HP digital presses improve photo print quality

HP has introduced two digital presses with capabilities that are claimed to improve photographic printing quality and colour consistency.

The new presses are designed for photo finishers, professional photographers, yearbook publishers, print service providers and other graphic arts users said HP.

The HP Indigo WS6000p is claimed to provide professional portrait output quality as a low-cost replacement to silver-halide systems.

Expected to be available in July, the Indigo WS6000p provides HP's liquid electro-photographic printing to the portrait studio market.

Designed to replace silver-halide output systems, the new roll-to-roll press includes in-line lamination for professional portrait output at a claimed low cost.

HP claimed that unlike other digital presses, the system includes light cyan and light magenta inks, offering photo-realistic imaging when added to the standard CMYK ink set.

The enhanced HP Indigo W7200 digital press is said by the company to improve colour management and consistency for high-volume printing of speciality photo products, including photo books.

The launch of the new Indigo W7200 digital press for speciality photographic applications raises the level of quality and productivity for an important market segment, claimed the company.

Speciality photo printing is one of HP's fastest-growing segments for Indigo presses with a claimed 30 per cent year-over-year increase in 2009 for new Indigo press installations and a 47 per cent year-over-year increase in speciality photo page output for the market's annual, holiday-driven peak-production season from October-December.

Designed to meet large photo-speciality firms' production needs, the enhanced W7200 press is claimed to print 240 four-colour letter-size pages per minute at volumes up to 7.5 million pages per month.

It also includes new, linked colour-management utilities on both of its print engines for more accurate, consistent photo prints said HP.

Optional finishing systems for the press allow in-line cutting, offset stacking of book blocks and lamination.

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