Blog

Research into the post-COVID prospects for the large-format print sector found that growth after the pandemic will be driven by firms which adapt rapidly to the new market conditions. And one of the main changes which researchers saw the market demanding, was a reduction in turnaround times¹. So, what can print service providers (PSPs) do to cut turnaround times without compromising on quality or customer experience?

How can PSPs cut their print turnaround time?

To reduce turnaround times, you need to review the full process, from getting customer requests, managing files, printing, maintenance, finishing and delivering. Once you understand your process, you can usually find elements at almost every stage which are possible to streamline and accelerate. In many cases, this involves increased digitization.

Providers have switched to having clients not only providing the raw files digitally, many now also ask their clients to work remotely with staff to optimize the job pre-print. Colleagues also work remotely with each other, in order to observe social distancing.

One key element to accelerating your workflows and cutting turnaround time, is to build on this digitization. Client workflows are one part of this. And in many cases, they were already digitized, if not always as streamlined and automated as they could be.

The other part is the work of colleagues operating, optimizing and maintaining the large-format printing process. Ideally, colleagues should be able to monitor the print process remotely, so that they can quickly intervene if necessary.

At the same time, the mechanics of the printer matter too. It matters whether features such as print head, media-handling mechanisms and even cleaning cycles are optimized to work at the fastest possible speeds. It should also be fast, hassle-free and simple to carry out physical maintenance such as changing printheads or restocking media.

Get the job done faster, with HP

Find out more about the HP Latex 700 and 800 Printer series

The recently launched HP Latex 700 and HP Latex 800 Printer series use new printheads which have more nozzles. This produces speeds of up to 36 m2/hr (388 ft2/hr). This, in turn, enables latex printers in the two ranges to deliver up to 50% higher productivity levels compared to previous models². With that level of improvement, faster print speeds are no longer academic. They make a real difference to how many jobs you can fit into a day.

The new latex printers are also built for remote monitoring and configuration. HP PrintOS enables you to monitor and control your large-format print fleet using a cloud-based interface you can access anywhere, anytime. This is perfect for today’s working conditions, allowing fast and efficient collaboration even under lockdown.

Using innovative HP printers and productivity tools such as HP PrintOS, PSPs can cut the time taken up with the physical aspects of the printing process — the acts of media handling and putting ink on paper. They can also automate key parts of their work, streamlining processes and cutting out time-consuming manual labor.

Give yourself the edge with tomorrow’s technology, today

Find out more about the HP Latex 700 and 800 Printer series

Footnotes

1. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/12/21/2148429/0/en/Digital-Printing-Market-Growth-Trends-Forecasts-2020-2025.html
2. https://www.largeformatreview.com/business/business-news/covid-19-heralds-decade-of-disruption-for-print-say-smithers
3. Only for Latex 800 and 800W – compared to previous Latex models