LIVE FROM IPEX briefing in Birmingham UK– Wraps to come off new Indigo

The w3250 is a web-fed press that can print four-colour at speeds of up to 136 pages per minute, and 272 pages per minute when printing two-colour work. The press features in-line printing to accept standard offset media, as well as offering inline and near-line finishing options.

Initially shown in beta form at Print05 earlier this year, the new press is an enhanced version of the previous w3200 model, which was designed for high-volume direct marketing and publishing applications.

Another notable feature of the w3250 is the addition of a priming unit, used for pre-coating substrates to enable printing on a wider variety of materials, particularly lightweight papers. HP is hailing the press as another step towards closing the gap between offset and digital printing.

HP says the theme of its 2000 sq metre stand at Ipex will be to promote the digital transformation of the graphic arts industry, and to demonstrate the ways in traditional and digital print technology are moving closer together. Speaking at the Ipex Inward Mission, Alon Bar-Shany, general manager of the Indigo Division, claims it is no longer a case of ‘one or the other’ for commercial print providers when it comes to offset and digital technology.

“If you are a commercial printer, we want to make it as easy as possible to use both technologies,” says Bar-Shany. “We’re not telling printers they should throw away their offset presses, we’re advising them to add digital to their production capabilities.”

HP points to the establishment of its new Graphics and Imaging Business Unit as further evidence of its commitment to the graphic arts markets. With its $230 million acquisition of Scitex Vision now completed, the company has also entered into an agreement with Seiko I Infotech to develop and market low-solvent based printers.

HP says these agreements will result in an expansion of its product portfolio to cover the production of signs, banners, building wraps and vehicle graphics. Though specific details remain thin on the ground, HP has confirmed that the first of these products are due in early 2006, and scheduled to be shown at IPEX in April.