From the small glimpse we have seen-the ink, printed samples, new printhead technology, the various presentations and discussions with the product managers and experts this looks very interesting.
HP, however, is not unique in trying to develop a new ink technology to replace aggressive solvent. Industry-wide, there seems to be a general consensus that solvent has a short life span, but until an alternative is found that offers the same kind of reliability and product characteristics-outside durability, scratch- and smudge-resistance, the ability to print on the same range of media as solvent, the ability to print on flexible media surfaces without cracking, a wide color gamut-and a low or comparable price point, there is limited reason for many to switch. Especially because these inks require a new printing platform.
According to HP, the new latex inks-which are 70 percent aqueous-based-will offer both the price point and all the same properties as solvent inks but without the harmful VOCs. This is all well and good, but the one snag, as mentioned before, is that these inks won't work in the current range of printing equipment currently on the market. The new inks have been developed for use with the Edgeline printheads which offer a 4.25-inch-wide swath and 10,000+ nozzles per head.
But then, there is still the media that needs to be taken into consideration. Creating environmentally-friendly print media is the next step to creating a truly green printing option. While the new latex inks can print on vinyl, that doesn't really provide a fully "green" solution. HP also announced the availability of media with recycled content, but this is also an area that requires innovation and we know several companies are already researching media alternatives to the environmentally-unfriendly and low-cost media currently on the market.