TORONTO—With a declaration that HP sees huge opportunity in labels and packaging, the company briefed the media last week about developments of its Indigo 20000 and 30000 presses.

Vice president Simon Lewis said that over the last three years label volumes produced on HP presses has doubled, reaching 380 million sq. metres. “We see this as significant as we move to mainstream label production. We complement analog, the shifting is increasing,” said Lewis.


HP Indigo 20000

With the new platforms being added to the label press lineup of the WS4000 and WS6000 model, Lewis said HP now has a portfolio for both shorter and longer runs that enables printers to create different packages with fewer barriers and in a shorter period of time.

Updates

The Indigo 20000, which targets both flexible packaging and the labels market, will be installed in five customer sites by May. Two of those are in North America. The press, said Lewis, has had some upgrades since its Drupa debut, notably a reverse inspection bridge, and a new unit to remove excess imaging oil. It’s also now designed to work in a broad range of applications, including food packaging. Lewis also noted that an internal infrastructure has been put in place that includes sales, service, maintenance and training in strategic countries.

The HP 30000, designed for paperboard packaging, closely mimics the 10000’s infrastructure but handles thicker substrates. Lewis said the press has been with launch customers since 2012 in diverse verticals such as pharma, cosmetics, and media, and is now in the final stages of full integration of inline components. Two of those launch customers are in the U.S. Three more installations are expected by mid-year.