Digital wallcovering solutions from HP and
partners for high value interior décor market.
An example of the HP Wallcovering in a hotel lobbyHP has announced a new HP digital printing solution for wallcoverings in an effort to help print service providers (PSPs) and wallcovering manufacturers capture more of the growing custom décor market. The company displayed its solution at Heimtextil 2013, Jan. 9-12th which consisted of a modular range of design software, media, printing and finishing options.
Components include:
- he HP WallArt Solution, a cloud-based web service that simplifies the design, visualization and production of customized wallcoverings;
- Solutions from new partner AVA, including design software and the AVA raster image processor (RIP) for file preparation as well as ripping with enhanced colour management;
A wide range of compatible wall decoration media from HP and partners, including coated and uncoated, non-woven, vinyl, paper and PVC-free substrates;- The HP Designjet L26500 and L28500 Printer series for printing proofs or short runs directly to production media;
- High-volume, on-demand wallcovering production with the HP Scitex LX600 and LX850 Industrial Printers, which provide environmental certifications such as the GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification Programme;
- Automatic, accurate panel cutting from partner Fotoba International.
"In the commercial, retail and residential markets, demand for unique décor is rapidly growing as both consumers and designers seek new ways to reflect their individual tastes, values and experiences in their homes as well as businesses," said Xavier Garcia, vice president and general manager, Sign and Display, HP. "The new digital printing solution from HP and our industry-leading partners helps PSPs and wallcovering manufacturers deliver this unique differentiation, bringing customers' creativity to life."
For customers interested in growing their wallcovering business, the HP WallArt Solution is being billed as an intuitive and easy-to-use design tool that allows PSPs or wallcovering manufacturers to design themselves or work with customers through the cloud to produce customized wallcoverings. The solution has been engineered to enable a designer to enter precise room dimensions and easily work around windows and doors, giving them more time to spend creating with an automated measurement process.
HP added that customers can also render realistic visualizations of wallcoverings using their own content for backgrounds, objects and text with advanced image quality as well as scaling features. It requires no special software or infrastructure support being cloud-based which in theory should allow for fast, convenient client reviews and approvals, keeping all parties involved throughout the process.
New HP partner AVA has delivered computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software to the printed decorative, textile and wallpaper industries for more than 20 years. Its design and file preparation software allows designers to work easily with repeated patterns. The software solutions have been developed to also improve colour management with accurate screen-to-print colour matching, accuracy between layers and the ability to match digital prints to analogue in a hybrid print environment.
HP said the AVA RIP gives customers increased colour control, faster ripping times and a seamless workflow from file preparation to printing. It pointed out that the RIP increases colour saturation and gamut for high-quality wallcoverings as well as helping achieve realistic colours on non-white media. As part of the fully integrated solution, the software also automatically generates cut marks for the Fotoba cutter, simplifying the cutting process.
Once the wallcovering is designed, customers can choose from a wide range of compatible substrates from HP and industry-leading media providers. HP Latex Printing Technologies have been internally tested with more than 25 wall décor media, including embossed, coated and uncoated, non-woven, vinyl, paper and PVC-free wallpaper substrates. Media profiles are available for download from HP at http://www.hp.com/go/mediasolutionslocator.
On the machinery front HP commented that the HP Designjet L26500 and L28500 Printer series allows customers to print proofs or very short runs directly on the production media, eliminating doubts about how the design will appear on the final product. These HP Latex printers are aimed at design studios or small PSPs due to their affordability.
At the other end of the scale for high-volume production of customized wallcoverings, HP offers the HP Scitex LX600 and LX850 Industrial Printers.
HP proofing and production printers with HP Latex Inks come with recognised indoor air quality certifications. The ink prints are GREENGUARD Children & Schools CertifiedSM, meet AgBB criteria and the inks have achieved UL Sustainable Product Certification. These produce odourless prints suitable for residential, healthcare and other sensitive environments as well as help improve the work environment with no requirements for hazard warning labels.
To transform the traditionally complicated process of cutting wallcoverings, HP has partnered with Fotoba International to help PSPs and manufacturers streamline workflow with automatic, accurate panel cutting. The new XLD 170 WP automatic cutting device is designed specifically for wallcovering panels to deliver accurate edge panel cutting on a wide range of media.
The new solution offers horizontal cutting and vertical slitting of multiple panels simultaneously on pieces up to 1.7m (5.57 ft) wide. The XLD 170 WP also works with the automatic cut marks created by a wide variety of RIPs including AVA, Caldera and ONYX.
All components of the HP digital printing solution for wallcoverings are available now from HP, AVA and Fotoba.
A free one-year trial license of the HP WallArt Solution is available now at www.hp.com/go/wallart.
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