Challenge
- Project Ink wanted to add a water-based Latex ink printing solution to meet the growing demand for odourless and recyclable large format prints.
Solution
- The new HP Designjet L25500 Printer with HP Latex Inks gave Project Ink more in-house printing capabilities.
- Project Ink used recyclable HP large format printing materials,1 including HP HDPE Reinforced Banner, HP DuPont™ Tyvek® Banner, HP Wrinkle-free Flag with Liner, and HP White Satin Poster Paper.
Results
- The HP Designjet L25500 Printer appeals to environmentally conscious customers by delivering odourless prints2 on recyclable HP printing materials that can be recycled through the HP Large format Media take-back program.1
- Project Ink can now print a broad range of applications in-house such as posters, wallpaper and high-end point-of-purchase displays without making any adjustments to the printer.
- With high-quality indoor and outdoor signage, Project Ink can also meet the needs of high-end clients who demand durable prints that have a reduced environmental impact.
Signs of the times
California-based Project Ink is a growing large format printing and graphics agency and one of the first companies in the United States to put the new HP Designjet L25500 Printer-and its ability to reduce the environmental impact of printing-to work for its clients.
"Our major focus is on printing with the environment in mind, keeping quality high while keeping waste and costs low," explains owner Kyle Morrison. After more than 15 years in the industry, Morrison was surprised by large format print providers' lack of focus on clients' environmental needs. In 2005, he launched Project Ink to fill that void, and in 2009, he chose the HP Designjet L25500 to add more environmentally conscious printing capabilities in-house.
Morrison's move toward reducing printing waste and using recyclable printing materials matches a growing interest among his clients, including Jade Aveda Salon Spas and Volcom, a maker of clothing for skate, surf and snow enthusiasts. According to Morrison, the printer's broad media versatility and water-based HP Latex Inks have already enabled him to increase business, produce more of his work in-house and improve his work environment.
Versatility enables new business opportunities
Until recently, Project Ink relied on a non-HP solventbased printer for some jobs and outsourced others to a print service provider operating an HP Designjet L65500 Printer with HP Latex Inks. When Morrison learned about water-based HP Latex Inks and recyclable HP media options,1 he knew he had to have an HP Designjet L25500 in his shop.
"Since then, I haven't turned on my non-HP printer once," Morrison says. "The media versatility alone allows us to print more in-house. I can go from poster paper to traditional and recyclable banners to fabric without having to make any adjustments." Morrison has already used many of the HP printing materials designed together with HP Latex Inks and the HP Designjet L25500, including HP PVC-free Wall Paper, HP White Satin Poster Paper, and HP DuPont™ Tyvek® Banner.
"For the Jade Aveda Salons, we used HP Wrinklefree Flag with Liner to complete a job we would normally outsource," Morrison says. "Flags are really popular in California, and with the HP Designjet L25500, we can do custom prints directly on them."
Project Ink also produced posters and wallpaper for the salon. "The salon is a high-fashion atmosphere, so the feel of the fabric and the smell-or lack of smell-is important," says Morrison. Unlike most printers that use solvent inks, the HP Designjet L25500 with HP Latex Inks produces odourless prints.2
Sarah Weeks, owner of Jade Aveda Salon Spas, explains, "The Latex printing by HP is extremely beneficial in that it's aroma-free, environmentally friendly and looks beautiful."
According to Volcom, producing odourless prints2 with HP Latex Inks is important to their brand and their health. Leonard Fiedorowicz, sales marketing director, says, "We've received banners [printed with solvent inks] before that look great, but smell up our whole shop. We want to use all Latex inks so we're printing as sustainably as we can."
Reduced waste and cost equals added value
In addition to reducing the environmental impact of printing a wide variety of applications, the HP Designjet L25500 enables Project Ink to reduce the waste associated with traditional large format printing. A free and convenient HP program for recycling Original HP ink cartridges and printheads3 is available. "With the new HP printer," Morrison says, "I can recycle the cartridges for free, saving a trip to the landfill and the associated costs."
Another benefit that Morrison and his clients are enthusiastic about is the recyclable HP media1 and HP Large format Media take-back programme.1 "Volcom was really excited to hear that we could print banners and signage directly on HP Tyvek® because it's recyclable. In fact, Volcom has begun to work with Project Ink more because we offer recyclable media." Fiedorowicz agrees: "Being able to take banners and prints and recycle them-that's closing the loop. It's really important and exciting to us."
The change has been a long time coming, according to Morrison. "Large format printing really missed the boat in terms of reducing waste. There are packaging solutions that include post-consumer or FSC-certified material, but signage has traditionally ended up in the landfill. HP enables us to offer a complete solution for our environmentally conscious clients. To me, the HP Designjet L25500 Printer with HP Latex Inks, recyclable HP media and the take back programme make HP second to none in this area."
