Ernest Azzam, Large Format Printing Lead, HP Middle East & Africa, discusses how HP’s cutting-edge printing technology aligns with sustainability goals, empowers architects and designers with unparalleled customisation, and redefines creative possibilities across industries.

How does HP Large printing technology align with the industry’s growing focus on sustainability, and what makes it an eco-friendly choice for designers and architects?
HP Large Format printing solutions are designed with a high focus on sustainability, making it the most environmentally certified technology available. HP Designjet and Latex printers use water-based inks, which are free of harmful pollutants and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), ensuring safe indoor use. This makes it a perfect choice for the HoReCa business premises decoration and even for hospitals, health & medical centres, schools, and nurseries. They are also energy-efficient (ENERGY STAR® certified) and compatible with recyclable materials. Additionally, certifications like FSC® and UL Ecologo® align with green standards, making HP an eco-friendly choice for designers and architects. HP is a pioneer in sustainability, participating in many programs while supporting several communities a worldwide making the whole production chain sustainable with many HP printers manufactured using a high level of recycled and sustainable materials.

What specific industries or sectors currently benefit the most from HP printers, and why do you think they are drawn to this technology?
HP Large Format printers are widely used across several industries and sectors due to their versatility, stunning image quality, precision, and ability to meet specialized needs. Key sectors benefiting the most include:

•            Architecture, Engineering, and Construction: These professionals have used HP Large Format Printers for decades for their high-resolution technical drawings with high accuracy and color consistency.

•            Interior Design: They use Latex ink Large Format printers for custom wall coverings, murals, and décor printed on various substrates from fabric to synthetic leather as well as wood and glass. HP’s water-based inks allow long-lasting indoor usage without odors.

•            Graphic Design and Advertising: They use these printers because of the vibrant and durable prints for weather-resistant banners, posters, and signage for indoor and outdoor applications.

For design professionals who are new to large-format printing, how can HP printers provide a cost-effective solution without compromising on quality?
HP Large Format Printers offers cost-effective solutions for design professionals by balancing affordability with high-quality output and ease of use.

Efficient ink usage ensures precise color application with minimum waste, including features like Pixel Control technology. The versatility of HP large format printing solutions allows designers to reduce outsourcing or investing in multiple printers, by allowing them to print most of their needs on one device.These solutions also provide the best long-lasting vibrant professional results, even on economical materials.

How can architects and interior designers leverage HP technology to meet client demands for personalised and innovative designs?
HP Latex Ink technology is ideal to meet demands for personalised and innovative designs. It enables bespoke wall coverings with custom wallpapers and murals tailored to a client’s unique tastes or branding. Support for multiple fabrics and textiles allows the creation of custom upholstery, curtains, and decorative pieces for a cohesive interior aesthetic. It also supports floor graphics for innovative and durable floor designs for both residential and commercial spaces.

The wide range of substrates supported from canvas to textiles and wall coverings and even rigid materials like wood and glass enables designers to explore unconventional surfaces for personalized décor elements. On top, HP Latex technology offers the possibility to print with white ink, which is a game changer for interior designers. It unlocks creativity and makes possible the production of numerous décor print applications, such as:

•            contour-cut window graphic with white ink

•            applying white ink to signage to increase vividness

•            add a background layer to CYMK images, for instance, backlit signage, to make them more vivid

•            Improved colour rendering when used as a base ink on a translucent or transparent support

•            Giving images sharper edges, for greater impact

•            Increasing contrast with coloured or dark supports to improve visibility.

What are the key differentiators of HP printers compared to other technologies in terms of usability, efficiency, and versatility?
HP Large Format printer technology focusses on ease of use and efficiency. With intuitive interfaces such as touchscreen controls and user-friendly applications, they simplify operation for both beginners and professionals.

These printers are smart connected devices with remote management that can help maintain production and reliability with predictive service and ink monitoring.

Software solutions like SmartStream for production environments and HP click for personal users, ensure optimized resource usage by maximizing layout on substrates and minimizing errors and waste.

As mentioned in the previous question, HP Large Format printers offer compatibility with a wide range of material, more than any other solutions in the market.

What future advancements or updates are in the pipeline for HP technology, and how do you see them reshaping the design and printing landscape?
At HP, we continue to develop technologies that will always help creatives and designers differentiate themselves efficiently and responsibly. We continue to introduce more sustainable, efficient, and quality solutions. The objective is to always increase versatility and innovation to allow creatives to explore new ideas and solutions that allow them to differentiate themselves.

How is HP planning to capture untapped markets and raise awareness among designers and architects about the potential of Latex printing?
HP Latex ink printing technology is used widely around the world by designers and architects for interior décor. In the Middle East and Africa region, we had many major successes with creative designers who have built businesses based on this technology. But there is more work to do in terms of increasing awareness by showing creative minds what these technologies allow them to do. We were surprised many times by what these professionals create using these technologies once they have access to them.

What feedback have you received from the design community regarding HP printers, and how is this influencing your future plans and market strategy?
A lot of professionals from the design community are still not aware of what HP Latex printing technology can do for them. When showing some of these outputs, they were impressed with the quality and had a lot of questions.

This is always very interesting as it gets the creative mind working on how can use this technology to create bespoke solutions.

Our objective going forward is to reach out to those professionals and just show them the technology, and how it can unleash a new wave of creativity and applications that are customized, professional, and cost-effective.

What were your key takeaways from the discussions and interactions at the recently concluded Design Forum 2024 with other industry professionals?
The first takeaway from the interactions with the industry professionals is that this is a very vibrant and active community, that is always looking to keep up with the technologies available, from AI to printers. Regarding the discussions about HP Large Format printing solutions, we realised that for most of them, this was a new technology that was interesting for them, and they wanted to understand more about how it works and what potential applications they can use.
We believe that what HP Large Format printers will offer is a new solution for customisation that will take creativity to the next level, by allowing customisation of elements of décor that were standard until now.