City & West End News

NEW HP DESIGNJET L25500 LATEX PRINTERS

noreply@blogger.com (Pete Winter) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:51:00 +0000

The Viscom Dusseldorf exhibition (1-3 October) will see the first public showing of the the new HP Designjet L25500 latex printers, you'll see them on the HP stand (Hall 8a, booth G20).

These eagerly awaited printers, available in both 42" (1065mm) and 60" (1525mm) widths, are expected to bring many of the benefits of the larger L65500 latex printer, released at what we fully expect to be a more affordable and broadly accessible pricepoint.

A hugely interesting product, not least because, if priced correctly, it could see significant numbers of existing large format solvent inkjet users making the move over to what is claimed to be a significantly cleaner and greener print process.

Not since the launch of the Designjet 5000 have HP made such a relevant and timely product launch. Many industry-watchers consider the 5000-series as the printer that cemented HPs' position as a force in the wide format print marketplace, more importantly it was arguably the printer that finally saw them wrestle market leadership away from the then dominant Encad Novajet.

In the time since then, HP have made further inroads at the commercial end of the display print market, through acquisition of industry innovators such as NUR and Scitex.

Whilst those acquisitions were at the volume-production end of the market, this new product launch is perhaps the machine that will capture the imagination of the mainstream sign and display print industry, and we'll possibly see HP repeating the successes of the Designjet 5000.

We feel sure that many senior figures at HP will indeed be hoping to see history repeat itself in this manner, as it hasn't all gone their way, particularly in the sign market where their lack of a viable in-house solvent print solution (forget the rebadged Seikos', when compared to the success of their aqueous printers the Seiko relationship bore little fruit), allowed Roland, Mimaki, and to a lesser extent here in the UK, Mutoh, to outsell HP by significant numbers.

The L25500 printers themselves will allow for outdoor and indoor application versatility with print-quality and display permanence comparable to low-solvent printers, whilst reducing the impact of printing on the environment. This allows owners to create an improved printing environment for their employees, whilst targeting the business of environmentally conscious customers.

As said, HP are without doubt dominant in the affordable wide format aqueous printer market, and through acquisition have much to offer at the high end, but they need this affordable latex ink solution to bridge that gap, in so doing HP could then have the all-encompassing and genuinely viable cradle-to-the-grave wide format product portfolio that they need.

If the Designjet L25500 can delivers all that it provisionally promises, can print at production speeds, and the price is attractive enough to make it a viable alternative to the current solvent-based offerings from other manufacturers, then we'd fully expect to see HP picking up a number of important resellers, and maybe, just maybe, they will have a real success on their hands.

GET YOUR HP Z6100 FREE FROM CWES

noreply@blogger.com (Pete Winter) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:49:00 +0000

London-based City & West End Solutions (CWES) have launched a promotion on the HP Designjet Z6100 series that allows potential purchasers to effectively get a free HP large-format printer through the inclusion of a free ink and media bundle that, when printed at current commercial rates, will cover the purchase cost of the Designjet Z6100.

CWES are 'the No.1 HP large-format reseller', qualifying them for the prestigious HP Preferred Partner programme. This is a status reserved for only the best performing HP large format resellers.

"Our promotion is intended to work on two levels," says CWES Managing Director Doug Gilbertson. "We're hoping to generate interest on both the Designjet Z6100 printer and on HP's current range of large-format media. Many users have been successfully running HP large-format printers for years and in that time used a diverse range of third-party media in their printers.

"But the current range of media available from HP is far more price competitive than many users may realise and, because it is naturally matched to the printer and ink, it offers exceptional print quality. It's a viable and cost-effective alternative for the display print professional."

How the deal works: The user buys a Designjet Z6100 printer from CWES, who then provide a selection of HP media and ink free of charge.

Doug continues: "By providing this free ink and media bundle from HP the user can print the provided supplies and, when sold at typical commercial rates, the sales of the printed output will cover the purchase cost of the HP Z6100.

"In most cases you will not only get your new HP Designjet Z6100 free but you will also make an impressive profit on top."

CWES Sales Manager James Lawton adds: "We're aware there's often a degree of cynicism associated with 'free' promotions so we've made this deal as transparent as possible.

"We've even provided an online calculator that allows the buyer to accurately calculate the profit achievable by inputting their own typical sales price on the printed output. This will give them an accurate profit forecast based on their own circumstances."

"It's a straightforward proposal with no ongoing catches or commitments beyond the initial purchase on the printer with its included free ink and media."

The consumables available within this bundle deal have been selected specifically to include papers and films that are commonly used in the display print market, including HP Super Heavy Coated Paper, HP Universal Satin, HP Everyday Satin, HP Vivid Colour Backlit and HP Professional Matt Canvas.
The bundle includes HP media that is most commonly used on a daily basis so those who take up the CWES offer can quickly turn these products into saleable output that will give them a rapid return on their initial investment.

At the heart of this bundle offer is the HP Designjet Z6100 printer. In a recent review carried out by Buyers Lab Inc (BLI) the following assessment was made during a two-month evaluation.

* The Z6100ps boasts the widest colour gamut seen to date on premium paper for any wide-format printer evaluated by BLI.
* The Z6100ps offers a diverse selection of colour management tools, including the industry's only embedded spectrophotometer.
* The Z6100ps produces high-quality output that remained consistent throughout the course of the test and it will satisfy the most colour-critical user.

In short the HP Z6100ps is the stand-out large-format performer that BLI highly recommends.

Overall ease of use is another key strength of the HP Z6100ps. From paper loading to job accounting to creating colour ICC profiles, this unit is exceptionally user-friendly and its 575-ft roll and optional take-up reel allows for long unattended print runs.

Customer feedback from longstanding HP users who have upgraded from HP5000/5500 printers to the new Z6100 has also been positive and users report the Designjet Z6100 performs at almost twice the speed of its predecessor in best quality and more than four times the speed in fast quality.

To try out the CWES Online Profit Calculator and get exact figures on the return you can make from your own particular square metre sale prices visit:
www.hp4free.co.uk

CWE Solutions Go Green

noreply@blogger.com (Pete Winter) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:46:00 +0000

As you may be aware, City & West End (CWE) Solutions Ltd. was established in November 1999 following a management buy out of CWE Reprographics, who established its services in 1970. CWE Reprographics supplied drawing offices with their office supplies. CWE Solutions have moved the business forward with the aim of becoming a major player in the large format graphics industry. Since 1999 we have achieved double digit growth year on year and have firmly established ourselves within the UK market place. We pride ourselves on our high technology support and solutions ensuring our customers needs are met in a proactive and reliable way.

We have positioned ourselves as HP’s main partner now catering for a whole host of technology from Inkjet, Solvent, UV Curable to the latest latex designs. It is our goal as a company to supply the best solution for our clients and grow our business whilst keeping a firm eye on the impact that we and our technologies are having on the environment. We are now seeing a growth in printing technologies with a requirement to provide a greener solution and it is our aim that CWE Solutions will be the supplier for the green choice.

As a highly regarded customer of CWE Solutions Ltd, we are pleased to announce that we have now been awarded our FSC, PEFC and ISO14001 Certifications in a bid to provide the most effective service to yourselves and our planet!

What does this mean to you?

FSC
* The Forest Stewardship Council is an international, independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation promoting responsible forest management.
* FSC promotes standards for forest management which are used for certifying the management of forests, and a system called ‘Chain of Custody’ for tracing, verifying and labelling timber and other wood products derived from FSC-certified forests, through to the end user.
Further details of their mission statements, aims and legislation can be found at www.fsc.org.

PEFC
* The PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1999 which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests.
* PEFC is a global umbrella organisation for the assessment of and mutual recognition of national forest certification schemes developed in a multi-stakeholder process. These national schemes build upon the inter-governmental processes for the promotion of sustainable forest management, a series of on-going mechanisms supported by 149 governments in the world covering 85% of the world's forest area.
* PEFC has in its membership 35 independent national forest certification systems of which 25 to date have been through a rigorous assessment process involving public consultation and the use of independent assessors to provide the assessments on which mutual recognition decisions are taken by the membership. These 25 systems account for more than 200 million hectares of certified forests producing millions of tonnes of certified timber to the market place making PEFC the world's largest certification system. The other national members schemes are at various stages of development and are working towards mutual recognition under the PEFC processes.

More information can be found at www.pefc.org.

By selling FSC & PEFC paper, CWE Solutions can give you peace of mind that your purchase has followed chain of custody and should you wish could be traced back to the exact forest it was sourced from. We anticipate that this is the future of paper products and our fully trained sales staff will be happy to discuss this further, please call 0207 394 6414.

ISO14001
As a company we have done a full environmental profile and review of our environmental credentials, we have put in several measures that have and will continue to improve our companies environmental performance. You can now rest assured that when dealing with CWE Solutions, be it sales, delivery receipt or engineering, we are operating in the most environmentally aware and compliant way ensuring you receive the best service. For more information please visit http://www.bmtrada.co.uk/environmental.php

Finally, please see below CWE Solutions Environmental Policy:

CWE Solutions recognises the importance of environmental considerations and the impact our business can potentially have on the environment. We will ensure that we comply with all legislative and any other requirements applicable to our business, and the industry requirements within which we operate, to ensure that we continually strive to reduce our environmental footprint wherever possible.

CWE Solutions are a successful reseller of large format printers and their consumables, we also provide software engineering and installation support to ensure end to end satifaction to our customers. Throughout all stages of our business, from planning, to selling, storage and shipping of products and on site installation, we will consider and understand the implications to the environment whilst continuing to produce a high quality customer experience, we will take all practical steps to anticipate and prevent possible pollution events. In addition to this, we will ensure that we keep Environmental awareness training of all of our staff current.

In order to drive our philosophy of continual improvement and to remain environmentally viable, the following company objectives have been put into place and will be pursued as far as is reasonably practicable:

*Conservation of energy.
*Conservation of natural resources used in our sales, proofing and dispatch operations, *particularly in the use of packaging.
*Minimisation of waste in production and packaging.
*Recycle waste where possible.
*Provision of safe, clean and hygienic working conditions.

Doug Gilbertson
Managing Director

HP Designjet Start Right Pack Promotion

noreply@blogger.com (Pete Winter) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Purchasing one of the applicable HP Designjet printers together with HP Large Format Media products - as per defined packages - entitles you for a reimbursement according to the table below. Bundles are specified in this promotion as the purchase of a specific combination of individual products.
In order to be reimbursed, you must present a proof of purchase of the printer together with the proof of purchase of the HP Large Format Media products.

Participation is open to any private customers and companies who has purchased the bundle. Purchase of any product combinations other than those indicated below does not entitle you to participate in the promotion. Application forms for the HP Designjet Start Right Pack Promotion must be handed in no later than 4 weeks after the date of invoice for the printer.

Please see our Terms & Conditions for further details.

HP Designjet Z6100 42"
HP Designjet Z6100 60"

Bundle 1 - Satin Package - 422 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Everyday Pigment Ink Satin Photo Paper 235 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 30.5 m (Q8922A)
- HP Premium Instant-dry Satin Photo Paper 260 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 30.5 m (Q7996A)
- HP Premium Vivid Colour Backlit Film 285 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 22.9 m (Q8748A)
- HP Professional Matte Canvas 430 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 15.2 m (Q8674A)

Bundle 2 - Gloss Package - 363 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Everyday Pigment Ink Gloss Photo Paper 235 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 30.5 m (Q8918A)
- HP Premium Instant-dry Gloss Photo Paper 260 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 30.5 m (Q7995A)
- HP Adhesive Vinyl 328 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 12.2 m (C6775A)
- HP Professional Matte Canvas 430 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 15.2 m (Q8674A)

Bundle 3 - Premium Package - 375 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Premium Instant-dry Satin Photo Paper 260 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 30.5 m (Q7996A)
- HP Premium Vivid Colour Backlit Film 285 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 22.9 m (Q8748A)
- HP Professional Matte Canvas 430 g/m²-42"/1067 mm x 15.2 m (Q8674A)

HP Designjet Z2100 24"

Bundle 1 - Satin Package - 213 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Everyday Pigment Ink Satin Photo Paper 235 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q8920A)
- HP Premium Instant-dry Satin Photo Paper 260 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q7992A)
- HP Matte Litho-realistic Paper270 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q7972A)
- HP Professional Matte Canvas 430 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 6.1 m (Q8673A)
- HP Baryte Satin Art Paper 290 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 15.2 m (CG803A)

Bundle 2 - Gloss Package - 228 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Everyday Pigment Ink Gloss Photo Paper 235 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q8916A)
- HP Permium Instant-dry Gloss Photo Paper 260 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q7991A)
- HP Matte Litho-realistic Paper270 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q7972A)
- HP Professional Matte Canvas 430 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 6.1 m (Q8673A)
- HP Professional Semi-gloss Contract Proofing Paper 235 g/m2-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q7991A)

Bundle 3 - Artist Package - 205 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Professional Satin Photo Paper 300 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 15.2 m (Q8759A)
- HP Matte Litho-realistic Paper270 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q7972A)
- HP Baryte Satin Art Paper 290 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 15.2 m (CG803A)
- HP Professional Matte Canvas 430 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 6.1 m (Q8673A)

HP Designjet Z2100 44"

Bundle 1 - Satin Package - 265 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Everyday Pigment Ink Satin Photo Paper 235 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 30.5 m (Q8921A)
- HP Permium Instant-dry Satin Photo Paper 260 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 30.5 m (Q7994A)
- HP Matte Litho-realistic Paper270 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 30.5 m (Q7973A)
- HP Professional Satin Photo Paper 300 g/m²-44"/1118 mm x 15.2 m (Q8840A)

Bundle 2 - Gloss Package - 257 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Everyday Pigment Ink Gloss Photo Paper 235 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 30.5 m (Q8917A)
- HP Permium Instant-dry Gloss Photo Paper 260 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 30.5 m (Q7993A)
- HP Matte Litho-realistic Paper270 g/m²-36"/914 mm x 30.5 m (Q7973A)
- HP Professional Semi-gloss Contract Proofing Paper 235 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 30.5 m (Q7991A)

Bundle 3 - Artist Package - 270 GBP
Purchase of a combination of:
- HP Professional Satin Photo Paper 300 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 15.2 m (Q8759A)
- HP Baryte Satin Art Paper 290 g/m²-24"/610 mm x 15.2 m (CG803A)
- HP Professional Matte Canvas 430 g/m²-36"/914mm x 6.1 m (Q8671A)

HP ANNOUNCES UK SUCCESS FOR ITS NEW HP DESIGNJET L65500 LATEX PRINTERS

noreply@blogger.com (Pete Winter) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:49:00 +0000

HP has announced the success of its new wide-format printer using HP Latex Inks in the United Kingdom; with seven HP Designjet L65500 printers installed since its launch at drupa 2008 last May.

Over 120 units of the HP Designjet L65500 Printer have been installed in Europe, Middle East and Africa and the worldwide response has also been strong.

The HP Designjet L65500 Printer was specifically designed with the environment in mind and is the first printer to feature HP Latex Printing Technologies, including HP Latex Inks and HP Wide Scan Printing Technology. To support the 'printing with the environment in mind' program, a range of recyclable substrates is also available, providing additional environmental benefits. The HP Designjet L65500 Printer enables print service providers (PSPs) to increase their print capacity and grow their business whilst also reducing environmental impact. Compliant with industry-leading certification, Nordic Swan, HP Latex Inks do not produce ozone emissions during printing and contain no hazardous air pollutants. This means improved working environments for PSPs and a greater range of places-especially indoor locations-where graphics can be used.

In the UK, JKN Digital, of Preston; Kingfisher Graphics, of Stockport; Raccoon, of Edenbridge, Kent; and Stylo, of Watford, are amongst customers who have all installed HP Designjet L65500 Printers to cater to different markets, reduce turnaround times, and improve print quality.

"Like us, many of our clients have become increasingly aware of environmental issues and have a desire to reduce their carbon footprint," said Simon Wheeler, operations director at Stylo. "To help us achieve this, Stylo is launching an eco-friendly print package. This is the major reason for choosing the HP Designjet L65500 Printer. It will give our clients the real choice of eco-friendly printing for all situations-exterior or interior and on a wide variety of recycled or recyclable materials. The speed of the printer helps us to continue to provide fast turn-arounds at a high quality."

Raccoon, part of the Raccoon Group, specialises in vehicle graphics, which are printed at its Edenbridge, Kent, facility for installation at sites around the country.

"We installed the HP Designjet L65500 Printer because we wanted to get rid of solvents," said Richard Clark, managing director, Raccoon. "Not only does the elimination of solvents improve working conditions, but over time, solvents can affect the performance quality of vehicle graphics. We've also found other benefits. We save between 36 - 48 hours on jobs because the need for off gassing is eliminated; we can laminate as soon as printing has finished, which makes us more productive, and we're using some of the time saved to improve quality control."

Further installations of HP Designjet L65500 printers are underway in the UK.

"HP Latex Ink technology offers revolutionary new choices to sign and display PSPs," said Nancy Janes, sign and display country manager, UK and Ireland, HP. "The HP Designjet L65500 Printer has found a market very quickly, in the UK and around the world. New technologies can take a long time to become accepted, but the many benefits of this printer are clearly responding to market demands."

Among other dealers, the HP Designjet L65500 Printer is now also available from i-Sub Digital, of Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The company recently added the printer to its portfolio of large-format printers.

"As dealers, we've been keen to add a more environmentally acceptable solution for our customers and their customers who share our concerns about the environment," said Andy Spreag, director, i-Sub Digital. "We believe that HP Latex Inks have a great future, and that the HP Designjet L65500 Printer is a productive and versatile machine capable of printing on both water and solvent based media at high speeds. It is therefore suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications achieving the quality required for both and with the durability and abrasion resistance normally only achievable with solvent inks. We believe it will receive great interest from customers looking for an alternative to solvent inks."