HP announces new PageWide presses at Fespa

HP has announced two new six-colour PageWide ultra-high-volume inkjet web presses for pre-print corrugated packaging and is presenting print samples for the first time in its Corrugated Experience Centre at Fespa.

The successors to the current PageWide T1100S press, the 2.8m Thermal Inkjet technology PageWide T1190 and PageWide T1170 are said to offer 67% more throughput productivity, with the T1190 delivering up to 305 linear metres per minute in six colours at full press speed.

The T1170 prints 183m/min (linear) in six colours, compared with four-colour printing at the same speed on the T1100S.

The addition of six-colour printing (CMYK plus orange and violet) also expands the colour gamut for matching colours, HP said.

Each of the new presses is suitable for both coated and uncoated media, from 80 to 350gsm. The machines use HP A30 true water-based inks, which contain no UV-reactive chemistries.

The T1100S is now being phased out and existing presses in the field can be upgraded to add the new features.

HP PageWide Industrial Division worldwide director of marketing and business development David Murphy said: “Customers [that have been using the T1100S] are doing everything from fast-moving consumer goods to electronics and food products, because they have utilised true water-based inks which allows these boxes to be used for primary and secondary corrugated food packaging.

“We are seeing brands adopt this technology for shorter runs, versioning, seasonalisation, localisation, faster time to market, special events and promotions, and general flexibility.”

HP said its Multi-lane Print Architecture (MLPA) further boosts productivity by splitting the web into multiple print lanes, meaning different jobs with different box sizes and run lengths can be printed in the individual lanes. Multiple ultra-short or short runs can be queued and printed together while a long run is printed in another lane.

HP's Corrugated Experience Centre can be found at booth 5.2-C38 at Messe Berlin until the end of today (18 May).

At its main Fespa stand, 3.2-C20, HP has debuted new printers for both its Latex and DesignJet families.