HP’s established latex roll-fed machines like this Latex 3000 will soon be complemented by a “true hybrid” flatbed model
Last week at the ISA event in the US, HP revealed it will be bringing its latex wide-format print to rigid media, including a new white ink, with the first of a new series of machines to be unveiled at Fespa in Berlin in May.
General manager of HP’s large format graphics business Joan Pérez Pericot highlighted the need for both vendors and users of wide-format printers to differentiate their offerings.
Reiterating the benefits of latex technology, principally odour-free prints from water-based inks, “vibrant colours” and the ability to preserve the natural texture of substrates that UV “paints over”, Mr Pérez Pericot said that users had been requesting that HP extends its range to address rigid media so that they could use the same technology on both that and flexible substrates. This will allow them to image a wide range of applications from retail and outdoor signage to window and event graphics, indoor decoration and vehicle wraps all with latex print.
To coincide with the new technology, HP is introducing a new white ink that Mr Pérez Pericot says overcomes the yellowing tendency of UV-cured alternatives and will remain glossy, while offering durability and scratch resistance without lamination.
