To coincide with the SuperCorrExpo event in Florida this week, where the manufacturer is conducting virtual product demonstrations as it has chosen not to have a physical presence, HP has unveiled the PageWide T1195i Press for preprint corrugated printing, the successor to the existing T1190 Press.

The 110-inch (2.79m) wide press features new HP thermal inkjet printheads that are designed to deliver more robust and economical production for roll-fed presses, drive mainstream production, and enable converters to move more jobs from flexo preprint and litho-laminate to digital.

HP said the printhead technology incorporates thermal control features to enhance preprint system performance and help reduce operational costs, while delivering consistent high quality at high speeds.

Using these printheads, the press features improved paper handling capabilities to support a wider range of liners and applications.

In early 2022 US company Georgia-Pacific’s Hummingbird digital printing division will be the first to deploy the PageWide T1195i Press, “as a strategic customer for technology evaluation” according to HP.

The validation period for this technology is expected to be 8-12 months, and commercial availability is expected by the second half of 2023.

HP told Printweek that its T1190 presses, which are available worldwide for purchase now, will be ready for a T1195i upgrade once this technology is commercially available. A T1195i upgrade path will be available for all installed T1100 series presses.

The business did not disclose pricing information but said that, in relation to the market, the T1195i “is the most productive press platform in the HP PageWide Industrial corrugated portfolio and can produce very large volumes of corrugated packaging with extreme efficiency”.

“Supply chains are facing pressures never experienced before, with market trends accelerated by the pandemic requiring converters to deliver faster and flexible packaging solutions,” said HP PageWide Industrial vice president and general manager Carles Farre.

“Digital packaging can fundamentally transform the corrugated supply chain for brands in high-volume and mainstream production, especially for e-commerce, food and household products.

“Time-to-market can be reduced from weeks using analogue methods to only days with HP digital, in addition to sustainability advantages of reduced waste, and higher shelf impact with greater design versioning.”

Additionally, HP revealed that digital corrugated packaging inks for the PageWide C500 Press have completed tests and received certification for compostability in home and industrial systems.

2 Din Certco of Germany, a global independent certifying body for compostable products, certified the PageWide C500 CV150 HP inks with a “mark of conformity” for the composting process, confirming the inks are “additive harmless to the composting process”.

HP said this certification allows converters and brands to improve their sustainability profile for corrugated packaging and contribute to a circular economy, in addition to printing on-demand quantities, reducing inventory waste, and lowering their overall environmental impact.

The successful testing verifies that PageWide C500 Press prints can be used as packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation in accordance with standards such as EU regulation EN 13432. PageWide corrugated inks were also tested and found recyclable by Papiertechnische Stiftung of Germany using standard processes.

The water-based inks can be used for food and sensitive product packaging and meet global food safety and environmental guidelines such as USDA FDA 21 CFR, Nestlé guidance, Swiss Ordinance, and EuPIA. The inks contain no UV-reactive chemistries, requiring no additional barriers for food packaging applications.

Finally, HP said it is also about to release a new set of cloud-based PrintOS applications for PageWide C500 Press owners to improve their overall site efficiency and to optimise the management of their production floor.

The PrintOS Mobile App, PrintOS Print Beat, PrintOS Jobs, and the PrintOS Supplies and Inventory Management App will be available for PageWide C500 customers “in the coming weeks” at the PrintOS.com website.