Consumer Demand Fuels Sales of HP Indigo Digital Presses
Rapid growth in photo-specialty products creates new opportunities for photofinishers and commercial print service providers
B-BLINGEN, Germany, 17 July 2007 - Following the printing of seven million photobooks and calendars on HP Indigo presses around the world in 2006, demand for photo-specialty products continues to accelerate as consumers embrace a new way to print and share their digital images.
The Western European market for all types of photobooks is projected to increase at a 94 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2003 to 2010, reaching a value of more than 3 billion in 2010 (1).
"With the number of pictures being captured and saved from cameras and camera phones in Western Europe rising at a 17.8 percent CAGR from 2003 to 2010, we have more photos today than ever," said Jakob Bovin, photo business manager, Indigo Digital Press, HP Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
"In 2006, 63 billion images were saved and shared, and a total of 14 billion printed - in 2011 we estimate this will rise to 110 billion and 24 billion respectively (2). More and more European online and photo retailers are promoting personalised photo-specialty products, raising consumer awareness and driving demand."
This presents an enormous opportunity for photo companies to differentiate themselves by offering unique personalised photo-specialty products to their customers, particularly since the margin on a high-end photobook is greater than that for hundreds of standard 6" x 4" prints.
"We've enjoyed a fantastic acceptance for our technology in a segment of the market that was virtually non-existent three years ago," said Bovin. "Today we estimate that at least three out of four 'consumer' photobooks in Europe are printed using HP Indigo technology (2), and bound in conjunction with established bookmaking equipment. In addition, these same digital presses can make memorable photo calendars, agendas, greetings cards and other digitally printed products and consumers and producers alike are embracing new photo-specialty products."
HP's strong presence in this market segment has been bolstered by the recognition by market leaders of the unmatched quality these products achieve through HP's technology and support. These leaders include:
CeWe Color Holding AG, Oldenburg, Germany, continues to invest in HP Indigo technology for its photo-specialty printing and now has 15 HP Indigo presses, including both HP Indigo press 3050s and HP Indigo press 5000s. During 2007 CeWe estimates that it will print over one million books and will continue to add presses to meet growing demand.
PhotoBox Ltd, of London, UK, installed two HP Indigo press 5000s in the run-up to the 2006 winter holiday season. Its sister company, Photoways, of Sartrouville, France, began with an HP Indigo press 3050 and subsequently acquired four HP Indigo press 5000s. Photoways recently replaced its HP Indigo press 3050 with the HP Indigo press 5500 it had beta-tested for photo applications and specialty products, bringing the group's total to seven HP Indigo presses.
Hofmann, Valencia, Spain, a producer of photo albums and a company with many years' experience in the photo market, has installed an HP Indigo press 5000 to service its online photobook ordering facility.
Albumprinter, The Hague, Netherlands, recently ordered four HP Indigo digital presses and the HP Scalable RIP Solution (SRS). The SRS is a completely automated workflow solution enabling users to centrally process and feed jobs in parallel to multiple HP Indigo presses at maximum speeds and reporting production status in real time. Albumprinter will have a total of six HP Indigo presses this summer and is relocating to new premises to manage its growth.
Bowie Castlebank, Glasgow, Scotland, installed an HP Indigo press 5000 to add both an online service and a photo-specialty printing facility for its 360 retail photo shops trading under the Klick Photopoint, Max Spielmann, and Supasnaps brands.
Grafica Minerva, of Barcelona, Spain, installed an HP Indigo press 5000 to enable its move into photo-based products. The company now operates 'Photolife', its own online photobook preparation service.
Harrier LLC, of Newton Abbot, Devon, UK, installed two HP Indigo press 5000s. The company offers a range of photo-specialty products and works closely with high-street photo retailer Jessops and the online service, Snapfish, along with its own subsidiary, Truprint.
Other new HP Indigo photo customers include LPI, France; PAP, France; Fotoprix, Spain; Laboratorios ATL, Spain and MAS, Turkey.
(1) Photo Imaging News
(2) HP Internal Data
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HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers - from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world's largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $97.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2007. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.
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Nadia Szajkowski
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