Interpack 2011: HP Showcases Packaging Advances in Digital Supermarket

HP, now one of the world's largest information technology brands, was founded in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California, by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. Now the brand has gone from the analog garage to the digital super highway. Case in point: HP’s new Indigo WS6000 Digital Press, which makes large-format printing a simpler proposition than ever before for those involved in packaging and label design.

It was recently featured the Follow Possible Package Printing Forum at Innovative Labeling Solutions, last month in Hamilton, Ohio, above. This week, it's being showcased at Interpack 2011 in Messe Düsseldorf, Germany, where HP has set up a "Digital Supermarket" to showcase the printer's innovative packaging and label capabilities.

Featured on the shelves, a plethora of retail items such as wine, food, pharmaceutical/nutraceutical, health and beauty, industrial and household products, showcasing the range of digital print in creating innovative packaging and marketing.

The "Digital Supermarket" is a showcase for the HP Indigo WS6000 Digital Press, now installed in 200 label and packaging converters in 40 countries, which offers an end-to-end solution when combined with thermal inkjet technologies from HP Specialty Printing Systems.

"Today's brand managers are looking for ways to add value and differentiate their brands," said Alon Bar-Shany, the VP/GM of HP's Indigo division, in a press release.

“HP Indigo digital printing, with print quality as good as or better than flexo, enables brands to be quickly and easily refreshed and labels and packaging adapted quickly for seasonal promotions, special events or even language versions.”

Digital printing adds benefits to packaging and label buyers including: faster response time, shorter supply chains, faster time-to-market and reduction of inventories and waste.

Also making its debut at Interpack: the new Print and Apply L30 Label Dispenser from HSA Systems, a low-cost solution that uses HP TIJ 2.5 technology via its MiniTouch user interface, with black or invisible ink for bitmaps, barcodes, counters, fixed text or dates and times.

"Many of our customers, who have worked with conventional printers in the past, say they notice the cost savings that come with choosing digital print," said Robbert Vugts, managing director, Vila Etiketten, of Breda, Holland.

"Customers no longer need to order 20,000 labels if they only require a few thousand, and they no longer need to keep excess stock. Instead, they can just re-order labels in short-runs at any time and be confident we will deliver a quick turnaround – a crucial requirement for some of our retail customers who need to order labels to promote the latest campaigns at short notice."