HP has developed new tools that allow print service providers to grow their digital-based business via their Indigo presses, and put Industry 4.0 into practice.

This has seen multiple updates introduced for PrintOS, with the aim to enable better automated tools that enhance connectivity, productivity, and support customer growth as print service providers move to capture online business. 

New are PrintOS Integration Hub, an open collection of APIs, SDKs and automation resources to help PSPs boost growth with end-to-end Industry 4.0 print shop automation; enhanced integration with Heidelberg Prinect to seamlessly drive jobs to HP Indigo digital presses without intervention or adjustments; and HP PrintOS Color Beat colour automation for Fogra certification

The PrintOS Integration Hub is a portal where HP provides technical information on how to integrate with HP Indigo devices and technologies, and achieve automation across vendor products. This has been developed due to the upswing in e-commerce orders, meaning printers need to increase automation through multiple systems, spanning from submission, printing, finishing and fulfilment, to shipping and tracking.

A further example of cross-vendor automation is the improved integration between the PrintOS Production Pro DFE for Commercial Print and Heidelberg Prinect, which automates production and avoids human errors. Customers can now maintain a unified automated workflow, for both their analogue jobs and their digital Indigo press jobs, and manage them from their Heidelberg MIS.

For automating colour, PrintOS Color Beat now automates Fogra colour certification for new-generation HP Indigo commercial and labels and packaging presses, including the HP indigo 100K, HP Indigo 15K, HP Indigo 12000 VP, HP Indigo 25K and HP Indigo 35K.

The FograCert PSD Colour Data allows print service providers to get a fully automated verification to the most widely used Fogra colour standards requested by print buyers and brands. Compliance of a given print job is certified against Fogra PSD, ProcessStandard Digital (ISO/TS 15311-2) and can be easily communicated with the print buyer, the brand or the QA team.

Further, Automatic Alert Agent (AAA) 2.0 for HP Indigo 12000 and 15K digital presses is an inline inspection system that scans every printed sheet and compares it to its digital print file, automatically identifying possible print defects. AAA 2.0 now automatically diverts defective sheets to scrap and reprints them, all in real time with no human intervention, and no interruption to production. The system leverages advanced Industry 4.0 artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms, increasing accuracy and speed, to provide productivity and profitability for PSPs.

Gershon Alon, head of HP Indigo Solutions, said, ‘Automation is the only way to consistently deliver high volumes of short run jobs while meeting customer’s quality and schedule expectations. Customers are struggling to hire and maintain skilled personnel. Cross-vendor automation increases employees’ efficiency and enables the production of much more work with existing staff and resources.’

HP has also reported strong growth in its PrintOS Site Flow end-to-end production management product, which is said to be delivering ‘hundreds of millions’ of online orders to PSPs daily in 45 countries. HP attributes part of this momentum in particular from continued strong growth in labels and packaging direct print volume growing 36% compared to 2019 levels, and the commercial sector’s continued recovery from pandemic headwinds.

Haim Levit, HP Indigo vice president and general manager, said, ‘We are seeing strong customer momentum in the past year alongside industry challenges created by the pandemic, with Industry 4.0 being a driving force of growth for Indigo customers who have embraced high-automation practices and adopt ecommerce driven web-to-print business practices.’