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News Release from: Hewlett-Packard | Subject: Indigo press 5000, 3250 and 3050
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 15 May 2007
HP Digital Presses Fuel Growth For
On-Demand Books
Lightning Source, the world's largest one-off, demand-based book manufacturer and distributor, is expanding its capacity for colour books on demand and consumer-created photo books.
Lightning Source's HP Indigo presses are the backbone of the firm's colour print-on-demand operation, producing short-run colour books and colour covers for monochrome books, as well as photo books for the firm's new photo speciality operation "Working with more than 4,500 different publishing companies - including the world's most respected book publishers - it is clear that the time for colour in the books-on-demand market is now," said J Kirby Best, president and chief executive officer of Lightning Source
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 13 Mar 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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He addeD: "HP Indigo technology has provided us an exceptional colour manufacturing system that meets, or exceeds, the needs of our publishing partners.
We turn books around in 12 hours or less from order to shipment.
We needed a reliable, exceptional quality colour system and with HP, we have achieved that." The two newest presses, HP Indigo press 5000s, are said to be suitable digital devices for the books-on-demand market, capable of printing one-off books that are virtually indistinguishable from traditional offset manufactured books.
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Lightning Source first became an HP Indigo customer shortly after HP acquired the offset-quality Indigo liquid electro-photographic printing technology in 2001.
In addition to the two HP Indigo press 5000s the firm is currently installing, the company also operates two HP Indigo press 3250s, six HP Indigo press 3050s and a pair of HP Indigo press 1000s.
Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager of the Indigo division of HP, said: "We are pleased to be able to provide the high-quality, reliable systems that will continue to help Lightning Source be the leader in its field.
Productivity-minded investments like the one Lightning Source is undertaking provide real evidence that the HP Indigo press 5000 and w3250 platforms can bring colour to the world of books on demand once and for all." Lightning Source's HP Indigo press installations represent the scaling up of a colour programme that will be matched with previously announced purchases of monochrome digital presses from another manufacturer.
Key components to its book production operations in both colour and monochrome applications include reliability, maximum uptime and productivity, as most books on-demand at the firm are printed, bound and shipped within a few hours of being ordered.
The company said its offset-quality colour books-on-demand are a benefit for publishers.
With the capacity for colour books-on-demand production available on its new HP Indigo presses, the company can increase the number and types of titles that remain in print, expanding the range of choices available to publishers and, ultimately, consumers.
Equally important for Lightning Source's publisher customers is the fact that an expanded range of titles increases profit opportunities.
When titles are published exclusively by traditional methods, they become unprofitable to produce when demand drops below a certain poin, added the company.
Publishers then take titles out of print.
Books on demand, by contrast, can be profitable for publishers in order quantities as small as one, enabling publishers to keep titles available and in print.
In the past, books that incorporate colour, such as art books, fine art photography, children's books and cookbooks, could not be effectively printed on demand, making them susceptible to going out of print.
Lightning Source believes it is reversing that trend with its HP Indigo investments.
The Indigo press 5000 digital printing system is said to be designed for demanding production environments.
Pantone-licensed, it prints in up to seven colours, providing offset quality on a range of substrates and is supported by a range of specialised systems partners.
Lightning Source , a subsidiary of Ingram Industries, provides a suite of demand-driven publishing systems for publishers.
The company said it provides options for the industry in the storage, management and distribution of digital content.
Lightning Source stores books and other information electronically and delivers them on-demand in traditional printed format in response to orders from booksellers, librarians and publishers.
The company added that it has printed over 40 million books for over 4,500 publishers around the world.
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