HP is developing a cloud based collection of services and will encourage third-party developers to have their application as part of Print OS, much as the Apple Store provides downloadable apps.
HP Inc will host the services in the cloud within Print OS, making it straightforward for printers to download and use applications as required, much as Adobe has led the way with its Creative Suite approach.
Membership of Print OS is automatic for Indigo customers on a maintenance contract, and use of the extended set of applications will either be free of charge for an introductory period, or on average “a three figure sum” per month. There will be no upfront cost as there is with investment in server based software.
Among the first to sign up to use Print OS is UK company ProCo in Sheffield. HP has also announced that UK developed workflow OneFlow will now be distributed exclusively through the cloud service. “It is an open and a secure platform,” says HP Indigo business development director Simon Lewis. “It will allow print service providers to focus on running their business and generate growth and to develop new digital applications.”
HP will provide benchmarking and other comparison services to users to help improve efficiency and to improve service support. “Many processes have remained the same for 20 years. Customers are investing so much in running their operation that they can’t invest as much in running their business,” he says. “We are redefining what customers can expect from print service providers.
“Print OS will be a platform for applications that are developed by HP, and by third parties, and applications that have been developed by our customers.”
HP will publish the APIs needed to integrate with the platform. At first it applies to the Indigo presses, but will roll out to include PageWide, Scitex and Latex wide format presses. It plans to have at least ten hosted applications in place by Drupa. “The first applications we have are designed to get jobs loaded into the print production system. We have Aleyant Pressero and Pageflex Panda developed by outside companies as well as support for Dropbox workflows,” says Lewis.
“OneFlow is providing two applications. One is Print OS Box which simplifies the process of loading jobs that are submitted by email or through an ftp server. This can become part of a web to print portal, and is provided free of charge for the first year.
“The second is SiteFlow which is the order submission application to the prepress workflow. HP Print OS will be the exclusive route to market for this and it will no longer be sold direct. There will be ten apps as part of Print OS by Drupa.” Other apps may be simple views into an aspect of the print operation that is specific to a site or to an operator. Lewis calls these widgets. “We are still working on how we will work with people that want to develop apps from scratch.”
The intention is to support all parts of the HP Graphic Systems Business, once Indigo users are using the platform smoothly. Equally additional services are in the pipeline or under consideration, colour management being one of these.
Simon Lewis, now business development manager at HP Indigo, talked enthusiastically about the potential for Print OS and the impact it will have on print organisations that have not changed fundamentally for 20 years.
