The Imaging Centre has installed a new HP Indigo 18K digital press in order to further grow its output of print-on-demand greeting cards
Family-run greeting card producer, The Imaging Centre, has expanded its production capabilities with the installation of a HP Indigo 18K digital press, giving the business additional capacity and helping it keep pace with a growing need for print-on-demand (POD) greeting cards.
The Imaging Centre serves more than 845 greeting card publishers and designers worldwide, producing, finishing, and distributing greeting cards directly into retail through a fully digital, POD model.
The latest investment in the HP Indigo 18K Digital Press builds on the company's earlier move into B2 digital production, with the aim of increasing productivity and reducing downtime to help the business respond more quickly to customer needs.
As these demands have continued to evolve, more work is now being produced on the company's B2 platform than its SRA3 presses. This transition has already transformed the scale of work the business can undertake, increasing its largest individual order from 20,000 greeting cards to 280,000 cards.
Alongside the new press, The Imaging Centre uses the AI-powered print production platform, HP PrintOS, to monitor production performance and analyse workflow data, helping inform future investment decisions and identify opportunities to improve productivity.
Insights from HP PrintOS reportedly helped the business identify the growing shift towards B2 production, informing its decision to purchase the Indigo 18K.
The Imaging Centre's POD production model also supports its sustainability objectives by reducing excess inventory and helping to minimise waste throughout the supply chain. The company can produce as few as six copies of a design, reflecting the quantities typically ordered by retailers and helping publishers avoid unnecessary overproduction.
Adam Short, managing director at The Imaging Centre, says: "Quality has always been what sets us apart, but as demand continues to grow we also need the capacity to deliver that quality at scale.
"We've grown alongside HP Indigo technology for nearly three decades, and every investment has helped us take the next step as a business. Now, the HP Indigo 18K gives us greater productivity with less downtime, helping us respond more quickly to our customers while supporting larger volumes than ever before. It's another step in making sure we continue growing alongside our customers."
Matt Brien, UK&I commercial sales manager for HP Industrial Print, adds: "The Imaging Centre is helping redefine what's possible in digital greeting card production.
“Its latest investment in the HP Indigo 18K demonstrates how forward-thinking print providers are using technology not just to increase capacity, but to unlock new opportunities, strengthen customer relationships, and build more agile production models for the future."
