HP Indigo Launches New Solutions for Label, Packaging Converters

HP Inc. at Labelexpo Europe 2019 will demonstrate new solutions across the HP Indigo digital portfolio of presses, workflow and partner solutions, offering label and packaging converters new ways to grow business with more innovative products and higher efficiency. 

HP Indigo also reported continued adoption of its digital solutions, driven by demand for higher quality packaging, diversified food products, brand protection, shrink sleeves, pouches, embellishments and more sustainable printing.

“HP Indigo labels and packaging production offers a world of profitable applications at the highest quality, helping HP Indigo customers outpace market growth and double print volume every four years,” said Alon Bar-Shany, GM, HP Indigo. “Converters are investing in a digital future with HP Indigo, operating more than 2,000 presses worldwide.”

At Labelexpo Europe Brussels at the HP Stand (5C200), from Sept. 24-27, HP Indigo and Karlville are unveiling a new solution to optimize pouch production for HP Indigo digital printing, allowing immediate time-to-market for short and medium runs.

The HP Indigo Digital Pouch Factory demo makes its debut at the show with the HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press and Karlville Pack Ready lamination and pouch making machines.

The HP Indigo 8000 Digital Press is enabling converters to be more productive by moving medium run length, multi SKU and time-sensitive jobs from flexo to HP Indigo. Visitors to the HP stand can see press printing at up to 80 m (262 ft.) per minute, as well as survey one-shift towers of production printed by Interket of the Netherlands and L’Eperon of France, winners of HP Indigo 8000 Challenge.

Label converters with HP Indigo’s LEP-based technology can print on the industry’s broadest range of substrates and thereby diversify into new applications, including high-value shrink sleeves for the growing craft beverage market.

HP announced the HP Indigo ElectroInk white ink portfolio would expand with HP Indigo ElectroInk Premium White for Sleeves for narrow-web presses. The new high slip white ink can deliver a wider range of opacity levels, in a single print process, and is designed specially to help more efficient shrink sleeve converting.

Visitors to Labelexpo are invited to the HP Stand to watch live printing of shrink sleeves on the HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press and inline coating with the ABG ILC 762, followed by converting on beer cans at the adjacent Karlville stand (8A54).

Digital embellishment advances by HP Indigo and partners offer ways to stand out from the competition.

The HP Indigo GEM integrated with the HP Indigo 6900 Digital Press can produce digital spot and tactile varnishes, digital foils, and a range of other creative effects. The one-pass solution needs only one operator and one digital file per job. In Europe, GEM beta testing in now beginning at All4Labels, Germany.

The GEM is scheduled to begin commercial availability at the end of the year. 

Additionally, in collaboration with Kurz, a leader in thin-film technology, a new inline KURZ DM-JETLINER digital metallization solution with the HP Indigo 6900 makes its Labelexpo debut, demonstrating silver and gold digital foiling.

HP Indigo ElectroInk Silver for HP Indigo 6000 series presses delivers metallic effects in one printing process, today running on more than 300 presses worldwide in applications such as health and beauty, beverage, and household.

Another new ink, HP Indigo ElectroInk Fade Resistant Orange, is now released to complete a seven-color ink set for outdoor label applications requiring high lightfastness.

Brands and leading e-commerce platforms are responding to the growing threat of counterfeiting by implementing print-enabled protection, opening new business opportunities for converters. The HP Indigo 6900 delivers a wide variety of brand protection solutions including inks and software tools. HP Indigo ElectroInk Invisible Yellow and Blue are only visible under UV light, delivering high performance for security applications. 

HP Indigo also announced a collaboration with Agfa NV, expanding its security portfolio to offer unique variable data designs for brand protection and security applications.