South Africa-based Print on Demand has become the first company on the African continent to install an HP inkjet press, a PageWide Web Press T240.

Founded six years ago, Print on Demand specialises in on-demand printing, particularly of books, where it only prints and distributes copies to order. Since the installation of the new press was installed the company has been able to target new applications and trends, such as personalisation and shorter-run times, crucial for its print-to-order specialism.

When speaking about why the company chose to install the press, managing director Tertius van Eeden said, ‘a particular edge is the machine’s ability to produce both the speed required for publishing and the quality demanded by commercial brand owners. HP has given us a data driven solution in PrintOS that gives us real time access to production analytics at a click of a button.’

Print on Demand says that, in addition to improving the quality of its output, the HP machinery has helped it meet its sustainability goals by reducing wastage, optimise production efficiency and access new markets. 

Speaking about the expansion of HP Inkjet into the African market, Nachum Korman, global head of worldwide industrial Indigo & PageWide at HP added, ‘this is a milestone paradigm shift for Africa as HP continues to drive the analogue-to-digital transformation in that market. Offering extraordinary versatility along with exceptional colour quality and productivity, this installation signals the strength of the opportunities for the HP inkjet presses in the rest of the region.’