HP rolls out high-volume digital press for competitive costs per label

27-Mar-2009 - Last updated on 27-Mar-2009 at 08:42 GMT

As digital printing technology moves from niche into mainstream, HP launches the Indigo WS6000, a high-volume digital press to "unlock lean manufacturing benefits" and beat costs for packaged bakery and snack goods.

Rolled out in the same week that the Digital label meeting kicks off in Barcelona, the US firm claims the press has "distinct advantages" over conventional analog printing of labels, shrink sleeves and other packaging materials.

"The high-volume, high-quality digital press helps brand owners make their manufacturing supply chains more cost-effective by significantly reducing time to market and waste from obsolescence," said the Californian-based firm.

In addition, label and packaging converter businesses that "serve brand owners" can reduce make-ready waste while offering enhanced efficiency to their customers by moving production to a "just-in-time environment that diminishes warehousing and inventory needs", added HP.

Digital, that joins flexo, UV flexo, offset and letterpress processes, is an integral part of label and packaging production today for consumer packaged goods that include bakery and snack products.

In terms of cost-savings, Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, Indigo division, HP, claims the press can "unlock lean manufacturing benefits" and offer a "competitive cost per label".

"The new WS6000 model offers a combination of quality, fast turnaround and flexibility that will enable our customers to pursue new revenue opportunities," he added.

Digital details

The HP Indigo WS6000 digital press prints at 98 feet per minute (30 metres per minute) in four-colour mode, and, says the US firm, is compatible with a broad range of media – from thinner flexible packaging substrates, to label and shrink sleeve media, to folding carton material.

The press is designed to be "more cost-effective" than the traditional flexographic printing process used in label and packaging production for jobs up to 13,000 linear feet (4,000 linear metres), a figure that, according to HP, translates as about 80 per cent of label jobs.

Embracing the growing area of digital technology in label converting, billed as "one of the most exciting areas in label converting today", the Digital label summit in Barcelona this week will explore opportunities available, technologies in the marketplace, as well as "investigating applications and discussing case studies", say the organisers Labelexpo.