HP Partners with Timsons on New Digital Inkjet System for Book Production

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP has announced a partnership with U.K.-based Timsons, the world's largest book press manufacturer, to develop a digital inkjet system for short- and medium-run book production. According to HP, the new solution will be designed "to take digital book production beyond niche applications to mainstream production."

Next year, European book printer CPI will be installing an HP Inkjet Web Press—which at 2,600 ppm is slated to be the most productive digital press for the publishing industry, according to HP—with a new finishing system developed by Timsons that will enable CPI to offer short- and medium-run book production. CPI is a beta user of the press, which is to become commercially available in the second half of 2009.

“Our collaboration with Timsons is a natural next step in HP’s strategy to move higher volumes of printing from analog to digital,” says Aurelio Maruggi, vice president and general manager, Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions, HP. “The digital book solution coming from this work will open a range of new possibilities to help printers and publishers optimize their supply chains, decrease waste and create revenue opportunities.”

“Timsons is excited to establish this partnership, as it offers a complementary opportunity to the book manufacturers Timsons has served for more than 30 years, with innovative new solutions to help our customers capture the momentum that exists with digital,” says Jeff Ward, managing director, Timsons Ltd. “Timsons is extending its business by offering more choices to our customers with short- to medium-run book solutions and by partnering with HP to gain the benefit of HP’s digital leadership credentials.”