HP has renamed its T series high speed inkjet web press as the HP PageWide press. It marks both the inclusion of the new High Definition Nozzle Architecture print head and a step towards the division of HP into separate companies.
The company has added two flagship 106cm-wide presses to the portfolio, the PageWide web press T480 HD and T470 HD. The first T480 HD is heading to Rotomail in Italy. The difference between the two models lies in maximum speed. The T470 HD runs at a maximum of 180m/min, the T480 HD runs at 240m/min.
Both use the HDNA print head which intersperses a series of half-diameter nozzles between the two rows of nozzles on current print heads. This gives HP greater opportunity to vary droplet sizes and achieve smoother printing without artefacts and a greater colour gamut.
The head was introduced earlier this year with examples show at the Hunkeler Innovation Days in February even though the head was then a year from commercial release. It showed that HP was part of the wave of ‘commercial quality’ inkjet presses led by Ricoh/Screen and Canon. High quality mode is enabled only at 120m/min.
The HDNA head will be available for current T series press customers as part of an upgrade path. The press will now be compatible with an extended range of finishing lines adding Manroland Web Systems,and ColourGate Digital Output Solutions as well as Muller Martini, Hunkeler and Magnum. Contiweb is supplying a splicer.
The announcements were made last night at a press conference during the GraphExpo show in Chicago. At the event HP announced the availability of an enhanced on press colour management package for the Indigo 7800. The idea is to ensure colour consistency across machines, across sites, across substrates and across time on the same jobs. This also includes Optimizer a tool to help improve efficiency in production planning.
This has been trialled at Proco where managing director Jon Bailey says: “At Proco, the number of jobs is constantly increasing, but the runs are getting shorter, and it is critical that we manage production correctly as the process becomes more complex.
“The Optimizer on the HP Indigo 7800 digital press is already proving to be a game changer in our production flow and business growth.
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