HP's campaign message suggesting the HP Latex R530 should enable Print Service Providers to be able to ‘do the best work of their lives’ is proving to achieve just that as printer delivers ‘market-shaping level of sales’.
The HP Latex R530 can seamlessly switch from high-quality rigid prints to roll-to-roll printing in less than a minute and a half
Craig Hardman, HP’s ANZ Country Manager for Large Format, heralded the HP Latex R530 as the star of HP’s PacPrint 2025 ‘because of its compact footprint, exceptional versatility – able to switch from (rigid flatbed to roll-to-roll in just a few minutes – and Latex printing pedigree’. “These factors,” said Hardman, “make it a great option both for entry-level and as a production gap-plugger for established print shops.”
Nine months on, his view remains unchanged. HP continues to hold a strong position in the large-format production market and even without a major event to showcase the printer, it has delivered what Hardman describes as ‘a market-shaping level of sales’, continuing to lead as the standout performer in HP’s Latex portfolio
Hardman continues: “We’re seeing a wide variety of customers for this product, and that is definitely the key to its success, with sales cutting across all our market segments.”
Whilst the compact footprint of the machine clearly has an important role to play, the real value of this printer is undoubtedly tied up in a narrative that talks to a seamless switch from high-quality rigid prints to roll-to-roll printing – ‘in less than a minute and a half after just a few expert tips’. But there is a significant quality and sustainability play here too.
Printing on up to 1.6m wide boards, up to 5cm thick, Hardman says that it is the unique HP Pixel Control technology that really helps the R530 stand out. “This technology takes us to printing pixels by blending colours like the human eye, delivering the smoothest transitions for enhanced print quality across all print modes and speeds.”
Craig Hardman, HP’s ANZ Country Manager for Large Format“This truly digital image pipeline technology, coupled with our latest generation of inks, delivers vivid colours at fast throughput, resulting in favourable quality both on rigid and flexible, and affirming the printer as a true winner in its class.“
HP Latex (water-based) inks already come with a UL ECOLOGO®-certification: the reduced waste and costs made possible through direct-to-rigid printing on recyclable media and through the inks coming in returnable cartridges.
“Even the printer itself is manufactured with 25% recycled plastic,” adds Hardman, explaining how HP sees Sustainability as a ‘value’ rather than an ‘attribute’. “The attributes of the R530 are its production efficiencies, speed, flexibility, but the real value to the customer runs much deeper than this and Sustainability is increasingly showing as a stronger and stronger value proposition to our customers across the board.”
Having first invented its water-based latex inks back in 2008 and as a long serving partner of Planet Partners (now for 26 
Key attributes of the HP Latex R530 include its production efficiencies, speed and flexibility
years in Australia), it is this progressive mentality related to HP’s own responsibilities for driving more sustainable options and opportunities for customers, that has also helped to set its products, like the R530, apart.
Hardman continues: “Our HP Sustainability Amplifier was designed specifically to enable our customers to run a sustainability audit across their own businesses, providing them with a very useful ‘green’ dashboard, as well as making recommendations on materials or practices that might help to improve their environmental score.”
“We also offer HP PrintOS as standard with all our printers now, and there are a range of other value-adds that can be integrated with R530 to assist customers with their production cycles and workflows.”
Hardman continues: “What always surprises me is that you launch a printer with an idea of how customers might use it…then, with the HP Latex R Series, you see customers producing everything from toy designs and lunchbox stickers to artist tiles and the boxes their canvas art ships in. It shows that customers will always take the technology and push it in ways we never imagined were possible.”
