Current Images HP technology dominates digital print awards

In a ringing endorsement of the Indigo electro ink imaging process, gold, silver and bronze awards are all won by HP machines.


The gold medal for electrographic digital printing was won by Imatec Solutions for its stunning production of a Cullen Wines account of its 32-year history (pictured). The publication broke new ground in the design and production of digital printing. The book, which has a plain embossed cover, was designed and laid out by Marco Dabala, with Imatec doing the scans and the printing.

According to Mike Hay, director of Imatec in Westerns Australia, the production run of 150 copies was a normal job fro the company’s Platinum. It was not prepared with any extraordinary care for entry in the print awards and it was only at the client’s instigation that he entered it into the WA Picas where it won gold. This automatically brought it to the national level.

“It was a pretty easy job, run of the mill really. The client liked the result and suggested I enter it in the awards,” he said. “We don’t have any difficulty with the press, the operators do a very good job keeping it running.”

This ease of use and high quality of the Imatec Platinum is one of the reasons why Hay is considering upgrading to a HP 3000 later this year.

“It’s been a very busy machine since we put it in, with very few problems. It’s the increase in speed we’re looking for; soxmetimes we could do with two machines. We’re very happy with it,” he said.

The silver and one of the bronze medals in the digital electrophotographic section were also won with a HP Indigo machine, this time from Momentum Digital in North Sydney. The silver medal went to a personalised mailer for ING, while the bronze was won by an Estee Lauder marketing piece. (A second bronze award went to Pongrass Digital for a piece for client Oil Search; the text was printed on its NexPress, cover by offset).


According to Phillip Rennell, general manager Current Images (pictured), the digital division of the Currie Group, the clean sweep at the Print Awards is indicative of the superiority of the HP electro ink technology. “When you look around there is really very little competition out there,” he said. “Most of the Xeikon machines have gone back, the NexPress is still to prove itself, and there are no iGen3s in the market.

“We’ve almost 50 machines installed in Australia and New Zealand, with many customers, such as Imatec and Momentum, upgrading to their second and third generation presses. HP Indigo digital technology is the industry’s choice when it comes to reliable and profitable digital printing,” said Rennell.