California OSP Adds High-end Digital Color

With nine web offset presses, a six-color, 40˝ Heidelberg sheetfed press and several high-speed digital printers, California’s Office of State Publishing (OSP) seemed to be equipped for any kind of print job. But for short-run, high-end work, there was room for improvement, felt State Printer Jerry Hill.

“The only way that we could do medium-sized, high-end printing is to put it on our six-color, 40˝ Heidelberg press,” says Hill. “It was extremely expensive because of the high setup costs.” Plus, the press already had a backlog of two to four weeks, he adds.

So in June, the 290-employee in-plant added a six-color, 29˝ HP Indigo 10000 digital press to its Sacramento operation, replacing a four-color toner device. Running 1,725 sheets per hour (4/4), the press offers resolutions up to 2,438x2,438 dpi and can run media from 50-lb. text to 150-lb. cover and 3-18 pt. in thickness.

Its key strength, though, comes from its 29˝ format size, which allows the 10000 to print items like posters, pocket folders and six-page brochures. This opens up lots of new opportunities.

“The biggest advantage that we have is the ability to turn work quickly and to do such a wide range of products on this press,” he says.

Mission to Modernize

Since taking the helm at OSP in 2012, Hill has been on a mission to modernize the 165-year-old in-plant. Some of the older web presses are being shut down and the operation is enhancing its array of digital print equipment with machines like a Canon imagePRESS C7010VP digital color press and a pair of Canon Océ VarioPrint 6320 high-speed black-and-white systems. Hill has plans to replace two black-and-white Canon Océ VarioStream 7650s with a 20˝ color inkjet press.

“We’re shrinking our footprint,” Hill says.

In addition to printing larger-format pieces, the new HP Indigo 10000 will allow the in-plant to produce a new line of work.

“We have some clients that require variable print in a small quantity—basically, one,” he says, with a laugh. “But a high-end piece and a secure piece.” He’s referring to vital records documents, such as birth and death certificates or business licenses. Printed on security paper, some of these contain invisible ink and other security features.

“So we needed this press because you’re literally printing ones—but you’re printing lots of ones,” he says. “We couldn’t print ones on our Heidelberg.” Because of the security requirements for these vital records documents, the 10000 was installed in OSP’s secure printing facility, where guards, cameras and other security procedures are in place.

Another reason OSP went with the HP Indigo 10000, Hill says, was because it was developed with environmental sustainability in mind; it boasts 25 percent lower imaging oil waste, a lower carbon footprint, a regenerative braking system and reused heat and electricity, among other qualities. It generates less waste, too, since the first copy is sellable, he says. This all fits well with Gov. Jerry Brown’s sustainability initiatives.

Calibrated for Color Matching

Over the past year, the in-plant had all of its presses G7 calibrated, so when the 10000 arrived, HP calibrated it to match OSP’s other presses.

“I can print something on the HP 10000 that matches what we print on the Heidelberg six-color, 40˝ or even the Heidelberg eight-color M1000 web,” remarks Hill. “It’s all calibrated, so it matches.” This allows the new digital press to be used as a proofer for offset jobs, he adds.

“It’s actually less expensive for me to use it to proof on the actual substrate that we’re going to print on than to run a contract proof,” he says.

At the same time, he praises the 10000’s enhanced productivity mode, a process that uses only cyan, magenta and yellow to produce results that look like four-color printing at much faster speeds (4,600 sph, according to HP). It’s great for providing “pleasing color,” Hill says, when speed is of the essence.

At press time, the in-plant was finishing up training on the 10000 and planned to go live with the press in September.