HP-Redington show evolution of digital printing with AI integration at CEIF 2024

At the show, HP introduced new formats of photo albums, such as the tabloid newspaper for weddings and the everyday wedding album. It allows for a quick transition from raw photos to a printed album within 30 minutes. Additionally, the event showcased new sizes of HP Indigo enlargements, including 20x30-inch, 24x36-inch, 30x40-inch, and 40x60-inch.

According to A Appadurai, the country manager at HP India, the photo album industry in India holds immense potential in meeting the needs of consumers who prefer to preserve their memories in tangible forms. In addition, the gifting culture in India and the popularity of events like weddings contribute to the growth of the market. “Every click captures a unique story, and HP is committed to preserving and enhancing the narratives that follow. Our innovative products, such as tear-resistant, waterproof, and lightweight pocket albums with vivid colours, ensure fast turnaround times, even during peak seasons, and have had a positive impact on commercial photographers and photo-labs."

At the HP booth, visitors were presented with a live demo of the HP Indigo 7K digital press. This press supports not only professional photographers but also startups by creating catalogues, brochures, posters, calendars, sheetfed labels, wedding boxes, folding cartons, and more. The booth showcased an array of print samples including photo albums, labels, and packaging. The six-colour printing method features two photo speciality inks: vivid pink and vivid green, which allows an extension of the colour gamut for photo printing. Additionally, the white ink is a highlight of the press, given its ability to enhance the look across a diverse range of media.

At the booth, HP presented a live demo of the HP Indigo 7K digital press. The stall showcased an array of print samples including photo albums plus labels and packaging. The six-colour printing method has two photo specialities inks: vivid pink and vivid green. It allows extension of the colour gamut for photo printing. Also, the white ink is a highlight of the press given its ability to enhance the look across a diverse range of media.

Aditya Ghosalkar of PrintWeek was given a real-time experience of HP's digital print offerings. The image was clicked on a tabloid and taken to the press for print via AI software. The substrate used is a premium waterproof and non-tearable, 125-gsm paper.

So, what was impressive? “The print service provider now can convert raw photos to printed samples within 10 minutes, thanks to the AI integration beside press characteristics,” informed Appadurai.

He further added that Indian photobook companies like Canvera Digital Technologies, Indot Color World, Super Foto DG Xpress, and Glo Color Labs-MDU are looking at entering the consumer photobook market with HP Indigo.