We’re delighted to present the second installment of our six digital printing myths you shouldn’t believe. Read on!

Myth #3: The print quality of digital presses isn’t as good as conventional printing.
Fact: Objective third-party evaluations suggest this isn’t the case for the HP Indigo.

A unique characteristic HP Indigo technology is the use of liquid ink which enables the digital process to rival the conventional print experience. Since the launch of HP Electroink 4.0 at Drupa 2004, HP Indigo digital printing leapfrogged to new quality levels, offering improved ink adhesion performance, shorter drying times, and improved consumables life spans. With Electroink, highly uniform ink drop of 1-to 2-micros deliver sharper images and vibrant colours with the look and feel of offset printing.

HP Adaptive Halftoning enhances print quality even further. This unique technology analyses image and text as they’re being printed, and adds dots to fill gaps at the edges, without affecting colour stability.

The HP IndiChrome on-press 6-colour process accurately emulates 1,125 PANTONE© Colours, while HP Professional PANTONE Emulation technology puts the expertise of industry professionals within users’ reach to improve quality and save time. It automatically produces emulations of PANTONE solid colours that are optimised both for the press and the media.

In addition, HP Indigo printing works as a whole solution: prepress, press, ink and media. HP Prepress and media partners working with HP Indigo presses ensure that optimal results can be achieved every time.

Independent research has repeatedly concluded that HP Indigo Technology are by far the best match to a lithographic print among existing digital presses. The Seybold Report in 2005 stated: “Many printer manufacturers argue that their equipment can deliver either ‘offset quality’ or ‘almost offset quality’…In the case of the HP Indigo press 5000, we would be inclined to agree…our measurements show a very stable result.”

Myth #4: All digital printing is the same.
Fact: All digital printing technologies are capable of on demand, variable-data printing.

But HP Indigo printing stands out because it’s an offset process with liquid ink. In its short history, digital printing has come to cover almost as many methods and techniques as conventional printing. These technologies have various advantages but can perform quite differently in the ‘value triangle’ of speed, quality and cost. HP Indigo printing is unique in that it uses liquid ink. HP Electroink is unlike any other digital imaging material, with fine particles that give high-edge definition for sharp images, and the ability to match up to 97% of the PANTONE© Colour range. Unlike other digital printing methods, HP Indigo digital printing is an offset process. Ink is transferred from the photo imaging cylinder (PIP) to the offset cylinder and then to the substrate.

The offset process virtually eliminates mis-registration problems arising from paper distortion, which sometimes occurs if high temperatures are used. HP Indigo printing is carried out at lower temperatures than dry toner processes that require heat to fuse the particles. Substrates lose far less moisture content, and as a result, jobs can be finished as soon as they leave the press. There is neither the need for drying time, nor time for papers to regain their moisture balance. These characteristics of HP Indigo technology offer optimal performance in the ‘value triangle’, and demonstrate that not all digital printers are made equal.

Stay tuned for the next in the series!

Missed the first part? Then read on here and find out more.