Case study from HP

SL Graphics has won a prestigious award for an innovative project that combined HP Scitex UV-curable ink technology with HP Latex inks, using a recently installed HP Latex 1500.

Large format print specialist SL Graphics was founded in Dublin 20 years ago, steadily expanding with new technology investments and, ten years ago, a move to new premises. Around eight years ago it installed an HP Scitex FB500 UV printer, shortly followed by an HP Scitex FB700. SL Graphics has always relied on HP printing technology - installed by HP supplier Diatec - to win valuable clients including nearby Dublin Airport, for whom SL Graphics produces a range of advertising and retail work such as backlit posters. At the start of 2019 Diatec recommended SL Graphics replace a solvent printer with a new HP Latex 1500 3.2m-wide printer, an investment that paid off in the form of a win at the Irish Print Awards 2019. The judges recognised the ingenuity of SL Graphics in an office refit project for blue-chip client Deloitte, which combined HP Latex and Scitex UV inks on transparent vinyl and awarded the company the title of Bespoke Large Format Digital Printer of the Year. The black-tie awards ceremony took place on November 29th, 2019. "Many of our competitors were large companies so it was nice for a smaller outfit to be recognised in the IPAs," says Dave Savage, Director, SL Graphics. "We had a great night and even did a little dance on the stage when we collected our trophy." Dave Savage explains that SL Graphics chose the new HP Latex 1500 printer following extensive research into systems that could deliver the same colour vibrancy as its older solvent printer. Installed in February 2019, its addition makes SL Graphics a complete HP printing house. "I had been looking for something of the quality of our old solvent printer, that could give the same colour balance and vibrancy on backlits," he says. "I hadn't seen anything to match it until I saw the HP Latex. The day I saw the results on backlit PVC skin and textiles was the day I decided to buy it." He adds: "It's a step up for us. The HP Latex 1500 prints in high quality, in punchy colours, at high speeds, with a quick drying time. We also benefit from the safety of HP Latex inks. Dave states that the cutting-edge technology, quality and reliability of HP printers, together with support from Diatec, has helped to meet customer demand. "We've never let anyone down," he says.