New HP Latex 370 enables customers to break application boundaries

The new HP Latex 370 printer will help large-format graphics customers to explore new areas of business, reduce environmental impact and increase their profitability.

HP today announced the new HP Latex 370 Printer, helping sign shops, quick printers and small to medium print service providers easily expand large-format printing capabilities, offer new application areas and build a healthier production environment.

Like the other models in the 300 series, the new HP Latex 370 printer also uses the 831 HP latex inks, which provide outstanding resistance to scratching. This third generation of latex printers represents a radical departure from the precedent technology.

During the official opening of their new Graphics Experience Center in Barcelona, Spain, HP displayed a variety of sign, display, and wall décor products printed with HP’s Latex printers. Arzu Babaoglu, General Manager Large Format Production & Industrial Printing EMEA, considered HP’s Latex technology as a success that it can build on.

HP is expecting that half of its low volume large format printer shipments will be Latex printers by 2018. Continuous improvements in this technology enable printing on a wider range of substrates such as PVCs, vinyl, and textile, as the many samples on display showed.

Latex versus Solvent

HP introduced its first generation of latex printers in 2008 as a water-based alternative to solvent and ecosolvent printers. With more than 15,000 units shipped worldwide in the last six years, HP latex printers have rapidly grown in popularity, as the sales of solvent and ecosolvent printers have declined by 33%.

Ecosolvent inks may not have the overpowering smell of standard solvent inks, but the solvents are still there. And for that reason, they should be vented to outside air. But because latex inks are water-based, you have none of the hazards of solvent inks.

Helping customers transition more pages from solvent devices, HP 831 Latex Inks offer scratch resistance comparable to hard solvent inks on PVC banners and vinyls, while the HP Latex Optimizer enables high quality at high speeds. Third-generation HP Latex inks also contribute to a healthier work environment, with odourless prints that come out completely dry, ready to finish and deliver.

Powered by third-generation, water-based HP Latex ink technology, the new HP Latex 370 Printer will help low-volume customers efficiently handle more outdoor and indoor applications with improved durability and image quality.

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Monitor your printer on the go with HP Mobile App

HP has also announced that the HP Latex Mobile application is now available for download worldwide. Unveiled four months ago the new large-format printing mobile app offers remote monitoring of HP Latex 310, 330, 360 and 360 Printers, including job information, print status and alerts.

With the HP Latex Mobile app, Print Service Providers (PSPs) can stay informed about the status of print jobs from anywhere in or out of the office and can track projects through completion, as well as monitor print status and supplies to avoid surprises.

“PSPs have shown significant interest in the HP Latex Mobile app,” said Xavier Garcia, vice president and general manager, Large-Format Sign and Display Division, HP. “Remote monitoring of many aspects of business is now commonplace, so it’s natural to extend this flexibility to print jobs. The HP Latex Mobile app is a significant step forward in aligning printing operations with today’s business lifestyles.”

PSPs such as PressOn in the UK and Sprintout Digitaldruck GmbH in Germany are already using the HP Latex Mobile app. “The app is really great! If a customer calls for a last minute job I can give a fast answer because I know which material is on the printer at any time,” said Haldun Küp, chief technology officer, Sprintout Digitaldruck GmbH.   

The HP Latex Mobile app is available for download for free from Google Play and the Apple App store. A version of the app designed for tablets and slates will be available in August this year. This version will let customers to monitor consumables as ink usage and media printed, generate productivity statistics by printer or by fleet, and export data for extended information.

Availability

The HP Latex 370 printers are expected to be available worldwide at the end of this year. HP will display the new products and solutions at FESPA 2015 in Cologne, Germany, May 18-22.

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