Accelerating on the HP Indigo curve
The HP Indigo 3000 digital printing press installed this month at Momentum Digital in North Sydney is the latest episode in a development strategy that has made David Minnett (right) into one of the most experienced and savvy digital printing operators in the country.
This is his fourth HP Indigo machine since he first ventured into the market five years ago. During that time he has consistently sought to increase the capabilities of his presses, taking advantage of the developmental curve that is transforming digital printing from those early days.
The latest HP Indigo 3000 replaces a short-lived 2000, which he describes as a “stepping stone machine.” This in turn was an upgrade from a TurboStream, which itself was a replacement for the original Indigo 1000 plus. The driving motive behind this impressive rate of change is Minnett’s commitment to high quality output and ever increasing production capacity.
The end result is that he has accumulated a track record of experience that is perhaps unrivalled in digital printing in Australia. Momentum’s portfolio of products and the breadth of its customer list are more than impressive. They demonstrate that digital printing has moved out of the niche markets of yesteryear into the mainstream of commercial printing.
“The work comes from everywhere, there’s no rhyme or reason for it, but mostly it’s from the upper end of the market and usually with a short delivery time,” said Minnett.
Among the projects he recounts are development project brochures, presentation documents, promotional material, and personalised customer communications – all in full colour, all making use of the unique characteristics of the HP Indigo 3000. This includes the ability to print six colours utilising the Indigo Indichrome software, to match PMS colours in order to reproduce corporate identities accurately. He mentions doing a job for Visa International, sponsor of the Rugby World Cup. Getting the corporate PMS Yellow and Blue of the Visa identity correct was vital to the acceptance of the job to be printed digitally.
“You cannot achieve this level of accuracy with any other digital press. Matching PMS and corporate colours is an important part of any promotional printing,” he said.
Minnett is lucky to have two of the most experienced operators in the country. One of the team, Marc Moroney (pictured) is the key HP Indigo 3000 operator. Marc was for six years with the London-based 1st Byte, the largest Indigo house in the world. His ability to get the best out of the press means that even the most urgent jobs are done without fuss.
They tell of an marketing executive two Fridays ago with a 9am Saturday flight to LA for a presentation who needed nine different four-page colour brochures with 250 copies of each. The files arrived at Momentum on Friday evening and yes, he made it to the flight the next morning.
Variable data printing
If the range of printing is equal to that of a commercial printer, there is one aspect of Momentum’s output that cannot be duplicated by the average short-run print shop. Variable data and personalised print has long been the golden grail of digital printing. It is a developing market and few digital printers have more experience and success in the area than Momentum.
Some of David Minnett’s largest print runs have been personalised, addressing stock traders by name and track record, customers by their buying patterns, and different levels of management within large corporations.
“It’s all about working with data and without boasting I can say that we are now experts in this area,” he said,
And, of course, such printing all comes at a premium – this is not price-driven activity.
The new HP Indigo 3000 is an incremental step upward for Momentum, its benefits including a dual paper feeder that allows cover stock to be used as well as text at the same time, and of course the extra speed. “The real change was the quality difference between the Turbostream and the 2000. That was very noticeable,” said Minnett. At each upgrade stage Momentum conducted a full 360 audit of what else has become available in the market and Indigo has won every time – hands down as the choice for quality and productivity.
One of the most notable aspects of the Momentum digital printing operation is the revelation that the press is financial and profitable at a relatively modest capacity level. “If I was operating the press at 50 per cent capacity I’d be spending my time sailing,” laughs Minnett.
If there was ever any question as to whether digital printing has come of age, the answer is seen in the positive experience of Momentum. It is easy to recognise the future of the industry in North Sydney.
Minnett is lucky to have two of the most experienced operators in the country. One of the team, Marc Moroney (pictured) is the key HP Indigo 3000 operator. Marc was for six years with the London-based 1st Byte, the largest Indigo house in the world. His ability to get the best out of the press means that even the most urgent jobs are done without fuss.