Edge Printing Technology

HP Inc. announced the introduction of its new Edge Printing technology, which allows users to print an image on the front or side edge of a book for the first time.

The new feature, part of HP’s SmartStream Designer variable data printing tool, automatically divides a selected image into slices, according to the number of pages in the book, before printing the slices consecutively on the edge of each page. The new application also has the capability to print a continuous image across the spines of a book collection, for an impressive visual impact when collections are on display.

“At HP Indigo, we are always looking to reinvent the possibilities of print, making sure that our customers can deliver products that go above and beyond expectations. The new Edge Printing feature of SmartStream Designer is a perfect example of this,” commented Gershon Alon, workflow solutions manager, HP Indigo. “We have already been able to complete the first customer order for products created with HP Edge Printing, and have seen a lot of interest in the new applications that are being made possible. We look forward to seeing many more customers enjoy the new creative freedom that this technology provides.”

Spanish Commercial and Book printing specialist, Tórculo Comunicación Gráfica (Santiago de Campostela, Galicia, Spain), was the first HP Indigo customer to trial the technology, exploring the potentials for personalized products such as notebooks and novels. “As a longstanding HP customer, we were extremely keen to try out their latest offering,” commented Jacobo Bermejo, CEO, Tórculo. “The fact that HP is constantly innovating and creating new possibilities in print is one of the reasons that we are able to remain at the forefront of our industry, providing our customers with new, cutting-edge products. We have just completed our first order of books with Edge Printing on the HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press, and we are confident that there will be many more orders to come.”

HP Edge Printing is one of a host of new features introduced as part of the latest upgrade of HP SmartStream Designer. The latest edition, HP SmartStream Designer 11, also features an upgrade of its renowned HP SmartStream Mosaic plug-in, which enables the automatic creation of millions of unique designs based on core patterns – famously utilized by brands such as Diet Coke, Bud Light and BrandOpus.