HP announced the HP Latex R Series, what it calls the first hybrid latex technology that merges the company’s flexible printing capabilities into rigid printing.
The press was announced at ISA Sign Expo in the US, with a full industry debut scheduled for Fespa 2018, taking place in Berlin in May.
Known at the HP Latex R Series, the digital press manufacturer says it brings vibrant colours into the rigid printing world, and pioneers white ink capabilities with the introduction its HP Latex White Ink.
HP says ‘the Latex R series brings unparalleled speed and quality to a wide range of rigid materials, such as foamboards, foam PVC, cardboard, fluted polypropylene, solid plastics, aluminum, wood and glass among others.
The company claims that unlike UV printing technology, which creates a thick layer of ink that completely covers the material, HP’s water-based Latex Inks preserve the look and feel of the media, and delivers odorless prints that are both safe for the environment and the printer operator.
According to HP tackling one of the industry’s most pervasive limitations in printing, HP’s White Latex Ink has an innovative system that recirculates the white to avoid settling. For the first time, HP’s innovative White Latex Ink delivers glossy, high-quality white that does not yellow over time.
Joan Perez Pericot, general manager, HP Large Format Graphics Business says, “With the new HP Latex Rigid Technology, our customers can expand their offering into new, high-value applications while also opening fresh creative ideas and concepts for sign and display that provide their users greater value.”
Thom Brown, chief inkologist, HP says, “White ink has been a consistent problem for the industry. Traditionally it uses bigger and heavier pigment particles that frequently clog printheads, or the opaque mixture becomes separated and settles to the bottom of the ink reservoir. Until now, physically shaking the reservoirs often has been the necessary solution.”
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