Testimonials

Trade Signs UK speeds up production and bolsters colour quality with ‘game changing’ HP Latex 830W & R530

Chippenham-based trade sign solutions provider Trade Signs UK has paid tribute to its recent double investment in an HP Latex R530 printer and an HP Latex 830W printer, revealing that the two machines have significantly reduced production times and improved colour quality.

A diversified company that also runs the EnviroSigns and PVCFREEBANNER.co.uk brands, Trade Signs UK delivers both traditional sign board printing and a wide range of environmentally friendly banners, boards, signs, displays and graphics to trade customers.

The company has worked exclusively with HP Latex printers for a number of years, with its arsenal already including an HP Latex R1000, while it also previously ran an HP Latex 800Wand a number of other Latex/HP models.

Keen to further strengthen its offering, Trade Signs UK returned to HP for its latest investment in the autumn of 2025, taking on new HP Latex R530 and HP Latex 830W printers.

The HP Latex R530 is a compact, all-in-one rigid and flexible printer that can run at a top speed of 24sq m/hr in indoor mode. With the ability to print on boards up to 1.6m wide, the machine prints on media as thick as 5cm, opening up all manner of opportunities to users across a host of markets.

In tandem, the company also took delivery of a new HP Latex 830W, which has a top printing speed of 31sq m/hr in outdoor mode and can also print in both colour and white. Offering a maximum media width of 1.63m, the machine allows users to create ICC profiles with an HP Embedded Spectrophotometer.

As to why they returned to HP again, Trade Signs UK Managing Director Ben Gregory said: “Our business model is value and service, and the HP printer range enables us to give our customers an exceptional service.

“Turnaround time on HP print products is so much faster than any other production method.”

Attention to detail

Colour quality and accuracy have also been among the stand-out benefits of both of the new HP Latex printers for Trade Signs UK. Ben said consistency of colour and print through all its machinery is important for customers.

“HP’s Pixel Control technology is great because it gives us consistency across both machines,” he said. “The R530 and the 830W can produce very similar results and give us a much finer image quality, while we can also create profiles for colours on the fly on new materials.

“As for the colour spectrophotometer, this is great because it enables us to create colour profiles for new media and match colours for customers. Having this ability to match colours as accurately as possible to the files we’re sent is something of a game-changer for us.”

Ben also highlighted improved turnaround times following the dual investment, with the hybrid HP Latex R530’s ability to print both rigid substrates and roll-to-roll work complemented by the existing HP Latex R1000 and the additional production capacity provided by the HP Latex 830W.

He explained that being able to move seamlessly between roll-to-roll and rigid media on the R530 is a huge benefit, particularly with fast turnaround demands. Trade Signs UK can now easily switch across the two new machines to keep jobs running and as a result has been able to double its capacity and made much better use of its production time.

Add in only limited maintenance due to automation across the two machines and this, Ben said, has significantly strengthened the company’s firepower.

The company has also benefitted from HP PrintOS, a cloud-based operating system and workflow platform designed to help HP customers manage, automate and optimise production on their HP machines. This, Ben explained, has allowed Trade Signs UK to keep production running overnight, further improving its turnaround time.

“HP PrintOS enables us to remotely monitor jobs, meaning we can load things overnight and keep an eye on crucial production information such as ink levels and technical issues, while it also offers us a solid indication of where we are with our usage,” Ben said.

Environmental excellence

Ben also made reference to the environmental benefits of working with this technology. All HP Latex printers run water-based HP Latex Inks [insert JumpID], which have far less impact on the planet compared to other ink types such as solvent, eco-solvent and UV in that they emit only negligible volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are odourless. This in turn makes them the ideal solution for work in sensitive indoor environments such as hospitals and schools.

In addition to this, HP Latex Inks are packaged in cardboard-based boxes as opposed to traditional plastic, meaning these can be recycled after use.

“HP Latex Ink technology is fantastic for our customers,” Ben said. “It is a sustainable option and means we can produce prints onto our range of environmentally friendly materials, which features around 20 different products. So, when we work with larger brands, we can tell them it is a truly sustainable option, without any danger of greenwashing.”

An additional benefit of HP Latex Inks is that when used in combination with a HP Latex printer, the prints come off the machine dry and ready to laminate or be finished and sent to the customer, thus further improving overall performance and cutting production time.

Flawless performance

Trade Signs UK very much hit the ground running with both machines, putting them to work across a host of creative applications over the past few months. However, it was the first project processed on the HP Latex 830W that shone out for Ben.

The company was tasked with creating a series of indoor graphics for a new office development, with the client requiring everything from floor graphics to wall coverings. Despite having to contend

with a range of surfaces throughout the project, Ben said the HP Latex 830W performed “flawlessly”, with Trade Signs UK not only delivering all graphics on time, but to an extremely high standard.

“We printed five 30m rolls of media and the HP Latex 830W performed flawlessly throughout the whole process,” Ben said.

Having experienced so much success over the years with HP, Ben said the company’s partnership with the manufacturer will continue for many years, working closely together to deliver the highest possible quality service to customers across all markets.

“HP provides us with a full package,” Ben said. “From sustainability options through to the accuracy of colour, overall quality of the machine and user replaceable parts, all of this helps to improve our uptime and production offering.
“It gives us a competitive edge.”