For most products reviewed here online or blogged about in the zone, the first question asked of a product is “how much better is it than a similar but older product?” In the case of HP’s Indigo line of Printing presses however, there was no basis for comparison for this writer, and I had to fall back to the most-asked question by befuddled tech-writers and clueless editors alike – what does it do?

                                              Mr. Alon Bar-Shany, VP & GM of HP Indigo Digital Press Division was at hand to update the press of the Indigo line's status.

To be precise, I already had an inkling with the mention of “presses”, conjuring up images of turn-of-the-century wooden blocks dipped in ink and pressed laboriously onto individual sheets of paper. Boy, how far off the mark can I be? I’m glad I’m able to experience products so far away from our usual radar coverage of common commercial products, and see a “hardcore” much more intense than the norm (120 pages per minute baby!), as is presented by the event introducing and refreshing HP’s Indigo model Digital Presses. It just goes to show that HP isn’t just about mini-notes and pre-built desktop systems, the two main types of commercial products covered by HWZ.

                                             Samples of the Indigo's works were presented, outlining the various customized solutions it could produce.

HWM is printed on a traditional but modern printing press (no, not the wooden types mentioned above) that can reach speeds of up to 15,000 copies per hour, utilizing multiple printing units and able to output onto a maximum print format of 700 x 1,020mm. An example of this type of machine is the Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 which depending on configuration can cost upwards of $750,000 used. New unit prices are not worth mentioning here, as they are solidly in the realm of large investment figures and company financing plans. The point here of course is the relative low cost of HP’s Indigo series and other presses similar to it, with a new, late model HP Indigo 3050 costing at or about half the price at $380,000.

Other features that differ from the traditional offset printing presses are the liquid ink (as opposed to lithography), lower overall productivity, and the fully digital setup and interfaces. The new HP Indigo solutions for commercial and industrial print markets such as the new 7000, W7200, and WS6000 digital presses overcome the limitations of analog printing such as  slow turn-around time, rigid (not easily amended) printing process, and poor ecological performance. HP does this by integrating the SmartStream workflow processes into the printing process, easily controlled through the dugutal systems integrated into all Indigo products. SmartStream automates, manages, customizes and optimizes the printing process using the logical workflow method also applied to HP’s business-focused product lines. It is “designed to help customers create digital printing production solutions to meet a broad range of market segments and application needs.” according to HP’s solutions documentation, as well as create a flexible printing solution that can provide the specific and customized solutions depending on the needs of a particular market.

                                             The HP Indigo 7000 digital Press.

With the new Indigo 7000, HP takes all of the inherent advantages of the digital printing process and improves on them, making the product one of the best cost-of-ownership options available on the market. Features such as fast production speeds of 120 (four-color) A-4 sized pages per minute are possible, with a per month cycle of up to 3.5 million four-color pages or 5 million two-color pages per month with true offset and photo quality. HP’s expanded portfolio also includes a refreshing of the vaunted 5500, as well as the announcement of further expansions in the line – such as the W7200 for super high-volume requirements, and the WS6000 for label and packaging needs with a long-run requirement.

                                             The very popular Indigo 5500.

The average PC enthusiast may not be able to fully appreciate the hardware discussed here, but it’s easy to see that HP’s presence in many aspects of technology, including in something as specialized as the high-volume digital printing arena, can help advancement of an industry. The Indigo series may not enjoy the constant updates and heavy media coverage of its consumer counterparts, but its sheer capability and advanced features make it a worthwhile subject in these pages. In other words, it does a very good job of enabling HP to fulfill a need and push for a more advanced, more digital printing and graphic sector locally, which is made easy with the Indigo line’s rich set of features, large installed user base, and super-affordable prices that will make the transition from analog to digital all that much easier.