The first UK user of the HP Latex 800 wide-format printer, Imageco, says the printer has helped it bolster its sustainability credentials and helped win new business as a consequence.
The Leeds-based company prides itself on being ‘green to its core’, but found the technology it used for photographic backlit prints and other applications was environmentally two decades behind the times. A three year quest for a suitable quality replacement eventually led to the HP Latex 800W, introduced in February 2021.
Managing director Nathan Swinson-Bullough recalls, ‘I requested some test prints for the new HP Latex 800W, and we were blown away with the quality. You can’t see a dot, it looks photographic.’
The 800W’s ability to produce backlit film for Imageco’s gaming and retail clients was ‘invaluable’, but the investment also opened up other applications and business opportunities; the fine text with white ink printing option allowed for smaller label work and expanded the company’s interior wallpapers, lightbox fabric and window graphics. The company can also now focus on expanding its interior design offering, helped by the Greenguard Gold certified water-based inks.
Since installing the HP printer, Imageco has won several large contracts thanks to its sustainable offerings, helping its clients reduce their own environmental impact. Mr Swinson-Bullough adds, ‘The list of what we can produce on the HP Latex 800W is almost endless: wall coverings including paste and wall and adhesive-backed, polypropylene vinyl, lightbox fabrics made from recycled bottles, backlit film and clear polyester with white ink; we love to push ourselves and will get as creative as possible with the new machine. [It fits] perfectly with our plans to be as innovative, versatile and sustainable as possible.’
