HP remains bullish about photo print at CEIF

HP India exhibited the unlimited possibilities and the newest sizes of 14 x 20 photo books that will "create the next wave in the industry". In addition to the Indigo 7K press, the show's highlight was India's 50 finest photo labs, showcasing their latest products at the HP stall.

HP's country manager A Appadurai while speaking to PrintWeek, said, "The photo album industry has grown by 11% in comparison to pre-Covid levels." He is bullish about the future too. One reason, he says, is that "weddings are recession-proof." He added, "Every time there is a recession, digital print benefits."

He pointed out, "Today, India is the world's biggest professional photo printing market for HP Indigo. HP Indigo presses have revolutionised the photo industry completely in the last 15 years by taking our products and its capabilities to the photographers across the country." 

Appadurai: HP's digital printing press solutions are designed to meet the evolving needs

Appadurai mentioned centres like Ludhiana, Bhatinda, Saharanpur, and Dehradun, where photo printing has boomed. He spoke of the installation of an Indigo 15K "in a town 200 km from Kolkata. He said HP Indigo would make a public announcement in February along with the inauguration.

Appadurai added, "Not just the photo labs in the country (HP Indigo customers), we have transformed the lives of the photographers by offering world-class products such as non-tearable, waterproof, lightweight, vivid colour albums. These albums can last for a hundred years."

Appadurai said HP's digital printing press solutions are designed to meet the evolving needs of the photo and commercial printing industry. He stated, "As the market leader in our segment, we try to stay ahead of the curve by anticipating future trends and requirements and offering relevant solutions to meet those needs." It's a reason why Appadurai hopes to boost the 200+ HP Indigo installations in India in 2023.

Appadurai said, "This year at CEIF, we thanked the unsung heroes of every Indian wedding, the most creative, hardworking Indian wedding photographers."

Visitors at the HP stall

One of the highlights of the HP stall was the Shutter Star concept. Abhishek Bhatnagar, the commercial marketing manager at HP Indigo, said, "Shutter Star is a community platform for photographers. Today it has a followers base of more than 23,000 photographers who regularly engage on social media." All three platforms help in photo print engagement. Be it: photo print learning academy as well as webinars in regional languages. Also, HP guides photographers to locate the nearest HP Indigo printer using the pin code.

Bhatnagar added, "The photographers can view the newest trends in the photo lab industry, customer success stories, photo summit workshop videos, as well as look at all the images submitted to the contest, along with a write-up about these photographs. All the photographer has to do is register on the website with a phone number and create an account."