HP Launches Photo Print Platform for Graphics Pros

At the Photo Marketing Association tradeshow in Las Vegas, Hewlett-Packard introduced its HP Designjet Z3100 photo printing platform, which will integrate its new DreamColor Technologies to aid photographers and graphic artists with their digital color pr

Hewlett-Packard on March 8 launched its HP Designjet GP Photo Print platform, the Z3100 Photo Print Series, a printer that provides photographers and graphic artists with color management tools that enable them to print across a variety of papers.

The latest photo print platform from HP, which debuted at the Photo Marketing Association tradeshow in Las Vegas, comes with either 24- or 44-inch print production capabilities. The device is a 12-ink printer platform that implements HP Vivera pigment inks, which provide photographers and graphic artists with fade resistance.

The HP Designjet Z3100 lets users create black-and-white prints that contain smooth transitions while also providing users with accurate color printing through the use of the HP Color Center tool, which allows users manage their color printing jobs.

The Z3100 also includes HP Easy Printer Care software, which provides users with printer status options, desktop alerts as well as automatic updates.

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The latest photo print platform from HP will also implement its new HP DreamColor Technologies, an integrated system that provides color consistency for photographers and graphic artists.

HP DreamColor Technologies uses a number of different technologies including embedded spectrophotometers, HPs Professional Pantone Emulation, CMYK (Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black) color models as well as expanded color technologies.

"HP DreamColor Technologies advances HPs evolution of the printing process into a new world where devices involved in the capture, design, editing and printing process utilize sensor-based closed loop control systems to meet our customers expectation for definitive color reproduction from start to finish," Jennifer Pershall, spokesperson for the Palo Alto Calif.-based HP, told eWEEK.

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Back in 2001, HP partnered with DreamWorks Animation to work on new technologies to support the production of the animated film feature "Shrek." The DreamColor technologies were developed as a result of that collaboration, company officials said.

"For HP DreamColor Technologies, HP embodied and commercialized DreamWorks high standards, challenging requirements and best practices used to make their animated features, such as Shrek the Third," Pershall said.

The HP Designjet Z3100 Photo Printer series is available now with prices starting at $4,095.

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