A new Web-fed press promises greater operational efficiency for high-volume production of digital single-face lamination, corrugation, and folding carton applications.

HP unveiled its new 1.7 m PageWide T700i press which is expected to be available for installation in late 2023. The new platform will be configurable to meet specific customer and market needs and includes a variety of in-line options for manual or continuous unwinding, priming, varnishing, and delivery in both roll and sheet format. Select configurations will be capable of up to 300 metres a minute, supported by HP’s single-pass Thermal Inkjet technology with true water-based inks for printing packaging which can be recycled.

The press platform aims to support increased plant capacity and reduced manufacturing costs for paper-based packaging production and is designed to enable packaging converters to print with accelerated turnaround times and lower minimum order quantity requirements that optimise inventories, while focusing analog print capacity on longer runs. For converters facing increasing supply chain pressure, this press aims to offer an opportunity for business growth by enabling improved economics, greater production versatility, and more sustainable packaging solutions.

”We listened to the needs of our customers and the market when designing the T700i Press.  Now more than ever, converters need greater flexibility to respond to dynamic market trends and challenges, and digital packaging continues to fundamentally transform the packaging supply chain for high-volume and mainstream production,” said HP PageWide Industrial global head and GM Annette Friskopp. “The HP T700i Press enables customers to achieve production cost savings and shorter lead times and enables them to go after higher value print jobs."

The new press will feature the next generation HP Thermal Inkjet printheads which are designed for robust industrial production. HP says that the inkjet technology builds on previous generations of thermal inkjet to enable customers to achieve consistent and repeatable six-colour offset print quality at high speeds for high-graphics packaging. In addition, the company says that T700i Press customers will benefit from HP’s manufacturing scalability and vertical integration across its Industrial Print businesses, creating a distinct advantage for their business.

HP notes that its PageWide T700i Press will be the second press format built in collaboration with Koenig & Bauer, after first unveiling the 110-inch HP PageWide T1100S Press in 2015, later followed by upgrades including the HP PageWide T1170, T1190, and the latest T1195i Press. “Together with HP’s leadership and innovation in the field of thermal inkjet technology, the HP PageWide T700i Press was developed to once again combine our complementary technological strengths to provide packaging converters with unprecedented flexibility and quality consistency,” said Koenig & Bauer executive board member Christoph Müller.