HP Indigo Division
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Digital printing technology |
| Founded | 1977 in Israel |
| Founder | Benny Landa |
| Headquarters | Ness Ziona , Israel |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Digital printing presses, consumables, integrated workflow solutions |
| Parent | HP Inc. |
HP Indigo Division operates as a segment within HP Inc.'s Graphic Solutions Business. Established in 1977 in Israel, it became part of Hewlett-Packard in 2001, prior to the company's division into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. HP Indigo specializes in designing, producing, and distributing digital printing technologies, which encompass printing presses, exclusive consumables, and integrated workflow solutions. Its headquarters are located in Ness Ziona, Israel, while maintaining a presence worldwide.
As a trailblazer in digital printing innovation, HP Indigo introduced technology that removes the necessity for plates or tooling. This advancement facilitates economical short-run production, variable data printing capabilities, and just-in-time manufacturing. Such progress has reshaped the financial dynamics of printing in industries including labeling, packaging, marketing collateral, educational textbooks, journals, and periodicals—areas that have been challenged by declining traditional print demand.
Digital printing technology also minimizes waste associated with pre-press processes, product obsolescence, and inventory storage. Its capacity to print unique images on each impression enables highly targeted marketing initiatives, seasonal publications, new product introductions, and personalized offerings.
The quality and adaptability of HP Indigo’s printing process are comparable to offset lithography, with the ability to print on a wide range of substrates. The proprietary technique resembles laser printing but substitutes toner with electrostatically charged liquid inks and uses a heated transfer roller instead of a fuser unit. The presses can deploy up to seven inks concurrently—including CMYK alongside spot and metallic colors—providing an extended color gamut through customizable ink blending and layering.
On March 10, 2020, HP unveiled LEPx technology, a speed-optimized architecture representing their sixth generation of presses. The inaugural LEPx model achieves speeds of 120 linear meters per minute and supports up to 12 ink stations during operation.
Early history
Indigo was founded in 1977 by Benny Landa, often referred to as "the father of digital offset color printing." Born in Poland to Jewish refugee parents who later resettled in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Landa led the company's early vision.
Initially concentrating on research and development efforts, Indigo produced innovations such as a sheet cassette for copiers. Its debut product was a digital plotter/duplicator designed to compete with established companies like Xerox and Canon. By 1991, Indigo reported sales below US$5 million and net earnings of $440,000.
A significant milestone occurred in 1993 with the introduction of the E-Print 1000 at the IPEX exhibition. This device eliminated conventional plate-making expenses by printing directly from digital files, enabling affordable short-run color jobs with variable imagery on each sheet. The system utilized Liquid Electrophotographic (LEP) technology that combined a high-speed laser scanner with a drum-shaped photoreceptor coated in charged liquid toner.
Indigo went public in 1994 through a NASDAQ offering that sold 52 million shares at $20 apiece, generating $100 million in capital.
At the 1995 drupa trade fair, Indigo launched the Omnius press, broadening digital printing applications to include plastics, cardboard, films, and packaging substrates such as cans and bottles. This innovation formed the basis for Indigo’s subsequent labels and packaging press lineup.
Although revenues rose to $165 million by 1995, Indigo experienced its fourth consecutive year of losses totaling approximately $40 million and underwent workforce reductions. Nevertheless, investors like George Soros increased their holdings to 30 percent by 1997. By 1998, improved reliability contributed to revenues exceeding $200 million for the first time.
HP Acquisition
Beginning in 1998, Hewlett-Packard assessed Indigo's technology, identifying it as an excellent match for commercial digital printing applications. In 2000, HP committed $100 million to acquire 14.8 million shares of Indigo, representing a 13.4% stake. On September 6, 2001, HP declared its intention to purchase the remaining outstanding shares of Indigo N.V. for roughly $629 million in HP stock, with additional contingent payments of up to $253 million tied to revenue milestones, bringing the total potential value to $882 million.
HP further strengthened its footprint in Israel’s graphic arts industry by acquiring Scitex Vision in 2005 and Nur Macroprinters in 2007. These strategic acquisitions, combined with the integration of Indigo and HP Labs personnel, positioned HP as the second-largest foreign employer in Israel, trailing only Intel.
Key milestones
Following its acquisition by HP, Indigo emerged as a global frontrunner in digital printing technology. In 2002, the company launched its first co-developed product: the HP Indigo 5000, part of the second generation ("Series 2") press lineup. The Series 2 range featured roll-fed ws4000 and sheetfed 5000 models—including the Indigo 5500, 5600, and HP Indigo 5900—as well as the entry-level 3000 series. Production of Series 2 presses continued until 2018.
Launch of Series 3 (third generation presses)
At drupa 2008, Indigo unveiled the Indigo 7000 digital press, which delivered printing speeds over 70% faster than those of Series 2 machines. This performance enhancement improved cost efficiency compared to offset lithography and enabled higher print volumes. Additional introductions included the dual-engine Indigo W7200 and the label-oriented Indigo WS6000.
By September 2013, Indigo had established dominance in the narrow label segment; General Manager Alon Bar-Shany described the WS6600 as "the best-selling solution in the narrow web industry," leading both digital and conventional markets.
In August 2009, HP reached a significant milestone with 5,000 HP Indigo presses installed worldwide.
In 2010, Print CEO ranked HP Indigo as the leading high-volume digital press manufacturer in the United States. The company controlled approximately 75% of the global market for digital commercial photo printing.
Moving beyond SRA3 format: Fourth Generation presses
In March 2012, HP Indigo launched its fourth-generation portfolio, introducing the first press capable of handling oversized B2 formats beyond SRA3 size. By March 2016, the upgraded Indigo 12000 had been installed at over 200 customer sites across 20 countries. In February 2019, HP Indigo celebrated its one-thousandth installation of fourth-generation presses.
Beginning in 2014, HP Indigo broadened its focus to include digital presses designed specifically for flexible packaging and folding carton applications.
PrintOS
At drupa 2016, HP Graphic Arts introduced PrintOS—a cloud-based ecosystem aimed at helping users optimize press management, simplify production workflows, and accelerate business growth. Accessible to both HP Indigo and other HP technology customers, PrintOS had connected more than 20,000 users by March 2019.
Core applications within PrintOS include Site Flow, Print Beat, Box, Knowledge Zone, and Marketplace.
Business Model
HP Indigo’s revenue strategy integrates sales of printing presses with ongoing consumables supply and service offerings.
Customers
HP Indigo caters to a broad spectrum of clients including commercial printing firms, photo specialty printers, and converters specializing in labels, flexible packaging, and folding cartons. Its digital presses accommodate a wide array of uses such as marketing materials, photo books, albums, labels, shrink sleeves, folding cartons, direct mail pieces, manuals, and various specialty printing projects.
The customer base includes prominent commercial print enterprises like Cimpress, Shutterfly, and Consolidated Graphics (now integrated into RR Donnelley), as well as leaders in labeling and packaging such as CCL Industries and forward-thinking digital packaging companies like ePac Flexible Packaging. Most users are small to mid-sized print service providers.
Key recent transactions include:
- Cimpress’s announcement at drupa 2016 regarding the acquisition of roughly 20 next-generation Indigo presses.
- Shutterfly’s procurement of about 45 HP Indigo presses during the 2016–2017 period.
- ePac Flexibles’ unprecedented deployment of 20 HP Indigo digital presses in 2018 dedicated to flexible packaging production.
Established in 2005, the independent user community for Indigo and HP Graphic Arts solutions had grown to over 7,000 members by 2015. The Dscoop network spans regions including the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Japan.
Manufacturing
HP Indigo utilizes proprietary patented technology within a business framework that combines sales of both printing presses and consumables along with support services. The assembly of presses takes place at HP’s Kiryat Gat campus, while inks are produced at facilities in Kiryat Gat, Israel, and TUAS, Singapore.
In 2004, HP invested 100 million shekels to establish a new production facility in Kiryat Gat dedicated to manufacturing HP Indigo ElectroInk. A corresponding manufacturing site in Singapore also produces ElectroInk.
In 2007, an adjacent hardware facility was inaugurated in Kiryat Gat to handle press assembly and manufacture operator-replaceable consumable parts.
Towards the end of 2012, HP Indigo unveiled a second ink manufacturing plant in Kiryat Gat focused on producing ElectroInk for fourth-generation presses such as the Indigo 12000, 20000, and 30000 series. This 118,000 square-foot building was notable for being Israel’s first non-residential structure—and HP’s inaugural global manufacturing location—to earn LEED Silver certification.
In 2014, HP announced plans for a 10,000 square meter expansion of its ElectroInk manufacturing plant in TUAS, Singapore, with completion targeted for 2015.
Awards
- In recognition of its export achievements, HP Indigo was honored with the Outstanding Exporter Prize in 2016.
- The company received the Presidential Volunteer Medal in 2018 for its significant contributions to nonprofit initiatives.
Criticism
Initial Series 1 presses experienced challenges related to banding and ink adhesion; these issues were addressed in subsequent models featuring inline scanners that provide continuous image quality control.
Concerns have been raised over the use of ethylene co-polymers in Indigo ElectroInk regarding the recyclability of printed products.