The Imaging Centre, a family run business and one of the UK's pioneers of digital greeting card production, has expanded its production capabilities with the installation of an HP Indigo 18K Digital Press, giving the business additional capacity and helping it keep pace with the growing need for high quality, print on demand greeting cards.



For nearly 30 years, The Imaging Centre has evolved alongside HP Indigo technology to help greeting card publishers and retailers meet changing market demands for shorter print runs, faster turnaround times and greater flexibility without compromising print quality. Today, the business serves more than 845 greeting card publishers and designers worldwide, producing, finishing and distributing greeting cards directly into retail through a fully digital, print on demand model that that combines premium quality with the speed and flexibility customers require.

The latest investment in the HP Indigo 18K Digital Press builds on the company's earlier move into B2 digital production, increasing productivity and reducing downtime to help the business respond more quickly to customer needs. As these demands continue to evolve, more work is now being produced on the company's B2 platform than its SRA3 presses. This transition has already transformed the scale of work the business can undertake, increasing its largest individual order from 20,000 greeting cards to 280,000 cards, while enabling the company to support larger publishers without compromising the fast turnaround times expected by existing customers.

Alongside the new press, The Imaging Centre uses HP PrintOS to monitor production performance and analyse workflow data, helping inform future investment decisions and identify opportunities to improve productivity. The company combines this with its own automated workflow systems to streamline production and manage growing volumes efficiently. Insights from HP PrintOS have already helped the business identify the growing shift towards B2 production, providing the data needed to guide future equipment investments.

The Imaging Centre's print on demand production model also supports its sustainability objectives by producing greeting cards only when customers need them, reducing excess inventory and helping minimise waste throughout the supply chain. The company can produce as few as six copies of a design, reflecting the quantities typically ordered by retailers and helping publishers avoid unnecessary overproduction. 

"Quality has always been what sets us apart, but as demand continues to grow, we also need the capacity to deliver that quality at scale," said Adam Short, Managing Director at The Imaging Centre. "We've grown alongside HP Indigo technology for nearly three decades, and every investment has helped us take the next step as a business. Now, the HP Indigo 18K gives us greater productivity with less downtime, helping us respond more quickly to our customers while supporting larger volumes than ever before. It's another step in making sure we continue growing alongside our customers."

Matt Brien, HP Industrial Print UK&I Commercial Sales Manager, said: "The Imaging Centre is helping redefine what's possible in digital greeting card production. Its latest investment in the HP Indigo 18K demonstrates how forward thinking print providers are using technology not just to increase capacity, but to unlock new opportunities, strengthen customer relationships, and build more agile production models for the future."

To learn more about The Imaging Centre, visit: https://theimagingcentre.co.uk

Discover more about HP Indigo technology, visit: https://www.hp.com/gb-en/industrial-printers/indigo-digital-presses.html

Find out more about the HP Indigo 18K Press, visit: https://www.hp.com/gb-en/industrial-printers/indigo-digital-presses/commercial-digital-presses/18k-printing-press.html

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