portfolio and Strategy for Large Format, to chat about the technologies and what they mean for the future of wide-format printing.
“We’re very, very excited,” Vidal says. “This is one of the largest product launches we’ve done in this market for years.”
So, what sets it apart?
The HP Latex R530 press is interesting in that it is capable of handling both rigid and flexible printing in the same device — but don’t call it a “hybrid” press. Vidal notes that hybrid implies it is really either a flatbed or a roll-to-roll first, just capable of also doing the other when needed. This new press, he stresses, is a new category of wide-format press.
There are a few things that Vidal points out as making the new press stand apart from traditional hybrids. First up is the time to switch — he says it can easily swap between rigid and flexible in just three minutes, making it ideal for small to medium sized shops where space and speed are both concerns when it comes to growing their wide-format business.
“When we show this concept to our customers, they're blown away,” he notes. “I can't switch from roll-to-rigid in the time that my espresso machine prepares a coffee.”
The new HP Latex R530 press. | Credit: HP
Second, it is designed to be up and running fast, with Vidal noting that in less than 24 hours, they can have operators not just up and running, but “proficient in the use of the machine, which is never seen in a hybrid concept,” Vidal says.
He continues, “We believe we can disrupt the space by enabling [printers.] If you’re coming from roll-to-roll and you’ve thought about going rigid, or you’re starting your journey with rigid and [want the flexibility] we believe this is the right place to start.”
He also notes that they aren’t sacrificing any quality in either rigid or flexible configurations. The printer ships with white ink already included, and Vidal notes that the latex inks will look great whether they are on a vinyl, canvas, aluminum, boards, or whatever else a shop might want to run through the press. “You can put anything you can think of through the same device,” he stresses. “You can tap into new markets, tap into new applications you weren’t able to do before. The versatility concept resonates really well.”
Finally: the sustainability aspect, which Vidal is also excited about. The latex inks are water-based, which is already a more sustainable ink option than even eco-solvent based inks, but the company also launched a new Sustainability Amplifier program for wide-format printers at Amplify, which Vidal notes isn’t an official certification program, but it is designed to help shops use sustainability to their advantage, as well as help them in the journey to get certified through various programs.
“We can’t certify like the ISO — we’re obviously not a regulatory body,” he notes. “But we can help customers on that journey. We say these are the things you need to check. These are the things you need to do to position your company. These are the documents you may be asked to deliver. We call this the assessment process, where you assess how good you are, and how you can market the fact that you’re sustainable in a different way.”
Beyond the new press, the other interesting news out of Amplify that Vidal touched on is the new HP PrintOS Production Hub, which he notes was designed for the latex systems. While it does share some architecture with the rest of the HP production and industrial print lines, the Production Hub is purpose built for the wide-format products, taking a more job-centric approach to managing the shop that many wide-format printers require.
“A very large Indigo customer operates very differently than a shop that potentially may buy a large-format device. We don't want to create one-size-fits-all that nobody's happy,” he says.
Instead, he notes that Production Hub was designed again with the small- to mid-sized wide-format printer in mind, with a goal of helping them better track jobs as they move around the production floor.
“One of the pain points [customers] keep telling us and is that they have technology to print or even to process images, but they run the company with a pen and paper,” Vidal says. “They got the order for Mr. John that needs to be delivered at 10, and they are running around the shop with a piece of paper asking the operators ‘Is this being finished?’
HP's new Production Hub for PrintOS. | Credit: HP
“Now we did a lot of research and studies and found this is a big problem to be solved — and when there is a problem to be solved, there is an opportunity to bring value,” Vidal continues. “Production Hub is going to incorporate on top of our existing PrintOS software — which today is very much printer centric — and we wanted to become the top printer setting layer, make it job centric. Can we help print shops to track their jobs?” He points out that instead of running around with a piece of paper when a job comes in trying to determine who is working on what, a production manager can see at a glance what jobs are in the queue, what stages of production they are in, and who, specifically, is working on them.
“It's a very basic software in an essence, but the good thing is it's all in one platform,” Vidal notes. “Instead of having to use different platforms or a generic project management software, why you don't use a software that is built into PrintOS and just one click away you can see if your printer is up, and if the queue is being [printed in the order you wanted.] And this is just the beginning.”
All in all, the new innovations HP is bringing to the wide-format space are exciting. They are looking for ways to streamline wide-format production and bring the same modern tools other printers use to manage jobs and workflows to the often complicated wide-format space, where most, if not all, jobs are one-offs requiring a much different method of production. They view both the new press and Production Hub as new platforms they can build on and improve over time, bringing more value and innovation to the wide-format space.
And while it’s not until October 22-24, make sure to start planning now to visit the HP booth (4249) at PRINTING Untied Expo in Orlando this year to see the new press in action and get a demo of the new Production Hub to get a better idea of how it could help modernize your wide-format operation.
Commentary: A Closer Look at HP’s New Wide-format Presses
The new HP Latex R530 press. | Credit: HP
At it’s Amplify event, HP announced several new innovations for the wide-format space, including the new HP Latex R530 press and the HP PrintOS Production Hub. I had a chance to sit down with Oscar Vidal, the company’s global director, Product Portfolio and Strategy for Large Format, to chat about the technologies and what they mean for the future of wide-format printing.
“We’re very, very excited,” Vidal says. “This is one of the largest product launches we’ve done in this market for years.”
So, what sets it apart?
The HP Latex R530 press is interesting in that it is capable of handling both rigid and flexible printing in the same device — but don’t call it a “hybrid” press. Vidal notes that hybrid implies it is really either a flatbed or a roll-to-roll first, just capable of also doing the other when needed. This new press, he stresses, is a new category of wide-format press.
There are a few things that Vidal points out as making the new press stand apart from traditional hybrids. First up is the time to switch — he says it can easily swap between rigid and flexible in just three minutes, making it ideal for small to medium sized shops where space and speed are both concerns when it comes to growing their wide-format business.
“When we show this concept to our customers, they're blown away,” he notes. “I can't switch from roll-to-rigid in the time that my espresso machine prepares a coffee.”
The new HP Latex R530 press. | Credit: HP
Second, it is designed to be up and running fast, with Vidal noting that in less than 24 hours, they can have operators not just up and running, but “proficient in the use of the machine, which is never seen in a hybrid concept,” Vidal says.
He continues, “We believe we can disrupt the space by enabling [printers.] If you’re coming from roll-to-roll and you’ve thought about going rigid, or you’re starting your journey with rigid and [want the flexibility] we believe this is the right place to start.”
He also notes that they aren’t sacrificing any quality in either rigid or flexible configurations. The printer ships with white ink already included, and Vidal notes that the latex inks will look great whether they are on a vinyl, canvas, aluminum, boards, or whatever else a shop might want to run through the press. “You can put anything you can think of through the same device,” he stresses. “You can tap into new markets, tap into new applications you weren’t able to do before. The versatility concept resonates really well.”
Finally: the sustainability aspect, which Vidal is also excited about. The latex inks are water-based, which is already a more sustainable ink option than even eco-solvent based inks, but the company also launched a new Sustainability Amplifier program for wide-format printers at Amplify, which Vidal notes isn’t an official certification program, but it is designed to help shops use sustainability to their advantage, as well as help them in the journey to get certified through various programs.
“We can’t certify like the ISO — we’re obviously not a regulatory body,” he notes. “But we can help customers on that journey. We say these are the things you need to check. These are the things you need to do to position your company. These are the documents you may be asked to deliver. We call this the assessment process, where you assess how good you are, and how you can market the fact that you’re sustainable in a different way.”
Beyond the new press, the other interesting news out of Amplify that Vidal touched on is the new HP PrintOS Production Hub, which he notes was designed for the latex systems. While it does share some architecture with the rest of the HP production and industrial print lines, the Production Hub is purpose built for the wide-format products, taking a more job-centric approach to managing the shop that many wide-format printers require.
“A very large Indigo customer operates very differently than a shop that potentially may buy a large-format device. We don't want to create one-size-fits-all that nobody's happy,” he says.
Instead, he notes that Production Hub was designed again with the small- to mid-sized wide-format printer in mind, with a goal of helping them better track jobs as they move around the production floor.
“One of the pain points [customers] keep telling us and is that they have technology to print or even to process images, but they run the company with a pen and paper,” Vidal says. “They got the order for Mr. John that needs to be delivered at 10, and they are running around the shop with a piece of paper asking the operators ‘Is this being finished?’
HP's new Production Hub for PrintOS. | Credit: HP
“Now we did a lot of research and studies and found this is a big problem to be solved — and when there is a problem to be solved, there is an opportunity to bring value,” Vidal continues. “Production Hub is going to incorporate on top of our existing PrintOS software — which today is very much printer centric — and we wanted to become the top printer setting layer, make it job centric. Can we help print shops to track their jobs?” He points out that instead of running around with a piece of paper when a job comes in trying to determine who is working on what, a production manager can see at a glance what jobs are in the queue, what stages of production they are in, and who, specifically, is working on them.
“It's a very basic software in an essence, but the good thing is it's all in one platform,” Vidal notes. “Instead of having to use different platforms or a generic project management software, why you don't use a software that is built into PrintOS and just one click away you can see if your printer is up, and if the queue is being [printed in the order you wanted.] And this is just the beginning.”
All in all, the new innovations HP is bringing to the wide-format space are exciting. They are looking for ways to streamline wide-format production and bring the same modern tools other printers use to manage jobs and workflows to the often complicated wide-format space, where most, if not all, jobs are one-offs requiring a much different method of production. They view both the new press and Production Hub as new platforms they can build on and improve over time, bringing more value and innovation to the wide-format space.
And while it’s not until October 22-24, make sure to start planning now to visit the HP booth (4249) at PRINTING Untied Expo in Orlando this year to see the new press in action and get a demo of the new Production Hub to get a better idea of how it could help modernize your wide-format operation.
Toni McQuilken is the senior editor for the printing and packaging group.