HP India showcases labels and packaging advancements with HP Indigo WS6800 digital press

HP India, at Label Expo 2016 showcased the HP Indigo WS6800 digital press including the recent labels and packaging advancements; including advanced automated color management tools, new HP Indigo ElectroInks, upgrade packages, software enhancements for mass customization amongst others. These new innovations allow more customers to capitalize on the growing digital opportunity in a market which is achieving double digit percent page growth year over year. HP also announced the installation of HP Indigo WS6800 digital press at Skanem Interlabels India, at their Mumbai facility.

Sharing some of the success stories of key Indian brands who have innovated in labels and packaging with HP’s Indigo technology A. Appadurai, Country Manager, Indigo and Inkjet Web Press, Graphics Solutions Business, HP Inc. India said, “The consumer market is changing rapidly with proliferation of products, which leads to shorter and shorter run lengths.  A research report from POPAI indicates that 76 % of retail purchases are made at the store. This brings a battle of brands to the shelf of a super market. The packaging of the product should enable the brand to stand out of the shelf. Packaging decoration and functionality can be tremendously improved by digital packaging. On demand packaging is turning out to be a great savior for brands that needs faster time to market and to differentiate from the growing competition. These three factors are the basic reasons for the huge increase in the demand of digital printing.  We are seeing the digital printed labels and packaging growing at a very high pace and our customer base in India is executing more and more innovative projects.

On Day 2 of the Label Expo 2016, HP announced the installation of the HP Indigo WS6800 digital press at Skanem Interlabels India – one of India’s leading labels and packaging converters; at its Mumbai facility.  Skanem Interlabels India is a repeat customer of HP and installed the first HP Indigo press – HP Indigo WS4500 digital press in 2011. To address the mounting pressure and the need to meet the growing volume, Skanem Interlabels India decided to install HP Indigo WS6800 digital press – HP’s flagship solution for labels and packaging applications, further strengthening their trust and partnership on HP Indigo digital printing technology.

Sharing his thoughts on the installation Mr. H. Venkataraman, Managing Director, Skanem Interlabels India said, “Skanem Interlabels has been the pioneer in adopting the HP Indigo technology for producing self-adhesive labels and building a successful business model around the Indigo technology. The HP Indigo WS6800 digital press boosts our capacity and at the same time improves efficiency with inline priming and spectrophotometer. We believe that the HP Indigo WS6800 digital press will enable us to offer a tremendous brand development opportunity for our customers while also helping us increase the production capacity to cater to a larger set of customers. We would also like to thank HP for the support provided to us throughout this journey, working as a close partner to make our business successful. This is one of the key reasons for us to repose our faith in HP.”

In booth M25, Hall No. – 5, HP Inc. is demonstrating its vast labels and packaging portfolio innovations that are empowering converters to redefine labels and packaging standards and offer brands more value. The HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Press – ideal for label and packaging converters; will be running on the show floor all the four days of the Label Expo 2016.

Other highlights of the HP booth

• At its booth, HP will showcase a rich application gallery showcasing the latest labels and packaging applications including samples of HP SmartStream Mosaic, HP Indigo ElectroInk Fluorescent Pink and HP Indigo ElectroInk Premium White amongst others. The booth also has dedicated areas for showcasing some of the best-in-class labels and packaging applications developed by key HP Indigo customers including Skanem Interlabels, Hora Arts and Pragati Pack.

• ‘Color challenge’ – Visitors at HP booth can also have a first-hand experience to the color management capability of HP Indigo WS6800 digital press. Visitors just need to choose a PANTONE shade card and the technicians will calibrate the press to reproduce the color, matching very close to the PANTONE shades.

• Engagement with brand owners and marketers – Showcasing the limitless possibilities with digital printing and new innovations in labels and packaging, HP is engaging with brand owners and marketers between 4 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. every day at its booth. Brand owners and marketers across verticals including FMCG, pharma, retail, food and beverage, health and beauty and print service providers can understand the possibilities for digital printing.

HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Press

The HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Press is the market-leading narrow-web printing solution ideal for label and packaging converters who seek faster turnaround times through automated color management, higher productivity with a wider frame and an expanded application range with new ink capabilities.

• Delivering the industry’s highest crossover point in narrow-web production versus analog for the vast majority of pressure-sensitive label jobs, the press supports the rapid increase in volume of digitally produced labels, sleeves and flexible packaging.

• The HP Indigo WS6800 helps customers reach new levels of productivity and reduce time spent preparing color profiles and PANTONE^® color matching very close to the PANTONE shade with a new in-line spectrophotometer. Using closed-loop control, the spectrophotometer eliminates the need for manual color calibrations and adjustments.

• Providing improved efficiency in the converting of shrink sleeves, high-slip HP Indigo ElectroInk White reduces production steps with single pass sleeve production. HP Indigo ElectroInk Silver gives labels a metallic look similar to UV flexo silver inks and can be used as a spot or base color on a range of label applications, including paint, automotive, household chemicals, nutraceuticals and soft drinks.

• The HP Indigo WS6800 supports the HP SmartStream Labels and Packaging Workflow Suite 4.1, powered by Esko. This workflow suite provides consistent repeat job control and advanced decision-making tools to help select suitable jobs for EPM.

• Recent advances to the HP Indigo WS6800 digital press platform have included the addition of HP Indigo ElectroInk Fluorescent Pink and HP Indigo ElectroInk Premium White.