HP hopes its new slate of latex and inkjet wide format printers will accelerate the switch to digital for small and medium printers increasingly interested in short run work but unable to afford the price tag.

The company says the new trio of low-volume 300 series latex printers will slash turnaround times in half, and its HP Designjet Z6600 and Z6800 inkjet printers will boost print speeds by up to 50 per cent.

The new printers are priced between $18,500 and $34,500.

Launching the new printer range in Sydney yesterday, HP South Pacific sign and display application specialist Jeremy Brew says the company wants its latex machines to become the new standard in flexible signage and get printers off eco-solvent models onto cleaner, more efficient latex technology.

“Latex gives printers huge flexibility as it can print on any media unlike solvent-based models – it has nearly unlimited applications,” he says.

“It’s dry and ready to go as it comes off the printer and is easy to use for even the smallest print shop with a simple operation design and automated daily maintenance. There is no easier to use printer of its type on the market.”

Brew says latex is a high growth area for HP, with the company expecting 50 per cent of its low-volume sales to be latex by 2018. HP claims a 60 per cent market share in the 3 metre category, 30 per cent of which are first-time latex users.

“Most of the growth is coming from printers switching from eco-solvent to latex,” he says.

HP Asia Pacific and Japan sign and display director and general manager Jeff de Kleijn says: “Small to medium printing companies face the challenge of simultaneously addressing more applications to reach more customers while reducing costs and fitting in smaller spaces.”

Brew says the low price tag and small size of the machines makes them viable for small and medium printers that are considering digital but lack the floor space or funds for new investment.

“Lots of small sign shops are looking at digital and can now make the switch for less and have the flexibility of latex,” he says.

“Marketers want more short run, print on demand jobs and that’s what’s driving the move to digital.”

He says the bigger $450,000 HP Latex 3000 launched last year was selling well as the top end of the market was also looking to digital instead of big offset production.

Brew says the new models will supersede the 200 series which besides the 280 and 850 will no longer be manufactured, but would not comment on whether printers to replace these are in the works.

He says the 300 series comes with a new optimiser design, always prints in 1200dpi, is available in a print and cutter bundle and uses newly-formulation water-based ink that is eco-friendly, scratch resistant and has user-replaceable heads.

Total consumable cost, including the average expected life of printheads, comes to around $260 a litre, whereas the printhead alone on a solvent printer can cost more than $1500.

HP South Pacific Designjets production manager Craig Hardman says the HP Designjet Z6600 and Z6800 are the world’s fastest 60 inch graphics production printers.

He says the Z6600 uses 30 per cent less link than previous models and the Z6800 has advanced colour management features, including an embedded spectrophotometer, as well as HP Chromatic Red ink for a wider colour gamut and uniform gloss.

The new machines are HP’s first 60 inch models in this series and Hardman says their creation was in response to customer demand.

“We are expanding our offering to grow the market into new sizes and applications. More models gives customers more choice to suit their needs,” he says.

“We want a broad range of solutions to deliver the highest production capability.”

He says HP is so confident in the longevity and reliability of the Z6600 and Z6800 that they will have three-year warranties instead of the usual one year.

The printers feature new stand anti-sway bars and built-in take-up reels, print up to 140 sqm an hour in fast mode and 20 sqm an hour in high-quality mode, can print unattended 24/7, and prints colour that will last 200 years.

Hardman says another key feature is easy user changeability – operators can change consumables and heads themselves and can tell the printer to work without certain features if they stop working.

The HP Latex 360 will cost $34,344, with the 330 coming in at $27,721 and the 310 at $18,480. The HP Designjet Z6800 costs $28,050 and the Z6600 $22,550. All the new models will be on show at the digital-focused Fespa expo next month.

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