At Dscoop Edge, HP eyes a digital-first future

HP showcased its AI technology at Dscoop Edge Long Beach.

The most significant aspect of this technology was HP Nio, an AI-powered chatbot agent that integrates with HP’s print production operating system, PrintOS. The AI agent can provide real-time data and analysis, helping customers maximize resources and improve efficiency. It will eventually also be able to connect with HP Site Flow for workflow automation. 

The company’s goal is for HP Nio to eventually become a part of the artificial intelligence behind an entirely automated workflow, forming what HP leaders describe as their vision for a digital-first future.

HP’s technology and vision were present throughout Dscoop Edge Long Beach. The event this year drew approximately 1,300 attendees, with about one-third representing the labels and packaging segments. It took place at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California, from May 14-17. 

The event was expansive, offering opportunities to hear keynotes on business trends, learn about technological innovations through 66 educational sessions, and view machinery from both HP and 76 of its supplier partners on the Solutions Showcase exhibition floor.

‘Dscoop is one of the best things that has happened to HP Indigo,’ says Noam Zilbershtain, vice president and general manager of HP Indigo. ‘This community is of huge value to itself and to HP Indigo. This is where we can demonstrate our innovations and get immediate feedback. This is the place where the community itself is discussing all the current challenges and trying to figure out solutions.’

HP’s vision

During the first morning keynote, Zilbershtain shared HP’s vision of a digital-first future, one of nonstop digital printing. 

'We are igniting the next revolution: nonstop digital printing,’ he said on stage. ‘With digital print, it’s smarter, faster and powered by AI. We are on a mission to transform the world of print into a world of nonstop digital printing, where presses are working 24/7, where everything is printed digitally at the highest quality. Full automation, powered by AI, across the entire workflow, from job submission to final output. And with that, we eliminate the breakeven point of analog to digital, and we establish a new standard.

‘It’s digital first, analog second,’ he said.
Compared to flexo, digital printing is more sustainable and is generally better suited for short runs, both of which the market is increasingly demanding. Digital also enables more personalization and customization, another trend.

Labels are an important segment for HP, which has more than 2,500 press installations in this space. HP’s new label press, the Indigo V12, is a ‘gamechanger’, Zilbershtain tells L&L.

Another significant segment is flexible packaging, which was HP's fastest-growing market in 2024. Since HP entered the flexible packaging space a decade ago, the company has installed more than 400 presses. Zilbershtain says his goal is for HP to double its flexible packaging volume every three years.

The Indigo 200K represents HP’s continued investment in flexible packaging. This press, designed for digital flexible packaging, is 45 percent more productive than its previous version.

‘We see customers moving more and more into digital flexible packaging,’ Zilbershtain says. ‘That’s because of the trends all around the world with shorter runs, the need to differentiate yourself, to be updated, to be relevant.’

AI at Dscoop Edge

A computer station in HP’s section of the Solutions Showcase provided an opportunity for attendees to experience what using HP Nio is like. They could ask the chatbot questions such as, ‘How productive was the site yesterday?’ or ‘Which substrate caused me the highest time lost?’

HP also unveiled new automation features for HP PrintOS, HP Site Flow and HP Brand Centre that improve efficiency, streamline processes and enhance creativity.

Zilbershtain describes HP’s integration of AI as falling into three categories, or ‘circles’. The first is in their presses, making them more efficient and easier for operators to use. This includes HP's AI-powered Print Mode PreFlight, which helps customers select the optimal print mode. The second category involves automating the production floor, both to and from the press. The third is overall production management, where HP Nio can assist.

AI was a prominent feature beyond these technologies at Dscoop Edge Long Beach. 

Attendees could experience AI before Dscoop even began by video chatting with Danielle, an AI-generated conference concierge.

At the Solutions Showcase, an AI Pavilion offered attendees the opportunity to explore AI-powered technology. The pavilion’s computer stations showcased AI capabilities for sales, supply chain management and more from partner companies including Deeto, IMind, Perspective.AI, Hexight and GoMake.

Several sessions focused on how AI could support various aspects of business operations, such as cybersecurity, marketing and workflow optimization. The session, ‘AI-Powered Printing: Transforming the Future of the Print Industry’, on using AI to generate artwork and optimize workflow, attracted a full room, with many having to stand to attend.

On the second morning of Dscoop Edge, keynote speaker Dror Globerman, co-host of the tech podcast ‘While You Were Working’, spoke about the potential impact of AI on the general culture. He noted that technology has already transformed society in so many ways. Refrigeration made food more accessible, washing machines enabled women to spend less time at home, and social media has changed the way people date.

‘AI will do the same,’ Globerman said. ‘The main difference is much, much faster.’

V12 press

AI isn't the only key element to achieving HP’s vision for a digital-first future. 

Currently, approximately 7 percent of labels by volume are printed digitally. For digital printing to achieve a larger market share, it will likely need to push the ‘breakeven point' between flexo and digital printing. This is the point where it generally makes sense to switch from printing with a digital press, which is more suitable for short runs, to a flexo press, which runs faster.

For this reason, HP anticipates that its V12 press, launched last year, will become a major disruptor in the label space. This press runs at 120 m/min (400 ft/min), making it about as fast as a flexo press.

It operates using LEPx technology, a more productive version of HP’s liquid electrophotography (LEP) technology, which powers all of HP’s Indigo presses. LEPx technology allows the V12 to run about four times faster than previous Indigo label presses. So far, LEPx technology has only been introduced to the labels market.

‘Customers who have already adopted a digital-first mindset love using digital. They can charge more; they make more money on it,’ said Brian Cleary, HP’s category manager, labels, at a Dscoop Edge session focused on the V12. ‘But there’s a limit to where they can compete financially, to where flexo becomes less expensive. But with the HP Indigo V12, it changes that entire dynamic, and now everything, regardless of run length, can be printed digitally and have digital value added to it.’

Partners at the showcase

Approximately one-third of the Solutions Showcase exhibition floor was dedicated to HP technology. The rest was occupied by HP’s supplier partners, with 76 different companies, including many in the label space, showcasing their technology. 

Martin Automatic was one of those partners. The company featured its nonstop, automatic narrow-web butt splicer and its LRD nonstop, automatic splicing rewinder. This is the third year that Martin Automatic has been at Dscoop Edge, said Gavin Rittmeyer, Martin Automatic’s vice president of sales and marketing.

‘It’s a good relationship,’ Rittmeyer says. ‘We still have a lot more to learn about Dscoop and using all the marketing tools that they afford to the supplier partner members.’

Cerm showcased its MIS software at a booth near Hybrid Software, Infigo and AB Graphic International. Steffen Haaga, director of global business development at Cerm, said they chose this location near these other companies because Cerm's technology integrates with theirs, as well as with HP presses.

Haaga said there is increasing demand for automation in the industry to address the labor shortage. He mentioned he also hears from customers that they are choosing to invest in digital presses because it’s easier to hire operators.

Also at the Solutions Showcase, JetFx presented its range of digital embellishments, including foiling, holograms and microtexturing.

‘Dscoop is educational in many, many areas for the attendees,’ notes JetFx president and CEO Edward Wiegand, who previously served as a Dscoop board member when he worked at a printing company. ‘Obviously, they get to see the partners of HP and Dscoop, such as JetFx. It’s almost an overused word, but the networking is very powerful.’

Dscoop celebrates 20 years

Dscoop, a community for HP Industrial Print and Large Format partners, marks its 20th anniversary this year. 

The community was founded two decades ago as an intentionally independent organization separate from HP, though HP is the only print technology supplier allowed in the organization. The goal was to advance digital printing, develop digital printing technology and find applications for it.

Dscoop was originally run by an outside agency. Today, it has its own staff, led by executive director Peter van Teeseling, as well as its own board of directors. Only two of the 11 voting board members work for HP.

Over its 20 years, Dscoop has grown. It originated in the US and now has a presence in countries worldwide. Dscoop publishes hundreds of articles annually on its online platform, hosts dozens of virtual programs and organizes in-person events across five continents. It has more than 20,000 members in 96 countries.

Looking to the future, van Teeseling says Dscoop aims to attract more individuals from member companies, such as those in technical roles. He notes that Dscoop plans to organize more programming for press operators.
‘HP gives us a lot of trust and ability to do what our members want — the printers and converters. We can listen to their voice and act on that relatively quickly,’ van Teeseling says.